Understanding, Knowing and Doing in Mathematics
Hi Everyone!
This week's math class started out with a game of math jeopardy. Beginning a class with an online game is a great way to get students engaged and a great assessment tool for the teacher to use. I had experience using Kahoot with my grade 6 class in last year's placement. I used it many times as an assessment for learning, or formative assessment, when reviewing a science unit. I used it in the beginning of a unit just to get an idea about what the students already knew as well as at the end of a unit as review. It allowed me to see which students were understanding the topics and which students needed a bit more help. In this way, I could diversify my lesson for the next day.
Understanding or Knowing/Doing Math?
A great question came up in math class this week; Is it more important to understand or know math? In other words, is understanding math more important than learning by rote? It is true that during a math test, for example, memorizing formulas where a student can just plug in the numbers will save time and if it's the right formula, a student more than likely will arrive at the correct answer. However, teaching math reasoning, such as in algebraic reasoning, will help students do better in the subject in future years than their classmates who simply know their numbers.
As noted in the building background activities document, 'Paying Attention to Algebraic Reasoning, K-12', "Algebraic reasoning is a gatekeeper for students in their efforts to progress in mathematics and science" (Greenes et al., 2001). "An early introduction gives all students more opportunities in later mathematics and career choices, and it may serve to support the transition to formal algebra in secondary grades, which research has shown to be difficult for most students" (e.g., Kieran, 1992).
What good is knowing a formula in math if you do not understand when to use it?
I think that far too many children are going to feel that math is a subject they 'can’t do’ if we, as teachers, over-emphasize the procedural tools like times tables, rather than what we need the tools for; to solve problems. I cannot count how many times I heard students say, "what are we ever going to use this math for in real life?" or "What's the point of learning this?" Math should be made more meaningful for students so they understand why they are learning it and how they can apply it to their lives.
It's Time to Stamp Out the Phrase, "I'm Bad at Math"
The social acceptability of not being good at math has reached epidemic proportions in North America. As seen in our mindset modules, even famous movie stars are 'promoting' this way of thinking. The “bad at math” self-concept then gets passed from one generation to the next like a flu virus, and it infects the attitudes of future generations. One never hears people say that “I was never any good at English” or “I don’t do vowels.” As educators, we need to fight back on two fronts—in the public arena and in our classrooms.
In the public arena, we need to speak up. We need to remind parents, guardians and caregivers that saying “I was never any good at math” is unacceptable. When we meet during family conferences, we can encourage them to help us spread the message to stop using such statements. Boasting about being bad at math, turns our students off mathematics and damages their attitudes toward it. When we hear this phrase at a social gathering or while sharing our backgrounds with new acquaintances, we can alert people to the harm that such statements can do to future generations. We have learned that everyone can be good at math. It is simply untrue that some people are not "math people". As with everything in life, it takes practice and hard work to get better at math.
In our classrooms, the most important thing we can do for our students is to instil in them how wonderful our subject is—that “math is cool.” Mathematics is powerful. It helps us interpret and understand our world in new and exciting ways. To instil positive and productive attitudes toward mathematics lies within our own hands—in our teaching.
This week's math class started out with a game of math jeopardy. Beginning a class with an online game is a great way to get students engaged and a great assessment tool for the teacher to use. I had experience using Kahoot with my grade 6 class in last year's placement. I used it many times as an assessment for learning, or formative assessment, when reviewing a science unit. I used it in the beginning of a unit just to get an idea about what the students already knew as well as at the end of a unit as review. It allowed me to see which students were understanding the topics and which students needed a bit more help. In this way, I could diversify my lesson for the next day.
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| Retrieved from http://i0.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/021/547/kahoot.gif |
Understanding or Knowing/Doing Math?
A great question came up in math class this week; Is it more important to understand or know math? In other words, is understanding math more important than learning by rote? It is true that during a math test, for example, memorizing formulas where a student can just plug in the numbers will save time and if it's the right formula, a student more than likely will arrive at the correct answer. However, teaching math reasoning, such as in algebraic reasoning, will help students do better in the subject in future years than their classmates who simply know their numbers.
As noted in the building background activities document, 'Paying Attention to Algebraic Reasoning, K-12', "Algebraic reasoning is a gatekeeper for students in their efforts to progress in mathematics and science" (Greenes et al., 2001). "An early introduction gives all students more opportunities in later mathematics and career choices, and it may serve to support the transition to formal algebra in secondary grades, which research has shown to be difficult for most students" (e.g., Kieran, 1992).
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What good is knowing a formula in math if you do not understand when to use it?
I think that far too many children are going to feel that math is a subject they 'can’t do’ if we, as teachers, over-emphasize the procedural tools like times tables, rather than what we need the tools for; to solve problems. I cannot count how many times I heard students say, "what are we ever going to use this math for in real life?" or "What's the point of learning this?" Math should be made more meaningful for students so they understand why they are learning it and how they can apply it to their lives.
It's Time to Stamp Out the Phrase, "I'm Bad at Math"
The social acceptability of not being good at math has reached epidemic proportions in North America. As seen in our mindset modules, even famous movie stars are 'promoting' this way of thinking. The “bad at math” self-concept then gets passed from one generation to the next like a flu virus, and it infects the attitudes of future generations. One never hears people say that “I was never any good at English” or “I don’t do vowels.” As educators, we need to fight back on two fronts—in the public arena and in our classrooms.
In the public arena, we need to speak up. We need to remind parents, guardians and caregivers that saying “I was never any good at math” is unacceptable. When we meet during family conferences, we can encourage them to help us spread the message to stop using such statements. Boasting about being bad at math, turns our students off mathematics and damages their attitudes toward it. When we hear this phrase at a social gathering or while sharing our backgrounds with new acquaintances, we can alert people to the harm that such statements can do to future generations. We have learned that everyone can be good at math. It is simply untrue that some people are not "math people". As with everything in life, it takes practice and hard work to get better at math.
In our classrooms, the most important thing we can do for our students is to instil in them how wonderful our subject is—that “math is cool.” Mathematics is powerful. It helps us interpret and understand our world in new and exciting ways. To instil positive and productive attitudes toward mathematics lies within our own hands—in our teaching.
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Hi Adriana,
ReplyDeleteThanks for mentioning Kahoot in your post. I also used this last year with my Grade 7's and they absolutely loved it! It seems to get everyone involved, and the students also retain information easily this way.
I know that it is difficult to get out the "I'm bad at math" mentality (as this is something that I as both a student and a teacher still struggle with!). However, to help our students stay motivated, we must first be able to motivate ourselves in this regard! Having a "Growth Mindset" is not something that can happen overnight, but if we work at it, we will be able to encourage our students as well.
Thanks for a great post!
Hey Adriana,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that starting a lesson with an interactive game like kahoot or jeopardy is great! From experience in my placement I definitely saw a difference in engagement when I included an interactive game to a lesson. It was different for the students making learning fun. This can also be a good way to review past concepts working on Math by Myself in the Math Daily 3 framework so the students can see where they are at.
I also liked how you included the importance of understanding math. I agree to this based on my own experience throughout my undergrad. When faced with a challenging concept that I could not grasp, I would memorize it and not do well when tested on it. However, during times where I was able to understand something, I had much more success as I could better apply myself. Therefore, ensuring our students understand the concepts we teach them is imperative.