Week 3 Reflection

This week we focused on the variety of algorithms that are useful for teaching students to solve whole number operations.  This ties in very well with what we learned last week about problem solving methods, specifically about how different methods will help different students to solve the same problem.  I hope that by implementing a wide variety of these algorithms, I can minimize the number of students who struggle to complete any math problems they are given.

I came into this week feeling very comfortable with my knowledge of this area as I had always done very well in school with my preconceived strategies for solving these types of problems.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover how many additional strategies there were that had never been taught to me as a child.  Although I personally solved these problems with only the techniques I had previously learned, there were certainly some in my classes who could've benefited from the alternatives that we learned in class this week.  

Something I watched this week that I thought was very applicable was a video by Dan Meyer entitled "Tasks Promoting Inquiry".  In this video, Dan emphasizes the importance of "real-world math" which is connecting math concepts to situations that students can relate to, making them more engaged in the problem solving process.  Another critical point made was the importance of inquiry, which was summarized as not immediately giving a student all the information they need for a problem.  Dan demonstrated this by asking the people in his presentation about the information THEY thought they would need to solve the problem that he presented them with in the video.  It was only after they had determined the information they needed and how they would find it, that Dan started to give them some of the required information. 

This is one of the most useful concepts I have learned thus far, as to me it seems like a subjectively easy way to make sure my students are engaged with my lessons and helps them critically think when they get stuck.  Having students who can critically think about their math problems helps them learn not to rely on the teacher the moment they get stuck and by figuring it out on their own, can provide them with the environment to provide them with a growth mindset.

Kim Wrathall. (2017). School Related-Inquiry [Online Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/230739180891720986/

It is very important in school to set up an environment where it is encouraged to explore alternative algorithms/methods and critically think to solve problems.  They can allow a student to more easily see the solution to a problem if it is seen from a different angle.  An example that comes to mind is when I was tutoring a grade 4 student on adding and subtracting two and three-digit numbers.  When I initially tried to help him, he was very confused how to approach any of the problems based on how the teacher had told him to do them on a number line for each column.  After a couple of minutes, I decided to use some manipulatives/blocks to visualize the different number columns.  After showing him this he immediately understood everything I had tried to tell him previously and was able to solve all the problems within a matter of minutes.  Although the change was simple, I view it as a perfect example of how diversifying our thinking towards math makes a huge difference.


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