Overwhelmed by Math
I find teaching math hard. When you have so many different algorithms or ways to teach a concept, its hard to decide which would be most beneficial to the students. I have been subbing in a school for the last 2 years that uses Everyday Mathematics. The different algorithms that are taught through this text got me!! I did’t understand some of them, which made it hard to help struggling students understand it. I understand the efficient and internationally known standard algorithms. In the past that was the typical method teacher would go by.
After being exposed to the videos below, it got me thinking. It was an eye-opener. I relieved that these "other" algorithms and methods of teaching math are all able to be taught effectively, it is just up to the teacher to back the method they are teaching. If a teacher doesn't believe in the method they are to teach, students are likely to feel as hostile to it as the person teaching it.
The first video is on math texts. The video hostess does not think that Everyday Mathematics is a great text for teaching math. I now have weird feelings about that text and don't know whether it is good or not, but the professor in the other videos makes a great point that you can't really teach something you don't back or you will have little success in the classroom. I can say when having to do harder math problems, recently, I am a little dependent on the calculator, but it is up to our school community (parents and teacher) to teach students that they can do these simple problems in their head rather then relying on the use of a calculator to tell them the answer. With dedication, we can teach math independence.
I find teaching math hard. When you have so many different algorithms or ways to teach a concept, its hard to decide which would be most beneficial to the students. I have been subbing in a school for the last 2 years that uses Everyday Mathematics. The different algorithms that are taught through this text got me!! I did’t understand some of them, which made it hard to help struggling students understand it. I understand the efficient and internationally known standard algorithms. In the past that was the typical method teacher would go by.
After being exposed to the videos below, it got me thinking. It was an eye-opener. I relieved that these "other" algorithms and methods of teaching math are all able to be taught effectively, it is just up to the teacher to back the method they are teaching. If a teacher doesn't believe in the method they are to teach, students are likely to feel as hostile to it as the person teaching it.
The first video is on math texts. The video hostess does not think that Everyday Mathematics is a great text for teaching math. I now have weird feelings about that text and don't know whether it is good or not, but the professor in the other videos makes a great point that you can't really teach something you don't back or you will have little success in the classroom. I can say when having to do harder math problems, recently, I am a little dependent on the calculator, but it is up to our school community (parents and teacher) to teach students that they can do these simple problems in their head rather then relying on the use of a calculator to tell them the answer. With dedication, we can teach math independence.
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