I am very interested in reading the text and learning of the findings of the study carried out of the two vastly different schools and the different approaches to teaching mathematics.
I teach grade one and feel that my students learn best by being engaged in math activities that connect to their experiences. I encourage learning by allowing them to figure things out for themselves, by praising their mistakes and seizing moments to create more math problems to solve. I see my students learn most through interactingh with each other, playing games and exploring.
Then I come home to my children, one in Grade 8 and one in Level 3. My Gr. 8 girl (if gender has any influence) is complaining that she has a math test on Friday that she feels she will fail as her teacher stands at the board all class and puts up examples for them to copy. My son (level 3) is currently at a math tutor. He is capable, but does not listen well in class and does not practice the necessary skills (my diagnosis of his lesss than acceptable math marks). He has not provided me with much information on his math classes, but at curriculum night last week, his math teacher showed us the 300 page Practice Exercise workbook that is recommended at a cost of $25 as the text book that is provided is not adequate. The teacher also provided us with some websites where students get additional math instruction and practice. Sometimes his tutor will show him how to solve something in math but tell him not to tell his teacher that he knows how to do it this way!
Sorry if I am ranting...but there seems to be too many incongruencies between math in primary grades and math in high school. Are we creating six year old confident problem solvers who by the age of 12 are taught that there is only one correct way to do things and that they must do it over and over just like everyone else in the class????
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