Observing Grade Five Math

     I haven't had much experience with math in my observation days but fortunately I was asked by a grade five teacher to help a student one-on-one. I was more than happy to help this student because not only was I gaining more experience and helping the student, but the teacher made it obvious they thought little of the student's (mathematical) abilities and had embarrassingly called them out in front of the class for missing a lot of school.

     The student had missed some of the work the class had done on multiplication and this day they were working on the "box method" of multiplication (which is actually really cool). I was determined to help the student and maybe give them a little bit of confidence in the process.
The student ended up doing really well and being able to do the problems on their own using the method.

     If it were my classroom, I would definitely not have just given the students a method and a sheet of problems to solve using that method, but as I was only "observing" I helped the student as much as I could based on what the teacher wanted. Additionally, if it were my classroom, I would obviously make it a comfortable environment where children are encouraged to discuss, take risks, and learn from their "mistakes" rather than lowering their confidence and embarrassing them.

     Many of my observation days were frustrating in that way and it seems I learned a lot more of what not to do than what I should actually be doing as a teacher.

(Box Method)

Resources

     I was very surprised and impressed by the available resources! Some things I took note of in the resources:

Kindergarten:
Really cute mathematical picture books containing concepts like money, numbers, sharing, more and less, and counting. It presented the concepts in a child-friendly and inviting manner. There was also a teacher guide for each unit. I thought this was really cute and the books would be a great addition to any classroom library.

Grade 1-3:
Textbooks including stories, journals, and worksheets. They included a description of the focus and home connections. I really liked that the children could connect what they were learning to "real life". The teacher guide included planning and assessment support for each unit. It also included teaching tips, cross curricular connections, activity banks, how to differentiate instruction, literacy links, and various teaching ideas and resources. I was surprised that all of this would be included in the teacher's guide and felt it was obviously well thought-out and constructed.

Grade 4-6:
Textbooks containing chapters on patterns, numeration, addition and subtraction, number relationships, date relationships, geometry, multiplication and division, ratio and percent, fractions and decimals, measurement, and probability. Textbook has an accompanying workbook (and answer book) that has worksheets to supplement the text. Also has a teacher's guide for each chapter and includes lesson ideas, questions to ask, assessment ideas, and ways to differentiate instruction.
I noticed that the text has a lot more questions than arithmetic, which is different from when I grew up. One problem I had with textbooks as a child was reading all the "extra" information that could help me make more connections to the "real world" or to gain a deeper understanding of the math. I remember ignoring everything except for the problems we had to solve on the page. I would speed through those as fast as I could, so in the end I really didn't understand what I was doing, I was merely repeating an abstract process that I couldn't actually relate to.

     I can only guess at how useful these resources (or the similar ones in other provinces) will be to me when I become a teacher. I feel we can't really judge how "good" they are until we really get to know the curriculum guides, and more importantly, the individuals in our class. I think however much these resources are used in the classroom, they should be tailored and adapted to fit the needs and interests of the unique set of students each year. I also think that many of the lessons and problems presented in these resources could be used successfully in the classroom, but teachers should make them their own. Rather than getting the students to open the textbook and solve problems, the teacher should take the problems that they like, personalize them, and bring them to life in the classroom. What the students learn and experience should be as "real life" as possible, not reading what the world is like from a textbook.






Wow...

How hasn't my thinking shifted regarding teaching children mathematics?

     I have learned so much over the past 3 months about what it is to be a "teacher". And not learned in the traditional sense of what I read in a textbook and heard during lectures (and spit back out on a test), but through what I actually experienced. We weren't told what a good classroom would look like and how to teach mathematics, but were shown. And that's the key. It's not all about learning what it takes to become a "good teacher", but also understanding what it is to be a learner. As students, we felt comfortable to share our ideas, try new things, take risks, collaborate, and talk to each other. Being able to collaborate with others and the way problems were presented almost felt like we were "getting away with something", but it soon become obvious how affective this method was in learning mathematics. The work assigned in the course was also meaningful and as time went on we gained a continually deeper understanding of mathematics and teaching mathematics. At the same time, we were hearing that all of these things were what we should be doing in the future, but had we merely read or been told about it (like we have in most of our courses) they would have seemed abstract and I would probably still have the same traditional views of teaching and learning.

     It is all about giving children real world experiences and motivating them to be engaged and want to learn. It is also about balance. As a teacher, yes, you need to foster their skills and facilitate what's going on in the classroom, but you also need to allow your students to figure things out for themselves and actually learn, not just give them the answers. I also realized that students can often be the "teachers" and as a teacher, you are always going to be a learner. You will be constantly evolving, reflecting, changing, and improving.

     Throughout the semester, I have formed an idea of the kind of environment I hope to create for my future students. First and foremost, I hope it is a comfortable place where students feel at ease and want to explore, discover, share, and take risks. It will be a safe place of learning and growing, not a place to earn or lose grades. I find so often that as a student, you are so focused on your grades that you forget to actually learn anything, and consequently lose (or never develop) the drive to want to learn anything. And educators seem so focused on giving grades that they lose sight of what is important and forget to actually teach anything. The words "teacher" and "student" have certain connotations that need to be relinquished. I don't know who or what is to blame for this narrow and unfortunately common view of what school is supposed to be about and what it means to be a teacher or student, but I hope to change that in at least the lives of the children I have in my own classroom. I hope to be a facilitator providing the students with the skills to construct their own knowledge. It will also be a fun environment where the children enjoy spending time.

     The past three months in this course (and one other) have made more of a difference than the past three years. I see things in a new light, have a fresh take, am motivated, have a much deeper understanding, and feel hopeful (that I can make a difference). I know what I have learned it merely the foundation of what it means to be a teacher, but I feel that through this semester I have developed a good base to build upon once I become a teacher.

     I'm not sure if this post really encapsulates what I have learned and how passionate and hopeful I now feel, but I hope that it is somewhat representative of my new perspective and how life changing this experience has been. I can only hope to be able to inspire and motivate my future students half as much as I have been this semester. Thank you.

(I wanted to include an image for this post but nothing could quite capture how I feel. I hope words can do it justice!)