I was intrigued by the site YouCubed, a non-profit organization, set up by Jo Boaler, that offers teachers and parents access to up-to-date research and resources in the area of k-12 mathematics, via the internet.
It discusses a concept that I have believed in for a long time: the idea that learning truly only
happens when a person is truly invested or enveloped in something. As with any subject or concept, in mathematics, this comes when there is a keen interest involved. Therefore, connections should be made between the mathematical content or concept being taught, and the children it is being taught to, via what motivates or interests them.
Just as the children in this video, found under the window into the classroom link on YouCubed indicated, math:
“doesn’t always have to be numbers, it can be letters
sometimes”
“can be like a story”
“is like a game”
“could be creative”
is used “if you’re making a house”.
Or, “you can use anything for math”
This short video shows what happens when children are opened
up to what math really is; when it is taken out of the bounds of a textbook,
and brought out into the real world where it actually exists and thrives. In this video, there was a point to capture the smiles, interactions, discussions, interconnectedness, enthusiasm, teamwork, thinking, exploration, etc. that were occurring among this group of children. This all took place after they had been asked (and I would assume, motivated) to solve a math problem that they had been presented with. Also, they seemed to be given the reins where they were allowed to make their own decisions and mistakes so that they could solve the problems on their own through deep thought, and discussion.
With the idea of children making mistakes, this is another concept that is brought up in various places throughout this site: the idea that children should even be encouraged to make mistakes. When a mistake is made, if one analyzes exactly what it was that made it a mistake, that one can truly learn the mechanics of the problem. For instance, as a new car owner, my car runs perfectly right now. I accept that and expect that it will run again tomorrow. But what if, when I place the key in in the morning, it does not start? It is only then that I begin to wonder why. If I leave a door open a crack and that runs down the battery then I will investigate and learn that this is what has happened and why it has happened. I will learn to make sure not to do this again, but also, will have learned a little bit more about the mechanics of how a car works.
This concept we have of not wanting children to make mistakes is therefore the opposite of the mindset that we want to set for ourselves and for our students then. Similarly, as is discussed in the various links, there is this idea that only certain people are `good`at math. This is a myth that has been around for so long that we are led to believe it to be true. The first link I opened on YouCubed brought me to a page that used the analogy of
mathematics as being an elephant in the classroom. This ‘elephant’ is this very myth. Much research has been
done to prove that this is not the case, and in fact, everyone has the
potential to be high achievers in math. One study even documented that the
hippocampus grew substantially when required to encompass a large amount of
spatial knowledge, shrinking only when this information was no longer needed,
such as when taxi drivers are required to learn large mapped areas, complete
with main roads and side roads. It is when these drivers retired years later that their
hippocampus’ apparently had shrunk back to normal size. I found this research to be quite interesting. It is worth pondering over, for what harm would there be in believing in each and every child having the potential to achieve highly in mathematics? Encouragement in itself can go a long way.
Giving them such encouragement and motivation to learn offers them the chance to excel. Without it, they may not reach the potential that they have. As teachers, this is something that we should be motivated to do for every child anyways. If someone is told that they will not do well, or isn’t given
the opportunity to excel, then they wont. Its as simple as that. As teachers we
should be providing the scaffolding required to help students reach their
potential, to be constantly challenging them and gently pushing them forward
and upwards through their learning. This should be the same with mathematics. It
is this widespread myth that only a select few are innately good at mathematics, that is holding people back. Myths, stereotypes, etc.
have too long made us think a certain way. We really need to think for
ourselves and to break away from such widespread notions. We should try to teach children to be critical thinkers. Why then should we remain uncritical ourselves?
Another myth is that children who work faster at mathematics
are the more capable at mathematics. This was a belief of my own, and as I’ve
witnessed, is a belief of many, young and old alike. It is another notion that
has been put in our minds through the years in our western society. It makes
sense to me though, that, as this site addresses, slow learners are just as capable.
They are probably even more successful at math because they are taking their time. What is truly
important, over speed, is the learning that is taking place, or when, as Boaler states, students “deeply
understand things and their relations to each other. This is where intelligence
lies.”
Just like the child earlier who stated that “math is like a
game” when referring to the many ways in which math is all around us. With this
notion, we can see the math that exists in such things as a game of chess. Now
think about this game. It is one of high concentration. Would you expect the
players to speed through the game to get to the end? No. Rash decisions are
made in such a rush. It is a game that takes time and patience. All moves are
analyzed before each player makes a move. Like chess, mathematics has many
different ‘moves’ that can be made and we too, should be analyzing each move
and to try and gain a better understanding of the ‘game’ before we rush towards
the end. This is the way we should be thinking about mathematics and how we should be presenting it to students.
To make math fun, and to provide teachers and parents with
ideas, there are various links to activities and even a type of lesson plan
with step by step instructions to involve students in mathematics. The link
provided under content and tasks brought me to a lesson plan in geometry for grades 3-5. It is provided by the Crazy 8`s club. This
activity involves an item that many kids love: glow sticks! The fact that students would be working with manipulatives in the dark that glow, is a starting motivator right there! It is this type of creative thinking that engages
students to think creatively themselves
The amount of links provided
through various games and information on this site is invaluable. I can see the
potential of this site, especially if it is updated often. As of right now, it has a vast
amount of information even though it is still in its early stages.
No comments:
Post a Comment