Jessica, Math was never one of my strong suits either. After working at a school, I have discovered that regardless of how well I did in math in grade school or high school, those students think that I know everything. The other day I was asked if 100,928 was a number and I told them yes and they said, 'No way!". The key to teaching math, if you are uncomfortable, is to never let them see you sweat. I also found the resources the book gave to be great because math is not an easy subject to teach because so many students fear it. I found that if the teacher is confident and can make it fun, than the students are more likely to learn the information and have a good time doing so.
Chapter 8 of K Today address mathematics in education. It discusses a wide variety of suggestions, concepts and skills, and main mathematics topics for kindergarteners. The first part of the chapter that I found to be interesting tells us the children learn quite naturally about number and geometry from their first year of life. Many children come to kindergarten with some knowledge of math. I will use this knowledge in my classroom to the child's advantage. I want to take what they already know and expand it so that they can use it in more ways. The second part of the reading that I found interesting addresses using play as a way to learn mathematics. Letting the children use blocks and Legos can help develop a student's mathematics ideas and skills. I want to be able to give this opportunity to my students. I want them to be able to discover things on their own and watch them learn and grow. Play is something that all children enjoy and if they are learning from it than it is even better. The next item that I found is the chart about the main topics in math for kindergarteners. I really like that it lays out what they need to do and then it gives you some ideas to achieve it. My favorite one is under geometry about putting shapes together. Students love activities like this because they are manipulating something and doing what they want to with the pieces. The last part of the text that I found intriguing was on page 90 where it discussing comparing and ordering. It gives an example of playing the card game 'War'. This is a game that I played as a child and I had no idea what it did for me until I read this section. I loved to play this game and I know from experience kindergarten students love to play as well. I plan to use this game to help my future students with comparing and ordering numbers.
Brandy, I was also kind of surprised with how much it said that children know about math prior to ever setting foot in a classroom. Then when I thought about it though, it began to make sense, because they are learning about it through the objects they play with, they learn that nearly everything has a shape of some sort. They learn about things that are heavy or light. They make the observations that some things are big and some things are small. When I actually thought about all of that, it is easy to see that by the time we get them in school for the first time, they already have a basic understanding of a lot of that stuff and they just have to learn how to relate it to the actual mathematical concept.
In Chapter #8 of the K Today text, I found the three general suggestions for practice to be very informative and helpful. While they are all very important to implement and keep in mind, the one that I found to be the most important was using appropriate technology. We live in a world that has a brand new gadget that makes a task easier being developed every day. While I see and take advantage of many of the wonderful opportunities that technology has to offer, I think that as a society as a whole, we have become too dependent upon it and I also think that when not used properly or for the right reasons, it can be detrimental to those that use it. Like the book says, “When used well, computers offer many advantages,” (Gullo 86). However, I think that it is necessary to implement other means of instruction as well. In my own classroom, I would tend to make sure I taught the skills at their most basic level first, such as having the students add 2+2 on a piece of paper right in front of them and allow them to master those skills before I would allow them to move to using the technology such as playing computer games and such to facilitate and further their mathematical learning. There are some things that a computer just cannot teach, and unfortunately, they break sometimes so I think it is important for the students to have a basic, skill foundation to be able to revert to if need be. The section about putting together and taking apart numbers was enlightening as well. Children begin to learn the concepts of adding and subtracting by putting objects together or taking them apart, which helps them better understand parts and wholes, and by putting more objects in the same group or removing objects from the group, which helps them with the actual concepts of addition and subtraction. To implement this into the classroom, I think it is important sometimes to just let the children play and see what kind of observations they make about what they are doing on their own. I would want to sometimes intervene and ask them guiding questions to lead them into thinking about such things, but I often tend to go with the old saying that “experience is the best teacher.” Questions that could be asked could be: “How many blocks do you have?” “If you take the two red ones away, how many will you have then?” etc. I also thought that the section on patterning and algebraic thinking made several good points. Children learn rhythmical and musical patterns the best so it is important to encourage the use of the patterns and give them ample opportunities to practice with them. I would try and implement as many musical and rhythmical patterns as I could, especially regarding math instruction. I know that when I was in school and we were learning to count by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s, a lot of us were able to progress through the numbers a lot easier if we followed the beat that our teacher set for us and then clapped along with it. Most little kids like to move, dance, and sing so I think that any time that can be included in their instruction the longer they are going to stay engaged in what they are learning and the more they are going to enjoy it and be able to retain the information.
