So what I found interesting about the first session of class was how Mr Yeap used a magic trick with poker cards to teach math concepts! I thought the idea was unconventional (no doubt suggestive and might send questioning parents over in a flurry), creative, and contained a multifaceted lesson on patterns, multiples, and ordinal numbers. Activities like this open up various doors and opportunities for learning as they are open-ended and offer multiple avenues for discovery. I also learnt that children learn Math through creative and concrete means prepared thoughtfully by the teacher (yes, a rationale lies behind every decision- every choice of words, numbers, questions- made throughout the preparation and teaching process).
I also appreciated how My Yeap let us struggle through each new activity within our groups before providing us with the answer. I found it very helpful to be able to interact with my friends while tackling the problem because I found myself learning a lot- mostly, in fact- from them! I experienced Lev Vygotsky's sociocultural theory for myself: I went through states of disequilibrium, equilibrium, assimilation and accommodation; I was scaffolded by my peers and teacher within my ZPD; I was learning through social interaction!
After giving us some time to work the problems out on our own, Mr Yeap would then call out for the different solutions that we used to solve the problems. He was quick to point out that there are various approaches to solving a problem- not just one hard and fast rule. I really appreciated that. Even if the solution I used was not as efficient as another's, it was still a valid, legitimate one and being assured of that made me feel capable.
This is a strategy for Math teachers to learn fast and understand their students, they present it through games. One way to analyze students the basic of learning Math in a faster and easy way.
ReplyDeleteJojo @ 4th grade math worksheet