Tuesday, September 7, 2010

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.

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