I remember when I was student teaching in fifth grade and I asked the kids a few questions. First, I asked them what was they liked in Math. I wrote the list on a transparency so they could see it. Then, I asked them one by one if the items on the list were easy or hard for them. Then, I went second list of what they didn't like to do in math. I asked again for each of the items on the list if they were easy or hard for them. My students started to see the point. They realized that they liked what was easy for them and they didn't like what was hard for them. I then asked them how long they'd been doing the things that were easy for them and how long they'd been doing the things that were hard for them (I picked one or two things from the list.). The connection started to be made... I pointed out that the things they'd been doing a long time were easy for them and the things they were just learning were hard. So, they needed t...