Teaching Mathematics

Teaching mathematics requires an understanding of how students learn and develop their thinking.

Teaching mathematics to young children is developing strong number sense, mastering math facts, using vocabulary skills and providing concrete elementary math activities.

This means "when students are engaged in a 'balance' of math activities, they can succeed where it counts - in applying their skills and reasoning ability to solve real-life problems requiring mathematical solutions," (Ainsworth, 2000).

Teaching children mathematics requires students to become critical thinkers and problem-solvers.

Even the youngest children can use problem solving strategies. Problem solving is at the heart of learning math.

Differentiated math instruction is essential. Guided math centers are also used to review concepts and to allow higher students to extend their knowledge.

Teachers must have a flexible and adaptive knowledge of math concepts to be effective. Math is one subject area where many children are only exposed to it at school. A positive attitude towards mathematics is also linked to effective teaching, and that includes a willingness to reflect on what works and what we need to change.

The Experts on How to Teach Math

Learning is greatly enhanced in classrooms where students have to evaluate their own ideas about math. Part of our job is to help children develop reasoning skills.

This can only be done when we move away from the common faulty concept of teaching mathematics "an inch wide and a mile deep."

Larry Ainsworth and Jan Christinson

In their book Five Easy Steps to a Balanced Math Program for Primary Grades, Larry Ainsworth and Jan Christinson identify five steps to teaching a balanced math program:

• A daily math review consisting of grade level concepts, computation, elementary math vocabulary words, and mental math
• Designing conceptual units using scoring guides and performance tasks
• Problem solving
• Mastering Math Facts
• Year end performance task to demonstrate mastery of learning

While this may sound overwhelming at first, it is sound teaching.

There should be work on math facts every day. A misconception is that this is equal to "drill and kill."

Actual work on mastering math facts is done through elementary math activities that support deep conceptual understanding. There is nothing wrong with expecting students to be able to use mental math to quickly calculate basic facts, but they need to understand the process and the "why."

Teaching addition is easier when you make time to drill the basic Math facts and use addition flash cards. Teaching math is easier with these addition videos and addition worksheets from A-Z Worksheets!.


Marilyn Burns

Marilyn Burns (the guru of teaching mathematics) wrote THE book on how teaching mathematics to children. About Teaching Mathematics: A K-8 Resource, 3rd Edition is an essential resource for any educator.

Marilyn also wrote an excellent article for Instructor Magazine about the 10 Big Math Ideas that are important for teaching math. They are:

• Students need to make sense of what they are doing in math
• Students need the opportunities to extend their understanding and explain their thinking
• Allow students to talk about math
• Students must write about their math learning
• Connect math activities to real-world situations within measurement
• Manipulatives for all students, not just the early grades
• Choose depth over breadth
• Use instructional activities that are accessible at different levels, such as Math Games and Puzzles.
• Learning is a long-range goal, not a lesson objective
• Encourage and search for different ways of thinking and problem solving

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References

Ainsworth and Christinson. (2000). Five easy steps to a balanced math program.

Burns, Maryilyn, (April 2004). 10 Big math ideas.

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