Utilizing Math to Get Solutions

Problem Solving for Mathematics It is essential to include families in the exploration of mathematics and science so that children are able to see a correlation between their learning at school and the real world, practical application found at their homes. Research indicates that there are numerous adults who have difficulty managing their money (Wells, 2015), which indicates the need to teach the correlation between money and math.

One of the most readily available ways to produce this effect is by having students understand the vitality of mathematics through the usage of money and the regular counting and exchanging of currency. One of the most viable means of doing so is to give children a 'piggy bank', and enable them to keep any variety of denominations of money. Certainly all of the different types of coinage should be involved in this process; it would also help to include paper money as well.

Such an activity is readily augmented with the dissemination of weekly allowances to students, which they can regard either as compensation for the completion of household chores or as such for performing well academically. Finally, it might help this activity to require children to 'pay' some small fee for household pleasures -- such as watching television, getting a new toy, going to the movies, etc.

The point is to create a scenario in which the funds that children have fluctuate so that there is a need to count it grant them an opportunity to practice their skills in mathematics. Additionally, it is important to create a safe environment in which children can practice their mathematic skills. To that end they should keep a notebook or a piece of paper that is regarded as a formal financial 'register', and in which all of their calculations are preserved.

Additionally, this register should only be accessed in a safe, consistent place such as the dining room table. Additionally, it might help to have certain roles that family members play while interacting with students and their registers for their banks. Parents can pretend to be the banker and ask the students questions that involve aspects of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

To make this environment safer, more formal, and more fun, parents can provide visual representations of their roles by wearing a certain hat or perhaps putting on a tie when they engage their children in these mathematical pursuits related to money. The point is to have the children know when their interactions with their parents are part of this educational exploration related to currency.

Additionally, it is necessary to engage the children as much as possible so that they enjoy the activity and hopefully learn from it as much as possible. There are four essential stages to the process of problem solving. Those stages include defining a problem, elucidating the cause of the problem, determining alternatives to the problem, and effecting a solution to the problem (Beecroft et al., 2003, p. 17). It is possible to illustrate each of these stages by utilizing examples from math and science.

For instance, when a student reads a word problem, he or she must figure out what the problem is. Doing so involves defining the problem. One of the good things about word problems (especially as they are manifest with younger students) this initial stage of defining the problem is typically included in the final sentence or phrase of the word problem itself. Quite simply, this stage involves the child reading and understanding what the problem is at the end of the sentence.

Next, the child has to determine the cause of the problem. Again, in a mathematical word problem, this step requires the child to determine which mathematical operation can produce an answer that solves the problem in question. An example of the third stage of determining alternatives of the problem requires the child to figure out if there are any shortcuts or additional mathematical operations that can produce the answer to the problem.

An example of the final stage is that the child performs the mathematical operation and writes down the solution. He or she is taking action based on the other three steps. Problem solving styles affect classroom and student experiences in any number of ways. Those styles can help to determine the overall teaching style that a pedagogue might use. Moreover, they can also produce significant ramifications on the overall classroom environment and its management.

Problems that are solved quietly and harmlessly can enhance that environment, while those that are solved loudly and disruptively can exacerbate it. For example, if there is a child that is disruptive in an Early Childhood classroom, it might be advantageous to soothe him or her and temporarily by yielding to.