My earliest
memory of math is from way back in grade three, which is over thirty years ago.
We had to memorize our multiplication tables. The class would chant as a
collective, while the teacher pointed to where we were on a chart. I knew my
multiplication facts inside and out. Unfortunately, I did not really have a
grasp of what multiplication was or meant. Luckily, that did not seem to matter
to my teacher. The class would often play a multiplication “racing” game. We
would form two lines, side-by-side, on one end of the classroom. The teacher
would stand somewhere in the middle of the room facing us, and she would hold
up multiplication flash cards. The first student to answer the question
correctly would move forward one step. The first to the finish line was the
winner. I was very competitive and was very often the winner, thanks to my
diligent work done at home, repeating the times tables over and over each
night.
In grade three,
this was fun for me; unfortunately, the fun in math did not last and things
went downhill from there. Not my grades, though—my math grades remained
exceptional. I was always good in math, and by good I meant that I was able to
memorize formulae and follow prescribed algorithms to arrive at the correct
answer, in the exact way the teacher expected. Unfortunately, as the years
passed, math was no longer fun for me. Despite my grades, I did not really feel
like I completely understood it. I did not know why the steps involved were
important to follow, and, just like with multiplication, I did not understand
what many concepts meant. Math class always started with taking up the previous
night’s homework. We would then move on to definitions, formulae, algorithms,
and procedures. Next, it was time to watch the teacher put an example up on the
board. Finally, homework would be assigned. This was the same, day in and day
out—a never-ending cycle.
As an educator
in the 21st century, I feel that it is essential to move away from
this model of teaching. Rather than the student being a “blank slate” and the
teacher the giver of knowledge, we must make math meaningful. Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr are two math educators who
are revolutionizing the mathematics classroom. They strive to “make math moments that matter” . They
share their strategies on how to create a classroom where students want to keep
exploring. The main idea is that the way I learned math is not how it should be
taught today because that format rarely leads to students becoming interested
or curious about math. They suggest that we start with some kind of a hook
activity to spark the students’ curiosity. Then we let the students explore the
topic. Let them come up with strategies and answers of their own on how to
solve the problem. After they have made sense of it all on their own, or at
least tried, then we come together as a group to consolidate our learning. Looking
at this model from a young student’s perspective, I can see how this would
certainly make the learning more meaningful, less boring, and highly engaging.
Hooks are very effective lesson elements that do make the topic at hand more interesting to the students to help them engage in the lesson. I agree that these make it more meaningful at the time. As a learner, however, I have a short attention span for how you got me interested in the lesson and I am personally more concerned with, "Why do I need to know this?", as in when will this be practical for me to know and how can it be applied. I worked for several years in the operating room of a trauma hospital. I was the pain in the butt person who when learning something new always insisted on knowing why we did things that way, as you can imagine that is not always well received by instructors. The reason for this, to me at least, is I want to make what I learn, and therefore what I teach, relevant. I am primarily a Chemistry teacher. I refuse to make my students memorize the periodic table of elements; instead at the beginning of each lesson we consider an element of the day and discuss its important properties, what makes it unique and what makes it valuable in todays industry. I hope to one day be comfortable enough teaching Math that my when I am asked by my students why we are considering the topic at hand that I can illustrate to them, with the passion I feel towards why carbon is the best element without question, that what they are learning is valuable and practical.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started reading your blog post I had to chuckle. I have the exact same memory from my childhood and the way that I learned multiplication facts. We just needed to memorize them, it did not really matter if we understood anything about it. Math was learned through memorization and like you mentioned, was very rote and in a repetitive routine. Today's way of learning math can be and should be much more engaging. Math lessons are now often divided into three parts; Minds On, Action and Consolidation. This is an excellent way for students to learn math because they get the opportunity to explore the concept and as they work individually, in pairs, or in small groups, they are talking and visualizing. When students come up with their own strategies they better learn and recall how to solve problems. I have always told my math students that there is more than one way to get to a solution. Encouraging students to explore, act and consolidate solidifies the learning of math concepts. Students then become more confident learners, which is what we want for our students.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your personal experiences. Looking back, all I can remmeber about math class is the same repetitive routine, listen to the teacher talk, take a note and do textbook practice questions. Making math meaningful is vital! Showing students there is a purpose to leaving will encourage them to want to learn and explore in the class. Thank you for sharing Kyle Pearce and Jon Orrs resource. As a new teacher who is just now learning how to teach math, it is extremely helpful.
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