Constructivism

Students are discovering and taking the role of the teacher, with the teacher guidance. Class is made fun with a safe learning environment and different activities. I tend to also think of it as constructing scaffolds or building up knowledge.

Ruthie

Summary and Synthesis

There have been a number of recent experiences in this class that I have learned a great deal of information from. To start, I have learned so much about standards. All the of other methods classes we have had have not gone into detail the way we have in the class, and I am so thankful that I have actually been able to explore the different standards, and determine what they actually mean. Picking apart the math standards has really taught me a lot about how I can teach different activities, and also it has shown me a variety of different resources I have as well. Another this class has taught me about is the learning process and how it is used in the math setting. I am so used to just getting answers, and this class has shown me that in order to truly understand the material, you must do some of the "figuring out" on your own. The activity we did with the algorithims really helped me see this. It was difficult at first to put everything into precise detail, but what I found in the end was that I really did have a better understanding on the topic.

Summary and Synthesis

The past week in class we worked on making our own algorithms and testing them. This was something that I had never experienced before. After looking at the different polygons and trying to decide how to find the area, it was interesting to put our thoughts and hypothesis into action with different polygons. It was also interesting to see how the formula works with the algorithms that we created. Our algorithms would only work with correctly inscribed triangles, whereas, the formula will work with any triangles whether correctly inscribed or not. I enjoyed getting to work with the numbers and formulas and algorithms in order to find the area of the triangle. I definitely used my prior knowledge of geometry to try and solve the algorithms and its problems before we were able to discuss it as a class. I learned that prior knowledge and deeper thinking and understanding are important in order for students to learn, comprehend, and apply what they learn to every day life.

Summary and Synthesis

In this first month of class, we have focused on problem solving and standards. I have learned so much in the first bunch of classes. I never understood how much goes into standards. I also didn’t understand how many different ways that standards could be taken by teachers or administrators. I now understand why standards are unpacked and have extra information presented to help you understand what the standards are really about. I never understood how state and national standards overlapped and was related. I have learned so much about the standards and I would like to explore other subjects’ standards as well and see if they relate as much as math does to national standards.

We have talked about problem solving quite a bit and have even used it in our classes. I have didn’t understand how big of a roll problem solving had in math until we learned about it in class. The steps of problem solving can really help you when you are trying to solve any problem. People use problem solving everyday but don’t really ever realize it. You are specializing and generalizing your thoughts and figuring out the problem you are working on. There has been so much we have covered in this first month and I have learned so much from it as well.

Summary and Synthesis-Blog #1

Summary and Synthesis - Summarize and synthesize of the impact of recent experiences, ideas, and/or issues encountered on the Tuesdays and Thursdays in class thus far from your perspective.

Last week in class when we were discussing algorithms I feel that I have gained a new understanding on fully comprehending a subject matter. When Dr. Reins had us come up with our own algorithm and test it our to see if it worked on all of the different polygons I feel that, that helped me become more independent when trying to figure out math problems. Now I feel that if I can teach that to my students I can help them to become better at math or any subject. They just need to sit down and take some time to fully understand the problem, figure out what they know and then decide what they need to do to figure out the answer to the problem.

Contructivism

What is Contructivism? Cuntructivism to me is a student learning approach that helps kids think deeper. What I mean by thinking deeper is that I think the students are resposible for their own learning through different class activites! Students will use prior knowledge and try and connect it to information they just learned!

constructivism

Constructivism is a student-based approach. It involves students in hands on activities rather than listening to the teacher lecture. The students are responsible for their own learning by discovery while the teacher is there to guide them if they need help. By doing this, it motivates the students to learn and make the content more meaningful. 

Constructivism

New Insights and Their Implications

What did you learn from your peers, from the instructor, and/or the readings, about elementary school students, and/or about yourself, and the teaching and learning of math and what are their implications to teaching and learning mathematics?

I came into this class thinking it would be another methods class where we learn mostly content and little method. What I got on the first day of class was therefore surprising. We are spending some of our time on content, but only in the respect of how we should have our students complete the same tasks that we are completing.

This class was definately new and interesting. We are never given the answer but challenged to figure it out. While this can be hard and frustrating in the end it is worth it because we have found the answer and made, hopefully, a lasting connection. In doing this, I realize how important it is not only for my students to understand the material, but also for them to make a connection with whatever we are learning. While students can complete assignments if they are simply given an explanation and then handed a worksheet, they will most likely not retain that information.