Teaching mathematics to elementary students

¶ … Mathematics

Major Mathematical Concepts:

One of the greatest challenges in mathematics education is in reaching students who are otherwise detached from the discipline. Many students find arithmetic instruction dry, unyielding and remote from their daily needs. The mathematical concepts which drove the focus of this course are an ideal response to this issue, providing us with a background in many of the most applicable areas of discipline. Namely, the focus of this course on those aspects of the subject which tend to apply across disciplines means that as instructors, we will have myriad creative ways at our disposal to incline student enthusiasm.

In areas of consideration such as measurement and probability, which would occupy much of our focus, we had the opportunity to learn methods for the numerical representation of concrete ideas. Both subjects are intended to provide instructors with a variation of ways to approach quantifying observations, evaluations and predictions. Data analysis, consequently, should be instructed in such a way as to facilitate interpretation of these numerical representations. Geometry is a field unto itself insofar as it begins to connect these quantifiable representations to objects, shapes and the notion of spatial reasoning. In addition, this aspect of math education demands abstract reasoning and problem solving, demonstrating the cross-over between mathematics and other disciplines or areas of cognitive training.

Concepts Relevant to Professional Instruction:

To this end, a central concept is that concerning the instigation of student interest. To this point, we consider that project-orientation is an effective way to encourage inclusive class participation, idea application and the pursuit of identifiable goals. In elementary school, it is appropriate to begin to create group project structures in which students apply these mathematic principles to real life situations. For instance, probability lessons might be centered on projecting sporting event outcomes or geometric projects might center on such fun departures as an origami lesson unit. Ultimately, by demonstrating the real-world applications for students, such projects not only arm students with an ability to conceptualize important life skills but they will help the instructor to avoid the historically persistent student plaint that 'I'm never going to need to know this stuff.' By bringing the student into a subject by inducing personal association, it is possible to help bridge some psychological limitations to math interest while simultaneously engaging learning interests. (Salend, 1)

How I have Been Impacted:

My personal response to the experience of this course has been to place a greater emphasis in my developing instructional method on flexibility, fun and ways of demonstrating the broader, non-classroom value of certain operations, techniques and modes of calculation. To my observation, a math teacher now has the ability to put a personal stamp on his approach to curricular material, with evolving technologies such as a class website serving as a reflection of his own ideas regarding math instruction and his own emphases on relevant principles. By enabling teachers to bring creative ingenuity into the process, the internet is helping instructors and students to make closer connections, which in turn may motivate them to assimilate material and ideas more effectively. Most districts with the means and understanding of these benefits have not only actively promoted the incorporation of the internet into everyday instructional activities but have endowed school websites with the networked capacity to enable every teacher to utilize the infinite virtual space to the advantage of their students. I will personally make an effort to explore the innovative instructional possibilities and ways of accessing the personal interests of students through this medium.

Recommending Changes: