Week Four 1510

This week in Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers, I was able to read a vignette titled "Number Sense in the Classroom" (pages 18-22).  This was written by a college student studying to be a teacher, like me :)  The vignette opens with a conversation between Ms. Davis, the 4th/5th grade math teacher, and Rhonda Cane, the student intern.  They were speaking about an upcoming lesson in division and this particular response by Ms. Davis caught my attention:  "I want the children to be able to develop and modify an algorithm and to root the work in reality."  "Root the work in reality."  I really like this statement.  Teaching math is exciting and when students get the chance to apply what they are learning immediately, their potential for learning is dramatically increased.

The mathematical equation that was written on the board the next day in class was 126/9=?  The classroom was divided into two groups to test their theories.  Did someone say cooperative learning again?  This is incredible that students are given the opportunity to talk with each other and figure out real life situations in which this problem can be solved!  The students talked about candy and baseball cards and how to divide these items up equally.  Manipulatives were used to physically represent the candy or baseball cards and then begins the process of division, well sharing, in their case.  During this time that the students are teaching each other, Ms. Davis and Rhonda take time to walk around the room "eavesdropping and asking questions."

Eventually, the students become the algorithm to solve this problem.  After spending time letting the students share how they discovered the answer and comment on each other's work, Rhonda stated "it is interesting how the children forgot to use the manipulatives after a while."  I find it fascinating that the students forgot to use the manipulatives as they began to think through a real-life situation.  This shows me that the more I can give my students the chance to apply their learning, the more likely it is that my students will gain a deeper understanding of the concept being taught.  I was given the opportunity to observe excellent teachers this past semester, and I know that the time I spent in the classroom solidified all that I was learning as a student.  Applying what is learned to something you already enjoy, the candy or baseball cards or teaching, for me, is really the way to "root the work in reality" like Ms. Davis so eloquently stated.

In closing, I found this video on YouTube and found it appropriate for this scenario.  This video is showing a constructivist approach to a math class.  "Constructivist perspectives focus heavily on the role of students as active learners and also see learning as a social and collaborative process" (Pickle, 2010).   Cooperative learning is one of many techniques that are at the heart of constructivist teaching.