After having some time to reflect on the past few weeks, I have come to see the importance of some strategies and topics in math that I would like to share.
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| Image sourced from Luminous Learning |
Drawing & Representation
The first strategy is the importance of using visual representations and drawing out problems when needed. This can benefit students by getting students to break down the question into simple steps. It can also help some with taking abstract concepts and making them real by physically having it drawn out. For others, drawing out the math problem can help with memory recall as they can remember the time when they were drawing out the solution. Having a visual background, I was never really taught to draw out the math problem to help me out. After this week, I can see how it would benefit students. Looking back, I wish that I had drawn out math problems, it would have made things so much easier.
This was an interesting topic that was brought up during our online session as it discussed the idea of understanding the big idea vs. memorizing. This is a recurring topic in math education as we move from the old school way of learning which is memorizing, to the new school and the concept of understanding the formula and getting a big idea. We need to get our students to see the value of understanding math formulas rather than resorting to memorizing. Understanding the big ideas will ensure that students can apply the formula when needed and appropriate.
Hi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I like how you talk about the fact that using drawing as a form of representation can help students visualize certain math problems. I personally know that as a student I used to find that drawing things out would help me retain certain information so I believe this is something I would encourage my future students to try in my classroom!