What Have I learned?
This week I've learned a different way to do fractions and I had to rethink my own education in math. I realize that my whole background in math has been copying what the teacher does on the board developing very little "deep" understanding of the mathematics at hand. In essence, no foundation is being built this way, just memorization which is only of value to get through tests but not of value when it comes to applying the mathematical concepts outside the classroom. As a pre-service teacher I am relearning math in a different way learning the fundamentals which make math rules what they are as opposed to just going through the motions simply because the steps are memorized. This approach is no longer appropriate in schools which is a wonderful thing.
What do I have questions about? I still wonder how to get the kids who struggle with math to struggle less. Every time I get them where they need to be, we move on and they remain the same distance behind and in a way, I wonder why it is not ok for some students to take longer to "get" certain approaches. I truly believe some processes are neurological and synapses click when they feel like clicking. How much control do we have over this?
This week I've learned a different way to do fractions and I had to rethink my own education in math. I realize that my whole background in math has been copying what the teacher does on the board developing very little "deep" understanding of the mathematics at hand. In essence, no foundation is being built this way, just memorization which is only of value to get through tests but not of value when it comes to applying the mathematical concepts outside the classroom. As a pre-service teacher I am relearning math in a different way learning the fundamentals which make math rules what they are as opposed to just going through the motions simply because the steps are memorized. This approach is no longer appropriate in schools which is a wonderful thing.
What do I have questions about? I still wonder how to get the kids who struggle with math to struggle less. Every time I get them where they need to be, we move on and they remain the same distance behind and in a way, I wonder why it is not ok for some students to take longer to "get" certain approaches. I truly believe some processes are neurological and synapses click when they feel like clicking. How much control do we have over this?
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