New Insights and Their Implications

Throughout the past few weeks (since our first test), I feel I have learned a lot about teaching math to students. Not only did I learn and now understand certain concepts about adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions, but I also learned how to use models to represent them. Never before had I been taught how to use models to show my thinking. I understood the instrumental part of math but not always the relational part that really explains why and how we do things in math. I understand why we multiply fractions the way we do because of the multiplication bar method. I now feel I can teach this concept to students without questioning myself on how/why we do the instrumental parts of math.

I learned the importance of teaching fraction concepts to students through the CGI model. I think it's a great way to have students use their previous knowledge to construct their own learning. It gives more responsibility to the students and has them figure out how/why they perform a mathematical process instead of the teacher just telling them 'this is how we solve this.' Especially in the last few weeks, I feel I have learned a great deal that I will take with me to my own classroom.