In preparation for our final exam and to give each of us a way to review the material that we learned throughout the semester, my EMTH350 professor, Kathy Nolan, assigned each of us to write a blog entry posing two questions.
1. How has this course changed your philosophy on the use of manipulatives and inquiry learning in mathematics? How would you use manipulatives and inquiry learning in your classroom? Give examples and justify your reasoning for them.
I believe this question is highly valuable. Throughout the majority of the course we have discussed a variety of ways to incorporate the use of manipulatives in mathematics (ex. alge-tiles, pattern blocks) and we have also been directed toward multiple resources filled with ideas on inquiry lessons. The K-12 Mathematics program is evolving from a very memorize based method of learning to an inquiry method of learning where students discover the information themselves. No doubt these lessons are difficult for Math teachers to plan in the beginning, but I believe that to be a result of the way that we were taught as students. These old ways are finally becoming obsolete in Saskatchewan Math courses. I think it is very important as Math teachers to help students move away from memorizing Math theories and tricks toward a method which is truly authentic, meaningful, and relevant to their lives. This course has opened me up to the variety of possibilities of using inquiry lessons and manipulatives in Mathematics in ways that I had never imagined. As pre-service teachers, ideas should constantly be going through our minds on how we can alter a lesson to make it more meaningful and more inquiry based for our students. Although many teachers do not like planning and teaching inquiry lessons, it is something that is not going away anytime soon. In fact, it is becoming more and more evident and the sooner that educators accept it and jump on board with it, the greater teachers we can be to our students.
2. Which forms of assessment do you plan on using in your Mathematics classroom? Explain your reasoning.
Each student in our course was assigned a different form of assessment to research and report back to the group about. Each student gave a short description of the assessment strategy, along with pros and cons that it held. Certain forms of assessment were mentioned during these days that I had never considered before (reflective journals in Math???). After hearing from my peers, I reflected on how much can actually be done in a Mathematics classroom. It does not always have to be: lecture, drill, practice, exam. I hate the thought of having a class that monotonous and pointless! The word “pointless” may seem harsh, but if the teacher is not trying to engage his/her learners and not truly assessing their knowledge but is instead assessing their ability to memorize, the students are not learning in a meaningful way. I think it is important for pre-service teachers to be aware of the variety of different forms of assessment that have been used in Mathematics classrooms and begin reflecting on what they believe could work for them and why. It is important for pre-service teachers to be open to trying new things instead of becoming a recycled teacher who teaches exactly like his/her own high school teachers did. By reflecting on and being open to new ideas, pre-service teachers can develop lessons and assessment strategies that are more student based and relevant to the students’ lives.
