Tuesday 13 August 2013

WHOLE NUMBERS


Oh wow! Whole numbers - I thought I had this one in the back. Came into class thinking I already know everything there is to know about whole numbers. Boy, was I wrong. The minute the first problem was presented I had that ‘deer in the headlights’ look. The same look I had back in school at almost every math lesson. However, having adopted a new attitude towards mathematics, I felt a little less anxious and a little more excited.

My new favourite thing from learning about whole numbers would be using the 10-frame to teach the concept. Having my love for children’s literature already embedded in me, it was no surprise that I love how a story (Jack and the Beanstalk) is being used at the beginning of the math lesson. I learnt how to use the 10-frame to find the sum of three different numbers. It reinforced the importance of the use of concrete materials when working with addition of whole numbers. My big takeaway here was that there were many ways that were discuss on solving that one problem. Just by using the 10-frame alone, we came up with at least 7 different ways of adding together 5, 6 and 7. Truly amazing!

Here are some advantages of using the 10-frame:
  • teaching counting
  • teaching number bonds
  • understanding number conservation
  • understanding one-to-one correspondence
  • cultivate place values (tens and ones)
 


The big emphasis in today’s lessons – the importance of allowing children to as many concrete experiences and then pictorial before attaining the abstract. Ways children learn:
  1. Looking for patterns
  2. Visualization
  3. Number sense
  4. Metacognition
  5. ??? (Be on the lookout for this in the next few blog entries)

It is time we all move away from the convention way of learning and teaching mathematics. The new era of teaching mathematics begins now.
Wise words:

“Children learn by manipulation of concrete materials.”

“You cannot imagine well what you have never experience.”




No comments:

Post a Comment