Erin Flax I was apprehensive about this chapter because I struggle with math. Of course our youngsters don’t deal with high level algebra or anything but the thought of it makes me nervous. I am however doing better with it and know that I need to love math to help them love math. As I read this chapter it helped. I realized that because of the informal ways we teach math I am more relaxed and confident in my abilities. The first thing I wanted to mention was on page 86 where it talked about the importance of having the families support math in the home as well. I totally agree but also see the problems many families will have. I am not alone in having fears of math. So many people hate the word math and it brings back bad memories. In my experience with home visits where we set goals with the families, and gave them tools to help learning at home, I found many parents were apprehensive that they did not possess the knowledge and skills required to help their child academically. I worked hard at instilling confidence in them. I would demonstrate how easy it is to guide their child in learning. Many became more confident. I will use these same skills when working with my kindergarten families on bringing math into the home.
I loved the chart on page 88 and 89 that had “main mathematic topics for kindergarteners.” I feel more confident in using this as a guide along with the Common Core Curriculum. I will definitely use the examples. I learn best by examples so I am very glad they had them. I also liked how the book said multiple times that we should “encourage the development of language” while we teach math. It almost seemed in their examples that the combination of both together made it seem less like a math lesson. I will definitely do that in my classroom. I really want to make sure that my students do not turn out like me. I want them to be confident in their abilities in math as with all subjects. I want it to seem natural to them. I’m glad I read this chapter.
Oh I felt the same way you did reading this chapter! I was even cringing a little bit after reading the title fearing what it would tell me. The chart was very helpful and a great guide to go off of. I think you have the right idea that we have to be enthusiastic about math if we expect our students to be the same way! Hopefully after this it will be a little easier for us :)
I hear you on not liking math and worrying about it rubbing off on your students. It is so funny how similar our posts are. I wrote mine before looking at yours but I also wrote about wanting to encourage them to have a love of math. Page 88 and 89 are great resources. I also liked how they said kindergarten math isn’t like elementary math but is learned through play and experiences.
I love reading about Mathematics and techniques to use in the classroom. I feel like this is one of the hardest subjects to teach, or maybe that's just for me. :) This chapter mentioned that math skills are strengthened when they are linked to other ideas. Forming that connection helps make it easier for students to grasp a new concept because they can link it to something they already know. I also really enjoyed the ideas pertaining to measurement and location/directions. Having children go out with rulers and measure things around the room or make a map of the room is a great idea. It get's them moving and allows them to be hands on in the activity which really gets their different intelligences flowing. After reading this I decided that I will take the children I nanny to the zoo. Prior to it I would have them make a map of the zoo and afterwards compare how accurate we were. We would also predict how many of each animal we would see and then actually count and record how many we saw. We could also graph our observations later. The last thing that I found that was different and maybe more hands on for children was the card game "Double War". Children have a deck of playing cards and each child puts down two cards. They add them together and whoever sum is greatest wins that match. I feel like all of these ideas are something I could easily integrate into either a center or a whole lesson. It put my mind a little more at ease on teaching mathematics after reading this chapter!
I think that is a nice things to do with the children you nanny for. What a good life skill even - to be ale to logically think about a map and then compare it to the one at the zoo. I forgot to comment in my log about making connections, but it is so important. Children are more likely to learn something from math when it is about something they love. I worked with a child who had Autism once, and he had a hard time adding and subtracting, but as soon as I related it to baseball he caught on super fast. We even drew a baseball bat around his name to remind him that this math assignment was about baseball - even when I knew it was about whether or not he could add and subtract.
