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Teaching Mathematics

Teaching mathematics to young children involves developing strong number sense, mastering math facts, using vocabulary skills and providing concrete experiences before pencil and paper application.

Using calendar math games activities, math vocabulary words and math games for kids support best practices in math instruction. Also, teachers should keep current on the latest research that focuses on teaching elementary math.

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

Teaching children mathematics requires that we teach them to become critical thinkers and problem-solvers, and teach them how to use mathematical processes.

Why I Love Teaching Children Mathematics

I was the student in high school who had a terrible experience with math. My Algebra I teacher was not certified in math - he was a gym teacher who taught the class because nobody else would.

He never explained anything and I became lost. I barely made it through Algebra and Geometry.

Perhaps if I had been able to have a skilled math tutor, that may have made a difference. A great site for accessing tutoring information is Tutor Trend.

Fast forward to college. I found myself sitting in the basement of the campus library having to take remedial math just to stay in school. Here I was, a student who had been identified as Gifted, and I couldn't understand math.

Then I took an elementary mathematics course (because I had to for an education degree). The light bulb went on. The professor was very adept in using manipulatives and math games to engage students. As I learned how to teach children, I learned the language of math.

The professor realized I did not have a strong foundation in number sense and she taught me.

Today, I love teaching mathematics. I look forward to it, keep number sense as my focus, bring in manipulatives whenever I can and be sure my students experience math every single day.

^{This is why you must listen to your students' mathematical reasoning!}

The Experts on Teaching Mathematics

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. Every day I do a Daily Math Review with my second graders. It is 3 questions based on number sense concepts and other grade level objectives. This is followed by 2 mental math questions every day. This is done within 15 minutes and is essential to math teaching in my classroom.

Daily Math Review Template

We also work on math facts every day using Rocket Math. Each student works on their math facts at the top of the page after finishing their Daily Math Review (DMR). After reviewing our DMR together and doing our mental math, we take a one minute - not graded! - timed test on our daily facts.

I do evaluate their fact knowledge through their application in their work and occasionally using probes from the Curriculum Based Measurement Warehouse site. When I taught intermediate grades, I established a timeline to regularly assess the progress of my students.

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, manipulatives, 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

I will add one more to the list...

Utilize picture books to teach math concepts. Remember that learning and pleasure go hand in hand.

Our Goal as Math Teachers:

"Helping students become flexible thinkers who are comfortable with all the content areas of mathematics and [are] able to apply their learning to problem-solving situations."
Burns, 2004

^{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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