Notes to Parents

Many of you have shown keen interest in facilitating your pre-schoolers' grasp of mathematical concepts in a fun and meaningful way. I am so pleased to inform you that I will be sharing diverse ways of making the acquisition of mathematical concepts and skills relevant and hopefully, stress-free. The activities, methods, theories, videos, photographs etc. that I will sharing are based on my course lectures, research and the textbook "Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally" by John A. Van de Walle, Karen S. Karp and Jennifer M. Bay-Williams.   Do contribute your comments and suggestions so that we can make this a useful platform for learning and doing Maths.

Teaching Mathematics in the 21st Century

 

"All students should have the opportunity and support necessary to learn significant mathematics with depth and understanding" (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000, p. 50)

 

Why do we need to teach math?

 

We teach Maths because young children need to learn how 1) to generate strategies to solve problems, 2) to apply the strategies & see if the strategies lead to solutions 3) to check if the answers make any sense. .

 

Secondly, we also need to teach children that there are many ways to solve a problem and understanding how other people solve a problem can develop their own understanding.

 

 

 

According to Schifter and Fosnot (1993, p. 9), "No matter how lucidly and patiently teachers explain to their students, they cannot understand for their students."

 

This portion of the reading has helped me re-align why and how I should teach Kindergarteners maths daily, making inquiring activities practical and relevant. I also need to provide sufficient time and a lot of opportunities so that my students can generate various strategies to solve mathematical problems.

 

 Why do children need to understand math?

Children need to understand math  so that they know what to do and why they are doing it.

It’s amazing how technology can be used to teach math in the 21st century.

 

 

However, we must remember that when we teach math to children, we as teachers and parents need to remember that children need to develop mathematical understanding.

This can be achieved in various ways:

 1.    Creating an environment that offers all children equal opportunity to learn

2.    Focusing on a balance of conceptual understanding and procedure fluency

3.    Ensuring active children engagement in the NCTM process standards

4.    Using technology to enhance understanding

5.    Incorporate multiple assessment aligned with instructional goals and mathematical practices

6.    Helping children recognize the power of sound reasoning and mathematical integrity (NCTM, 2007a)

5 Content Standards

1. Number and Operations
2. Algebra
3. Geometry
4. Measurement
5. Data Analysis and Probability

Of the 5 Content Standards, Number and Operations is the most heavily emphasized strand from pre-K to Grade 5 and continues to be important in the middle grades with lesser emphasis in Grades 9-12.

It is vital that people have skills that are lasting and will survive the ever-changing landscape of available jobs. These are what Thomas Friedman calls "untouchables"--the individuals who outlast all the ups and downs of the economy (2007).

 

It is now my opportunity to align my current practice with that suggested by the authors so that I may raise your children up as math lovers!