Teaching Mathematics

Math is everywhere.  We know this, but some of us still shy away from math when we are faced with it.  I know myself, I can be guilty of this by pulling out my calculator instead of attempting to solve a problem on my own.  This is most likely because of how I was introduced to and taught math.  As I spoke about previously, math has always been about the steps and procedures to me.  I am only now realizing that math is about the patterns! This week, myself and all my fellow teacher candidates embark on our teaching placements.  I spoke with my associate last week and she stated how much she values math games and apps to further student learning.  Of course, I have spent my weekend exploring apps and games to bring into the classroom this week.  We all know through our own exploration that good math games and apps can be hard to find.  There are of course the well known ones, such as prodigy.  Prodigy is a fantastic example of ...

Without a strong emphasis on steps and procedures, students might actually begin to enjoy math because they will realize they can do math.  (Almost) nobody wants to sit and memorize steps to complete a problem, and many people will actually forget these steps at a later date.  Take the following for instance when comparing fractions: 1. Use the LCD to write equivalent fractions with a common denominator. 2. Compare the numerators: The larger fraction is the one with the greater numerator. Here is an example from an online resource- but does this confuse anyone as much as it confuses me? For the students that know what all of this means, those steps might appear to be easy.  But think about the ELL students in the class, or the students who have a hard time remembering the difference between a numerator or denominator.  These steps will only confuse them more.  Further, students will become to focused on memorizing these steps rather than gathering...

Each and every week, it becomes more evident that all of us who have been led to believe were not math people, feel this way because of how we have been taught math.  In our video this week, it is explained that most people are not introduced to math in the right way.  We are taught to view math as being all about the procedures, methods and rules.  BEDMAS is a great example of this.  How we multiply is a great example as well, we all know the traditional way of pen to paper:                                                                          12                                                                   ...