Memorization--Yes or No????

This week has been great in Math class.  Watching my little explorers work with shapes is fascinating.  We are working on composing and decomposing shapes.  Next week we will be partitioning, which is a new common core word.  It is great to see how teaching my first graders these essential skills will prepare them to actually understand fractions!  Can you imagine that?  Often I reflect on how to do certain math skills especially when helping my daughters with their math.  I can hear myself saying these rhymes that help me solve problems but have NO IDEA why they work.  I think these rhymes are great for memorization, but we must ask ourselves is that our goal for our students--memorization.  Yes, it is important but for understanding math concepts.  I would have to say no.

I've added a word cloud to sum up the topics of this blog.  This is another way to use technology to create interest.  Let's remember technology is a great tool to teach our standards, but all in all we are teaching standards!!

Aimee

Aha Moments About Manipulatives

There has been some discussion lately among my coworkers regarding manipulatives.  It has been a delimma for many teachers as to when to "take away the tools."  As we dive into our new standards we no longer have to feel this pressure.  Our standards clearly outline what students should be using when solving addition, subtraction, mulitiplication or division problems.  For example, in first grade students should be able to solve problems using "concrete materials" using numbers up to 20.  This means allow them to use manipulatives, yes even on the TEST! :)  Follow your standards if you aren't sure.   For me, these standards have given me the permission to do what my students have been showing me that they needed. 
Aimee

Multiplication strategy

Retrieved from themathpage.com

Although I teach first grade, for the last three years I have taught third grade.  While teaching third grade I was compelled to find alternative ways of teaching addition, subtraction, multiplcation, and division.  My coworkers and I received AMSTI training and used the resources provided with this training.  I was so incredibly impressed with how these alternative teaching methods affected me, I had to dig deeper for my students.  The new math standards were actually welcomed by those of us who saw the benefit in teaching multiples strategies as we learned with our AMSTI training.  This image demonstrates one "alternative" strategy that really seems to make sense of the algorithm for multiplication that I was taught as a young student. 

Aimee

This week we have worked on solving story problems.  I have learned how to articulate my questioning without actually giving the answer.  In recent conversations with coworkers, one of the keys that has been identified with these new standards is appropriate questioning.  It is truely an art.  It has to be develped through great effort.  As I teach various strategies for solving problems, I am learning how important it is to facilitate the learning rather than simply showing one way to do things.  This enables the learner to create meaning rather than just accept it. 

Have a great weekend!
Aimee

Introduction to the reason for this blog

I am starting this blog to collect and share ideas for teaching math in a non traditional way.  Our new Common Core standards are fabulous, but sometimes confusing.  I'm hoping that we can share ideas, videos, and pictures to help each other be the best that we can be as educators.  I will be posting some ideas to get us started soon.

Try this one.  Choose your grade level.  :)
Examples for Unpacking the Common Core Standards

Aimee