This was not my favorite chapter, but one I needed to read the most. Math was always hard for me, and probably won't be the easiest to teach if I get a job with second or third grade. However, the first thing I found that I liked was the resources for games. The websites are super fun, would be good to do on the Smartboard. The second thing I liked was the graph for Main mathematics topics for kindergarteners. This graph broke the topics down - and I was even able to get a few great ideas of my own just reading through on how I could correlate it to my thematic unit. Finally, I wanted to comment on the Support Play section. I had parents come to me when I was teaching preschool asking why we allotted so much time at centers and less instruction time. I had to show them the breakdown of how the time pretty much evened out, but also explain to them that playing with blocks and play doh are foundational skills for the future. I even used the same example from the book about shorter/longer snakes. So, it was nice to see that I explained something the way the book did. This was a nice chapter, and I really needed it.
I totally agree with you Jonelle. I feel that I really needed to read and get something out of this chapter since I struggled with math as a child. I also really liked the resources for games that they gave us. I felt that these could both be used in the classroom and at home. It would be a good resource for parents to get at the beginning of the year.
I was eager to read this chapter to learn more about mathematics because I was never interested in math as a child. I thought the chart on main mathematics topics in kindergarten on page 88 was very useful. I really like how they broke them up by topics and gave us an example of each. I feel that this chart could be very useful in my future classroom. I would also add other skills to each topic that should be taught in kindergarten. I also felt as though the general suggestions for practice was helpful. Children need long periods of time with the use of manipulative to truly develop different math skills and ideas. Technology is also a great tool for teaching mathematics. If used correctly, computers offer great advantages. They provide immediate feedback on the students work, they provide different manipulatives, they are easy to use, and are also more durable. I will allow students to use computers in my future classroom when they are working on a certain skill. I will have different math programs with fun games to motivate students to learn math. I also really liked the sources for games, and more on page 91. They gave us great examples of fun mathematical games that would be nice in the classroom and also a great resource to give to parents to try at home.
After posting my blog I found it very interesting that we agree on so much of the same stuff. But, what I most agree with is the use of technology. At first it was a little hard for me to accept that so much technology is used in the classrooms these days. I remember have the really old apple computers and playing "Millies Math House." & if you got to play this, it was a privilege! Although I am starting to see how much of a positive thing it is to have so much use of technology in the classrooms. Students seems to "feed" off of technology. In the preschool classroom I am in the students get so excited when the teacher pulls out her iPad for 10 minutes of the day. I couldn't believe how they payed so much attention to her with that thing. She has many books she plays off of it as well as does simple things like writing a letter and they have to name it in order to leave the group to go onto the next activity. They love it!
I thought this chapter would be interesting to read about because growing up I never was the best at math. The first comment that caught my eye was on page 86 in the K-Today text. In this paragraph they talk about using the appropriate technology. As a kid I don't remember playing many math games on the computer. Like any child, a computer can make learning fun. Using these certain programs can help individualize instruction, provide immediate feedback as well as repetition, and also they provide manipulatives that are easier to use. I think this is a great idea to use in the classroom. I will use this in my classroom for all the students. You can always find different levels of math games whether the student is struggling in an area or whether a student is excelled. In most situations, students know what "category" they are in. This will make them feel like they are playing a game rather than actually learning math. Another thing that I enjoyed was the chart on page 88 and 89. This would be a good reference to be able to look back on and view the topic and being able to see an example of the definition right away. I can definitely use this in the future if one of my students isn't catching on in a certain area. The last point that I liked was on page 91 where they have links for games. I was really excited to see this because I was just recently talking to my mom about having her let my brother play math computer games at home. Although he is in first grade, these sites have different age levels. He is struggling in math a little and this would be a good way for him to "play games" on the computer but learning and working on what he might be struggling on in this classroom. I am definitely going to keep these links for future references to use in my classroom.
