School-Wide Math Culture: Everyday Mathematics

IDENTIFY AND USE EVERYDAY MATHEMATICS KNOWLEDGE TO PLAN INSTRUCTION.

Knowledgeable educators begin planning by carefully observing children at play or engaged in other activities in order to identify their everyday mathematics. Next, they accurately interpret the mathematics underlying the behaviours and how it fits into the key mathematical concepts and curricula. Once identified, educators can create activities which allow assimilation of new concepts into the children’s prior knowledge (Ginsburg, 2008, p. 59). As educators observe student problem-solving, they can document what children say, do and represent in order to make both planned and “in-the-moment” decisions about how to respond, challenge and extend student thinking. (Maximizing Student Mathematical Learning in the Early Years)

Even though the above excerpt is taken from the Capacity Building Series: Maximizing Student Mathematical Learning in the Early Years it can be applied to all grades from a problem-solving perspective.  Consider the following thinking:

1. Understand your curriculum to the point you shape/form it into 'Big Ideas'
2. Find interesting ways to match the 'Big Ideas' to problems for your class to solve
3. Allow students to 'play' with the problem
4. Observe & Learn with your students
5. Intervene when necessary to 'mathematize' student thinking/work

Dan Meyer on Real-World Math

Many students struggle with math or have difficulty understanding the subject. Educator Dan Meyer has come up with various scenarios that can help students enjoy math and add some fun to learning it.

  

Dan Meyer blogs at http://blog.mrmeyer.com.

Challenge:

If you want to try something new and give it a 'fair' opportunity for success, then you must eliminate your current system (at least for a specified time period).  For example, one area to remove would be the reliance on 'class sets' of photocopies &/or textbook work.  If this is an area you currently use, then remove it for a period of time (i.e. 2-3 weeks).  See what happens....the 'withdrawal' symptoms are only temporary.