EDU330 Elementary Mathematics - Reflection (H)

I was smiling away when I knew that there is a Math module in the course. I simply love Math ... the joy of looking at numbers and the way my brain 'contract' ;)

Frankly speaking, I don't really believe in theories when it comes to Math but rather practice, practice and practice! However, something suddenly reminded me that it's not about ME learning Math but about how I can teach Math to younger children. Throughout the module, I was very impressed by the different luggages of fanciful teaching materials brought to class. I believed children should be taught in that way - using bright-colored and interesting materials to stimulate their love for the subject.

In addition, I would like to compliment the use of blogs to showcase our thoughts and ideas about the module. Not only did I learn how to use blogs, the sharing of others' insights and experiences brought about greater learning.

Thanks, Dr. Yeap ;)

EDU330 Elementary Mathematics - Geometry (G)

Like what I had mentioned in my earlier blogs, Math had always been my favorite subject. Though I may not be very quick in deriving the answer, I enjoyed the process of problem solving and cracking my brains! With regular practices during school days, solving geometry problems had never been an issue at all! The rules of geometry were all within finger tips .....

I felt so helpless on the night when we were trying to solve the pentagon problem for those 'within finger tips' rules seemed to be at the back of my head but in actual fact, all gone :( 

I personally feel that in order to excel in geometric thinking, children should be regularly exposed to shapes and be able to manipulate them so as to gain a better insights of their properties.

EDU330 Elementary Mathematics - Whole Numbers (F)

The development of numeracy and number sense begins with a child's capability of producing the standard list of whole numbers in order, that is, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ..." In addition, the child must also be able to count in a one-to-one manner. This immediately reminds me of my N2 son counting in his own way! It's really funny, let's see what I mean ..

From the worksheets brought home by my children, I reckon some of the common pre-school practices mentioned in the book are 1) The Relationships of More, Less, and Same and 2) Counting On and Counting Back. Like what many others had mentioned, the uncommon practice is Anchoring Numbers to 5 and 10. Nevertheless, I personally feel that this is a good method to teach children in the early Primary School years which I have recently tried on my P1 daughter ;)

EDU330 Elementary Mathematics - Using Technology (E)

Math has always been my favorite subject since I was in Primary School. I enjoy the process of problem solving and the achievement of a sense of satisfaction upon deriving the correct answer :)

Over the years, calculators became such a common computation tool (especially for people like me who works in the accounting line) that parents of young children began to worry about their children relying too much on technology (calculators and computers), thus threatening their development of basic skills. I personally feel that their concern is unfounded because though I may be in contact with the calculator most of the time, my urge in solving arithmetic problems through mental sums did not slacken.

Furthermore, evidence has shown that students who used calculators in their problem-solving process had their anxiety reduced, thus improving their motivation towards the subject ;)

Some Primary Schools utilized software programs such as problemsum.com to enable their students to practice the subject at the ease of any computer system. With the aid of an interactive system, students became more interested in attempting those so-called 'boring' exercises.

EDU330 Assessment

Dearest Dr. Yeap

Please assess this blog at the end of the month.
Thank you  :)

Jean

EDU330 My Cookies



EDU330 Elementary Mathematics - 8th September 2010 (D)

Further to the pictorial representation (using sticks), I personally feel that the five tasks should be sequenced as follows:

1)  Place Value Chart

2)  Numbers in Tens & Ones

3)  Expanded Notation

4)  Numbers in Numerals

5)  Numbers in Words

Standing from a learner's point of view, after looking at the pictorial representation, it gave me an impression that there are 3 sets of ten-sticks and 4 individual sticks. The task that best represent this idea is the "place value chart" whereby it transforms the sticks into numbers in tens and ones but still presenting it with a picture-liked diagram. The next task, "numbers in tens & ones" brings the learner further away from the picture concept but nearer to the "tens & ones" idea. The third task, "expanded notation" further transforms "tens" and "ones" into whole numbers, i.e. "30" & "4" in this case. The next task which combines the two numbers together forms the "number in numerals". By now the learner should be able to visualize "34" as putting together 3 sets of ten-sticks and 4 individual sticks. The last task which is "numbers in words" requires the learner to have some phonics and sight reading skills so as to relate it back to the number "34".

EDU330 Elementary Mathematics - 6th September 2010 (C)

In fact, from the moment we received this environment task, we were already exercising our problem solving skills! Initially, it may not be mathematical when we were merely sourcing for items suitable for the task, it became a real math problem solving task when we tried to figure out how we can produce a workable product.

We made use of a checked metal gate from a building nearby to act as the base for our problem solving game whereby two children input numbers from 0 to 9 onto the metal gate template to form number-bonding relations. Due to time constraint, we could only formulate a template which involves the two easier operations - addition and subtraction. The difficulty of the game could be increased for older children by introducing the other two operations of whole numbers.

On second thought, we could have used the squares on the metal gate to teach multiplication facts too, such as 3 x 2 = 6;  3 x 3 = 9  ;)

Meanwhile, I personally feel that a person's exposure and past experiences are also important aspects of how well he or she can problem-solve.

EDU330 Elementary Mathematics - Chapter 1 & 2 (A)

When it comes to mathematics, I could still remember an important statement given by my math teacher when I was in primary school more than two decades ago which contributed to my interest in numbers until this day. That is, "Mathematics is the ONLY subject you can score full marks!" Nevertheless, it has to be accompanied with practice, practice, and practice ;)

However, it was only until today that I realized there were so much theory behind that statement she made! Among the many standards and principles, I strongly agree that it is important that teachers regularly reflect on what and how they teach, apart from the need to have a profound, flexible, and adaptive knowledge of mathematics content.

In conclusion, I personally feel that mathematics is all about making a person THINK, critically and creatively. In addition, it provides an avenue for developing persistency - in order to find out the 'truth' to a problem, that person must 'hang on' until he or she finds the solution. 

EDU330 Elementary Mathematics - 1st September 2010 (B)

Among the three holiday games taught tonight, I personally prefer the 'take 1 or 2 problem' as it provides more opportunities for brain 'sparring' ;) On the other hand, I felt that the other two games were just as great but may not be as challenging for adults after repeated attempts. Nevertheless, I learnt something new about the dice tonight :) In addition, these games are perfect for primary school children given their 'know a little, don't know a little' mentality :D

By the way, I have already notified my P1 daughter that I will be playing mathematic games with her tomorrow morning ;)