When thinking of math for kindergarteners, it was hard for me to draw upon what exactly math for kindergartners might be. Fortunately I was just finishing up with lesson plans for 3-5 years that are math geared! On pg. 88 and 89 of the text, I spent a lot of time reading, reviewing and taking in the information. These two pages cover the main mathematic topics for kindergarteners. The text gives valuable ideas on how to connect information to other ideas. Numbers, patterns, geometry, measurement and data analysis are the biggest concepts covered in kindergarten. Each of these areas was thoroughly reviewed throughout the text. One of the things I really caught was the importance of making sure that you're utilizing best practices when teaching math. I think since math is something so many people struggle with themselves that the idea of teaching it can be daunting. Making connections to other curriculum areas, supportive play and appropriate technology can all be helpful. I thought it was interesting to think of legos and building blocks as math enrichment.
Kimberly, I like what you said about using best practices and making connections to other curriculum areas. The more the kids are interested the more they will learn. Tying in other areas of the curriculum will also help reinforce them as well.
I agree that helping the students to make connections is such an effective teaching strategy. Informal learning during play is a tool I will definitely use in my classroom, because using manipulatives and gaining that comprehension with hands on experience increases knowledge.
I would have to agree with you it is very difficult to not only learn math and science but it seems very intimidating to teach. The reason I believe this to be true because in these particular subjects children and youth learn in various ways that can make it difficult to teach. They not always have the same understanding or grasp things the same. They gave some great ideas on how to teach the children math and I also found it very helpful especially the blocks and legos.
I really liked the information on p.88-89 as well! I want to make sure that I am doing everything I can to aid children in their learning - but teaching math scares me! I find that the charts and tables in this book are all really helpful. I never liked math myself so I understand your fears there.
Math is a subject that most people struggle with. I was a little nervous about teaching it but after I read this chapter I now have a better idea of how to teach it. I like how the Chart on pages 88 and 89 separated the different math focuses and gives some example of what to do. I love that the examples are basic so that they can be changed to match the theme that is being discussed in the class. The "Source for games and more" chart has some great reinforces to use. On page 91 the book discusses how dramatic play can help kids with math skills by having stories of adding or taking something away. Math can also be taught with different manipulative that are fun and exciting for the students. I work with a teacher how does not really like to teach math so I was a little nervous about this chapter but after reading it I have realized that there are so many different ways to teach math and that it is important to teach.
Carrie, I have to admit that I was kind of nervous about teaching math as well. I was never very good at it as a child and it didn't come to me as naturally as it did for my two older brothers. I have always been more into science and reading. I would have to agree that this chapter took a little bit of the stress of teaching math away.
Chapter 8 in our K: Today texts went over the mathematics concepts that should be taught in kindergarten and how we, as teachers, should go about it. The main section of the chapter that I thought would be the most useful was the chart on pages 88 and 89. This chart outlines all the topics of math that should be taught to kindergarteners, along with the key concepts and examples of what should be taught. These pages will easy references to go back and look at when we are stumped in the math area while we teach kindergarten. Another section that I enjoyed in this chapter was the suggestions for practice. The three main suggestions that they provided were to make connections, support play, and use appropriate technology. When we make connections for the students, we need to connect “their informal knowledge to their explicit knowledge of math.” During supported play it is important to only intervene when it is necessary. Children need the opportunity to figure things out on their own before support is provided. Appropriate technology provides the students with a way to work on math as an individual at their own level and provides immediate feedback, along with making the process of learning math more fun and exciting. The last part of the chapter that I thought was so important for kindergarten teachers to remember is a quote at the end of the chapter that stuck out to me. It says, “Quality kindergarten mathematics is not elementary arithmetic pushed down onto younger children. Instead, it invites children to experience mathematics as they play in, describe, and think about their world.”
