Mathematics education, the curriculum, the organisation of learning, the implications teachers.

Highlight, discuss and reflect on mathematics education, the curriculum, the organisation of learning, the implications for you as future teacher.

The pedagogical approach to mathematics has changed drastically over the past century. Before the late 1970’s, the approach to teaching and learning was centered around the memorisation of calculations, rote-learning solutions and answers. However, the ancient proverb recited by many educators (including the EDMA241 lecturers)...

“I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand’ (Marshall & Swan, 2008, p.338)

proves that this way of teaching (if it can be called teaching) simply does not work in both engaging students or giving them the ability to grasp mathematical concepts and understandings.

Therefore, as teachers of the 21st century, mathematics needs to be taught with a constructivist and engaging lens in which students can actively engage with content that reflects the context of mathematics in the ‘outside world’.

For example, teachers should ‘challenge students thinking and engage them actively in their own learning’ (AAMT, 2006, p.4) this can be achieved via a ‘hands on’ approach especially in primary school to connect what they see and link it to what they know, this “Includes material manipulation” and the “Use of prior knowledge to create new meaning” (Monteleone, 2019, slide 24).

Children use manipulatives from an early stage to understand the mathematical world around them.

The use of manipulatives in this stage is very important and greatly impacts the connections students make with the physical world and their learning.

As a future teacher, it is very important for me to understand that teaching has taken on a whole new approach compared to when I attended school. Therefore, I need to step out of myself, become a reflective practitioner and be prepared to experience and teach mathematics in a whole new way. I also need to understand that I will not always know everything and nor will my students. I need to prepare myself and my students for those situations by teaching them how to approach questions rather than making them memorise the answers. Yet, how do I make learning fun and engaging whilst still adhering to NESA’s standards of education and following the syllabus, I know what to teach is there for me but the how I believe will take time, planning and lots of consideration to make perfect.

References:

• Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers (2006). Standards for excellence in teaching mathematics in Australian schools. Retrieved from http//www. aamt.edu.au.

• Monteleone, C. (2019)., EDMA241, Week 1 lecture [powerpoint slides] Retrieved from: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1GOgoLQYN51HlDf2kWw3VeGDi1NT-ThCPkNy47oXm

• Swan, Paul, & Marshall, Linda. (2010). Revisiting mathematics manipulative materials: Paul Swan and Linda Marshall revisit the use of manipulatives. They look at the different types and the ways in which they are used by teachers.(Report). Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom