Summary and Synthesis

I have learned a lot of information so far this semester in math methods. I have learned a variety of new ways to present and teach material to students. I have learned what constructivism is and how to teach in a constructivist manner. It is important to have children learn to solve things on their own without the equation or formula given to them. Students can explore the problem first to try to develop the formula on their own. When students work this way it gives them a better understanding of how to solve the problem, how the formula works, and how they acheived the answer that they got. By working this way, students are making meaning out of what they are doing. Teachers need to make sure to use the students prior knowledge and to connect that to what the students are learning. We have learned different ways in which to teach scale factor to students. We have also learned different ways to approach problem solving and ways to help students solve problems in multiple ways. Right now we are learning about different polygons and finding the area on them. I have learned a couple of different ways to find the area of a polygon; such as, Pick's Thereom, chuncking the interior, and chunking the exterior area of the polygon. We are also learning the different formulas for the polygons. This class has required to think on my own and to use my prior knowledge to connect to new ideas.