I like that you mentioned that quote at the end of this chapter,because I think that it is also very important to remember that you need to make learning fun and something that is meaningful for the students. If you are just trying to cram information down their throats, they are going to be bored, disengaged, and not really remember a whole lot of waht you are teaching.
In this chapter we read a lot about mathematics in Kindergarten. I can admit that I have even over looked mathematics in the Kindergarten year, and focused more on the reading and literacy skills. The book tells us that young children have a natural ability to learn about numbers and geometry in the first year of their life. As teachers we need to tap into this natural skill and help them to develop it. Mathematics can be integrating into almost all lessons. Whether it is through classification, magnitude, enumeration, dynamics, pattern, spatial relations or shape. Because this is a skill sometimes left out, we now how research-based content standards, these standards show the concepts and skills that children should be learning in the Kindergarten year. I like when the book says that, “this does not mean formal mathematics “pushed down” from higher grades. High-quality learning is often incidental and informal, but not unplanned or unsystematic.” As teachers we need to understand the connections between ideas is where learning takes place. With activities it is our job to help the students connect the informal knowledge to their explicit knowledge of mathematics. In my classroom I will allow for time for play. During this play I will have manipulative that promote mathematical learning. For instance, using legos or blocks. I know at our daycare we let the children get on the computer and play games that promote their mathematical skills, like brick breaker. We have to be sure to monitor them and demonstrate skills when needed.
The first thing I read in this chapter that stuck out at me was when it was discussing some general practices for suggestion. It stated that most good mathematical activities are ones that also develop language and vocabulary. It gave an example of having the students lining up in a particular order. This is an activity that I for one would not at first even think to be a math or language activity when I see it being done, but when you think about it, it really is. The more I learn about education, the more I am able to see just how easy it is to integrate learning into everyday activities. This section also brought up the use of technology when teaching mathematics. I think this is a great way to teach students, but in my experience so far in doing my internships, I do not see students being able to take advantage of this technology when doing math, except perhaps when the teacher is using the smart board. . When I did my internship in a kindergarten classroom, the only computer that was in the classroom was the one that belonged to the teacher, so I am just unsure how students are able to take advantage of technology to further their math skills. I have seen some really great math programs online that are games that help teach students math concepts that I think would be a great way to get students involved in math, and have fun while learning. In this chapter it also lists sources for games and other helpful information for teachers to use as a resource to help them find activities to help teach math concepts. I found this to be very beneficial, and something that I will definitely refer back to.
Very true, not every classroom/school district has the best technology. Or even much technology! I have been in both -the ones that had a computer lab with outdated desktops that the entire school shared and the ones with laptops in each classroom. Perhaps in those situations with little technology in the classroom -teachers could provide useful websites or phone apps to parents for use at homes. Most families have internet or smart phones and if the grocery stores are any indication, many families let their children play games to keep them occupied - they might as well be educational games. Angry Birds, while not classified as educational is actually teaching some physics principals... :)
I really enjoyed this chapter (as I have the rest :)). I found it interesting that US children are behind those in other countries. Math is an integral part of many things whether obvious or not. Patterns, shapes, and awareness of space are a part of everyday life. Music is full of patterns. Shapes represent many things - stop signs, restrooms, McDonald's.... And children develop spacial awareness just by moving their bodies and learning how they fit in the space around them. As the book pointed out, much of early math learning is incidental, but should be planned by the teacher. It is up to teachers to set up the experiences so that learning can happen. Last week, the pre-k class traced their bodies with sidewalk chalk on the playground and took turns seeing who fit in who's outline. This week (if the tracings remain after the rain), they will measure them with blocks. The chalk is gone, so they may do tracings on large pieces of paper. After reading the chapter, I definitely feel we are on the right path preparing them for kindergarten success. I remember struggling with math as a young child in 1st or 2nd grade. I needed a little differentiating in how it was taught/explained to me. I don't remember what the issue was, but I know that after my parents got involved and identified the issue, I never struggled with math again. In fact, it became one of my favorite subjects! I am confident including math concepts in activities and incorporating it in my lesson plans.
