Over the first few weeks of this course in the curriculum and instruction of mathematics, we have been exposed to various methods of teaching young children math skills. One common factor that I have seen throughout these examples is the fact that the most effective instructors do not provide their students with any answers. Chapter 3 of our text tackles the issue of problem solving and notes that there is quite a strict formula that math teachers can easily become accustomed to using: teachers will present a certain skill or formula for working with math; students will engage with this skill and learn it through repetition; students will solve problems using this skill. The main issue that I can see with this method, is the fact that there is little to no room for students to engage with their learning. Students are not empowered to make choices about the ways in which they will learn, or the ways in which they will choose to problem solve. Having studied at Lakehead University for the past five years, I have seen the benefits of the inquiry-based model being used throughout my courses, and I feel that math is one of the most beneficial areas we can incorporate this concept into our own classrooms. The barrier holding students back from this model, is the fact that teachers often do not allow their students the time they may need to discover new solutions to problems. Teachers have a natural urge to help our students by solving the problem for them. This, however, does not allow students to grow in their understanding. By allowing students to first search for solutions themselves using an inquiry based model, students will have the opportunity to work with the numbers in a more meaningful way. Our textbook also outlines another strategy to avoid falling into the teaching formula, which is to teach through problem solving. This approach would begin with a teachers presenting a problem, and exploring the skills necessary to solving the Problem
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AuthorHello there! My name is Jacqueline Boehme and I am in my 5th and final year at Lakehead University in Orillia. As a professional year student, I am currently on my journey to become 'Miss Boehme'. Archives
January 2016
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