Innovative, multiple-intelligence math practices

(by Jennifer O. Prescott)

All students can and should learn math – every good teacher of mathematics believes this. But how individual students learn, and what fires their imaginations, is a complex and challenging question.

Angela Andrews, a multi-grade teacher at the Scott Elementary School in Naperville, Illinois, proves that it is possible for someone who hated math as a student to become an excellent math teacher. Andrews had always found math irrelevant and incomprehensible.

“My whole school career was filled with meaningless mathematics,” she says. Andrews compares one of her favourite classroom activities to the Japanese “open approach” to problem solving. “At the beginning of the year, I ask my students to fill out a card with information about their families, hobbies, sports, talents, pets, and so on,” she explains. “Then I use this information to design challenging math problems which are open-ended and solvable through a variety of methods.” One example of such a problem: “Bobby got a $1.00 birthday check from his grandma. Before his mom would cash it, he had to tell her all the different ways she could give him $1.00 if she only had coins. How many ways can you think of?”

Students and teacher come to an agreement: The students will not ask for any help from parents or peers, and the teacher will not penalize them in any way for incorrect answers. “This arrangement builds an atmosphere of safety, and allows students the freedom to solve the problem in an unconventional manner,” says Andrews.

On “Challenge Day”, when the students must present their ideas, students and teacher spend the class hour discussing the problem and its possible solutions. Students commonly present several different strategies, including charts, drawings, or “guess and check” method. Andrews sits back and allows the class to respond to the presentation. If they agree, they must offer a positive comment about the student’s solution method. If they see an error, they must phrase their disagreement in the form of a question, such as, “Why did you multiply the length by 4 when you wanted to find the area?”

Since Andrews has told the class that mistakes are avenues for understanding, any mistakes are welcomed and explored as much as correct solutions. Students often ask their teacher: “Can I share my mistake? It’s really interesting”.

(from The Scholastic Instructor, April 2001, USA p. 25-26)

1. The purpose of the author is to prove that all students should love mathematics.

2. The author’s purpose is to give an example of appropriate instruction of children.

3. The author wants to describe how to handle students’ mistakes.

4. Найдите в тексте словосочетания со словом method и переведите их.

5. Ознакомьтесь со значениями слова area. Найдите это слово в тексте 4 и переведите его.

area - 1) площадь, пространство; 2) район, зона, край, область; 3) размах, сфера.

<== попередня сторінка	\|	наступна сторінка ==>
WHY USE GROUP GAMES?	\|	MATH ALL DAY AND EVERYWHERE

Не знайшли потрібну інформацію? Скористайтесь пошуком google:

Генерація сторінки за: 0.004 сек.