School-Wide Math Culture: Mathematization

FACILITATE EXPERIENCES THAT ALLOW FOR MATHEMATIZATION OF EVERYDAY KNOWLEDGE.

Knowledgeable educators help students transform their everyday mathematics into a more formalized understanding that can be transferred and applied to other situations. Several researchers refer to this as “mathematization” which requires students to abstract, represent and elaborate on informal experiences and create models of their everyday activities (Clements & Sarama, 2009, p. 244). The educator can play an integral role by making meaningful connections between the mathematical strands, the real world and other disciplines, and most importantly, “between the intuitive informal mathematics that students have learned through their own experiences and the mathematics they are learning in school” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2003, p. 14). For example, as a child naturally creates and extends a pattern while making a necklace, the educator can effectively pose questions that provoke the student not only to describe the pattern, but also to make predictions and generalizations. (from Maximizing Student Mathematical Learning in the Early Years)

Can U Beat These Mathematicians?

"Mathematization' can be an uphill battle but one worth fighting.

Honouring the Student Voice in the Mathematics Classroom is a webcast that highlights the goal of mathematization.  

The 'Student Voice' is exactly where your students are in their math journey.  It is important to listen to this 'Voice', support it and move it forward along the mathematical continuum (i.e. curriculum) through mathematization.