It All Adds Up
What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word math? I can almost bet you’re not thinking fun or interesting.
Auburn University’s Dr. Marilyn Strutchens is trying to change that. She has developed a project called “Enhancing Qualitative Understanding in Teachers and Youth via Problem Solving,� or EQUITY via Problem Solving, for short. The goal of the project is to create a fun way to teach and learn mathematics.
In 2000, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics published a book called The Principles and Standards for School Mathematics after research began to show that traditional teaching methods were not working for most students. Strutchens’ project is based on these ideas and is one way to introduce newer and more effective teaching methods.
Strutchens held four workshops for educators where she focused on introducing different types of lesson plans that involve problem solving. She provided the teachers with resources to help them put her new teaching strategies into practice.
Some of those resources include physical models which are used to help students understand math in a concrete way before moving on to more abstract presentations. Literature books that contain mathematics help the students make a connection between math and reading, showing them how math is related to the real world.
“If the teacher is more confident in her mathematic abilities and is willing to try something that will really engage the students, then the students will become more excited about doing mathematics,� Strutchens said.
Strutchens project has now spawned a case study on which she is working with a third-grade teacher from Notasulga Elementary School. They have found that students aren’t practicing what they learn in math at home causing low retention of the concepts. As a result, Strutchens and her colleague decided to recruit parents’ help.
“We had a parent workshop where we focused on some things parents could do at home with their children.�
At the parent workshop, the parents were exposed to some of the kinds of problems Strutchens suggests in her EQUITY via Problem Solving project. The parents were taught strategies that they could use with their children at home, such as asking the child to count pocket change. If the child gets the answer correct, he or she can keep the change in a piggy bank. This makes the learning experience fun and rewarding.
Other strategies include asking children to identify geometric shapes that can be seen when driving around town, as well as having the child read a non-digital clock. The parents were also encouraged to teach their children the basics of math like adding doubles (4 + 4 = 8, etc.) so that rather than just counting on their fingers, they can rely on higher level strategies.
“Then you can build off they by teaching them near doubles,� said Strutchens. “For instance, say you want them to solve 7 + 8. They can think about, ‘OK I know 7 +7 = 14 then one more is 15’ or they can think, ‘8 + 8 = 16 so minus one is 15.’�
Strutchens project is about making mathematics an integral part of a child’s education in school, as well as in the real world.
Click to launch pop up and have the text portion read to you.
