Sunday, May 11, 2014

DAN MEYER TED TALKS: MATH CLASS NEEDS A MAKEOVER


In this talk, Dan Meyer explains what's wrong with math education and why it should focus less on teaching kids to solve problems and more on how to formulate them of their own to better prepare students for problem-solving and for life.



He explains the five symptoms that you are doing math reasoning wrong. They are: 1. lack of initiative, 2. lack of perseverance, 3. lack of retention, 4. aversion to word problems, 5. eagerness for formula.
Then he suggests five techniques to engage the students. They are:  1. use multimedia in the classroom, 2. encourages student intuition, 3. ask the shortest question you can, 4. let students build the problem, and 5. be less helpful. 

His instructional technique gets students involved in conversations about mathematics and promotes patient problem solving.

In my opinion I believe that all teachers should encourage patient problem solving in math classroom and guide students to solve problems in ways that makes sense to them.


3 comments:

  1. Nice post, Alina. I agree with what he's saying. As far I can see, the gist of it is 'less teacher, more students' and the inclusion of more hands/minds-on activities is crucial.

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  2. I was intrigued with his opening quote, “I sell a product to a market that doesn’t want it, but is forced by law to buy it.” In today’s classrooms, students are active and engaged or passive and isolated in the learning process. We as teachers need to differentiate been students strengths and weakness so all students can excel. I have to agree with Justin that more inclusion/ hands on activities are crucial for students to retain and be engaged in the lesson. By incorporating a multiple of ways to “sell” the product (manipulative, technology, etc.) students may be excited and want to “buy” the product.

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  3. That opening quote was really priceless. One of the main things I took from this, or at least another way to word it, is that students need to struggle. He calls it patient problem solving. I'm happy I saw the video because I can use that term instead, because when I tell my students they need to struggle, they just stare at me blindly and begin to think that their suffering gives me pleasure.

    I am hearing more and more about how the teenage brain is wired differently, and he talks about that in his video. Kids want fast solutions, without thought, and and for it to be instantaneous. I've heard that the chemicals in their brains fire a lot quicker and need to be more active because of the technology they're exposed to. So when we present a question from a book, it does nothing for them. Take that same question and present it in a different way, and they'll be more engaged. Great blog.

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