One of the big challenges teachers are faced with is the wide range of students in their classroom, and by range I'm referring to their background experiences. Teachers are called to support and challenge students at every level, all while making sure that students are progressing in their learning.
Another challenge is the varied interests that our students have and how teachers are asked to capitalize on those interests through the context of the tasks that we pose and concepts that we need to teach.
It’s important for teachers to get their students engaged in mathematics, so they can think deeper about the problem. Students need to think about the problem in ways they can understand; how the problem might connect to some past learning experience.
It’s not about the deficits students have, it's about having the problem broken down for them in the right context. Students need to think about the problem in terms of what they know. Thinking about it in terms of a strengths-based approach versus a deficit.
It is my belief that students should explore the mathematics, discuss the mathematics, and understand the mathematics. To accomplish that, teachers need to be very intentional in applying mathematical standards and mathematical practices.
In many classrooms across the country, I often see those practices on the wall. Educators who implement the effective teaching practices, that have been identified in materials written by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and the research of Dr. John Hattie in Visible Learning, will recognize an improvement in their students’ conceptual understanding of the mathematics.
I always try to remind teachers, whether it be in tutorial videos or Laurie’s Notes, we don't want students to memorize procedures and rules. We want students to understand the mathematics. Memorizing rules only gets them through a day or two, maybe a little bit longer. If I've memorized something without understanding, I can't apply it later.
I had the opportunity to teach all grade levels from kindergarten through college. I often encountered students who memorized a rule or procedure long ago, and when asked to apply it in a new setting, they couldn’t do it because they only memorized it and had no understanding as to how or why the procedure works.
It is so important that we don't rush the mathematics. I understand there is a great deal of pressure on all educators in the classroom and not only because of testing, but also because of administrative and parental pressures. When we rush by having students simply memorize a rule and not understand it, then we are setting them up for difficulty later.
So, I encourage you not to rush the mathematics.
At Big Ideas Learning, we believe in the highest-impact teaching strategies to empower teachers inside the classroom, so we can inspire students beyond the classroom. With a singular focus in mathematics, we are uniquely qualified and committed to supporting you at every step along your mathematics journey.