EDU 330 ELEMENTARY MATHEMATICS
PRE-COURSE READING ON CHAPTER 1 AND 2
Mathematics has never been a favourable subject to me during my school days. I learnt maths by rote memorization and had never understood the principles that form the foundation of mathematics. As such, maths was something abstract and to make the matter worse; I did not have the privilege to learn from teachers who “encourage students to think, question, solve problems, and discuss their ideas, strategies, and solutions” (NCTM, 2000, p.18). Needless to say, I was unable to do well for maths and would shun away from this subject and would try to avoid doing any maths problem whenever possible.
However from the reading, I was convinced that “teachers’ attitudes toward mathematics may enhance or detract from children’s ability to do math.” (p.9). I learnt that to be an effective teacher; I have to increase my knowledge of mathematics and to have a better understanding on how children learn maths. I agreed that teaching mathematics now is very different from the past. Mathematics has a much wider score and it is more than just learning how to count, read and write numerals. In the preschool mathematics curriculum, topics like matching, classification, comparison, ordering, patterns, learning about space and shapes not only build a foundation for later number concepts but also help to expand and deepen children’s conceptual knowledge which will prepare them for later study and work.
I liked the Five Process Standards (problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication, connections and representation) mentioned in the book. This process standards will allow teachers to plan and implement maths activities that encourage children to acquire and use mathematical knowledge. Children being active learners have a natural desire to learn. They learn better by doing, exploring and experimenting manipulative materials in the classroom through fun filled play. Learning mathematics must be relevant for children. They learn best when maths has real meaning for them. In mathematics this means doing a lot of practical activities, where they learn skills “on the job”. For example, it is more meaningful when children are allowed to eat the cookies that they have counted rather than counting things in a book. Therefore children should not just learn mathematics concepts by rote learning and rules but be actively involved in the learning process. Ultimately, they may realised that the problems they have solved come from an interrelated set of mathematics concepts previously learnt.
When I read the section about “Where Are the Answers? I realised that I am guilty of sending the wrong message to my students, as I am always trying to provide the answer, solution or verifying their answers during mathematics lessons. I learnt that I should be a resource to be used rather than the source of all information; the facilitator of learning rather than instigator. I should asked questions that encourage the children to think about mathematics as they are actively doing mathematics.
Last but not least, I agreed that the mathematics curriculum should enrich children’s aesthetic and linguistic experience, provide them with the means of exploring their environment and develop their skills in logical thinking. When children have built a strong foundation on mathematical understanding, they will develop confidence and have positive attitudes towards the learning of mathematics.
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