LHightower

Chapters 1-4 of Teaching Student Centered Mathematics had an overwhelming amount of material.  It stresses a very non-traditional method of teaching math that requires teachers to look at math instruction in a totally new light.  Four basic components  are as follows:1)Children learn constructively. 2)We need to teach math as a means to solve problems, not just to find answers. 3)Lessons need to be carefully planned, not just by following a textbook. 4)Teachers need to constantly assess where their students are.  The book talked about the importance of students interacting with one another as they try to solve problems. Every student has the ability to make sense of math, even though they will do that in different ways and at different rates. 

The second chapter of the book was a collection of activities to teach number sense. Relating multiplication and division to repeated addition and subtraction was one of the big ideas discussed. Other big ideas were place value structure and  characteristics of whole numbers.

Chapter 3 discussed different strategies to help children master their basic facts. Number relationships help students remember facts. To master subtraction facts, children need to "think addition". (Rather thank thinking 13 minus 6, a child should think of addtion facts: what number added to 6 makes 13?)  Children need to understand that all the facts are related.  They should always be thinking about ways to figure out new facts from those they already know. One interesting statement that stood out was that calculators should be out on students' desks every day.  The authors believe that rather than interfering with students learning their facts, use of calculators may actually help them learn basic facts more quickly.

The last chapter in this week's assignment taught strategies for whole number computation. Teachers should not be so adamant that students use traditional algorithms for computation.  Invented strategies are usually understood better by the students who create them. Flexible methods often require a better understanding  of operations.