Saturday, January 31, 2009

New Insights and Their Implications

I had originally thought that there was only one way to teach mathematics, by giving formulas and showing students how to work through them. That was the way that I was taught by almost every math teacher I had from K-12 and into college. After starting this course, I now see that there are more sophisticated ways of teaching mathematics to students. We have learned in all of our education courses that children learn best through hands-on experiences and when they are given some ownership over their own learning. These learning theories have been long-standing foundations in the education field, so why are we so hesitant to give students ownership of their learning in mathematics? I think many teachers are afraid of the loss of control and the increased effort in planning it takes to allow a completely student-centered classroom. The implications of this new insight are that I am going to have to put in a lot more effort when designing my math lessons, but the benefits for my students will far outweigh the effort. If I can apply the concepts we have learned thus far and challenge my students to be problem solvers and creative thinkers, I will spend a lot less time covering the basics and reviewing and be able to take my students' level of thinking higher.

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