I loved reading this chapter because I love Math. I have always enjoyed math more than any subject area in school and therefore love reading different ways to teach children math to the point of them actually loving to engage in the learning and activities. The first thing that stood out to me was the support play. I never realized how much blocks and legos actually are used to develop different mathematical thinking. It gives an example of the instructor observing the child’s play time with the blocks to access the child’s creativity and thinking as it relates to math and gives the suggestion of reading different books that show creative ideas with blocks and legos as far as structure etc. I think this is wonderful to incorporate into the classroom because it is something that most children love playing with and it gets their minds thinking and learning at the same time they are having fun. Another area they touched on was Geometry, this subject was a difficult subject to begin with but noticing now that they are starting to introduce this subject earlier in the elementary years now. This subject helps the students become aware of their world and the things around them , shapes etc. It is important that they learn this early on because it gives them an idea of their environment and the construction around them. The last point that stuck out to me was patterning and algebraic thinking. This area focuses on patterns such as visual patterns and movement patterns. The example that they give is ABABAB. The preschoolers learn to engage in this area by rhythmic and musical patterns they learn this through songs and movements and it helps them learn the patterns. These area’s will be introduced into my classroom in various ways I love the way they introduce the concepts to the children and of course I will make them into my own.
Jessica,
ReplyDeleteMath was never one of my strong suits either. After working at a school, I have discovered that regardless of how well I did in math in grade school or high school, those students think that I know everything. The other day I was asked if 100,928 was a number and I told them yes and they said, 'No way!". The key to teaching math, if you are uncomfortable, is to never let them see you sweat. I also found the resources the book gave to be great because math is not an easy subject to teach because so many students fear it. I found that if the teacher is confident and can make it fun, than the students are more likely to learn the information and have a good time doing so.
Chapter 8 of K Today address mathematics in education. It discusses a wide variety of suggestions, concepts and skills, and main mathematics topics for kindergarteners. The first part of the chapter that I found to be interesting tells us the children learn quite naturally about number and geometry from their first year of life. Many children come to kindergarten with some knowledge of math. I will use this knowledge in my classroom to the child's advantage. I want to take what they already know and expand it so that they can use it in more ways. The second part of the reading that I found interesting addresses using play as a way to learn mathematics. Letting the children use blocks and Legos can help develop a student's mathematics ideas and skills. I want to be able to give this opportunity to my students. I want them to be able to discover things on their own and watch them learn and grow. Play is something that all children enjoy and if they are learning from it than it is even better. The next item that I found is the chart about the main topics in math for kindergarteners. I really like that it lays out what they need to do and then it gives you some ideas to achieve it. My favorite one is under geometry about putting shapes together. Students love activities like this because they are manipulating something and doing what they want to with the pieces. The last part of the text that I found intriguing was on page 90 where it discussing comparing and ordering. It gives an example of playing the card game 'War'. This is a game that I played as a child and I had no idea what it did for me until I read this section. I loved to play this game and I know from experience kindergarten students love to play as well. I plan to use this game to help my future students with comparing and ordering numbers.
ReplyDeleteBrandy, I was also kind of surprised with how much it said that children know about math prior to ever setting foot in a classroom. Then when I thought about it though, it began to make sense, because they are learning about it through the objects they play with, they learn that nearly everything has a shape of some sort. They learn about things that are heavy or light. They make the observations that some things are big and some things are small. When I actually thought about all of that, it is easy to see that by the time we get them in school for the first time, they already have a basic understanding of a lot of that stuff and they just have to learn how to relate it to the actual mathematical concept.
DeleteIn Chapter #8 of the K Today text, I found the three general suggestions for practice to be very informative and helpful. While they are all very important to implement and keep in mind, the one that I found to be the most important was using appropriate technology. We live in a world that has a brand new gadget that makes a task easier being developed every day. While I see and take advantage of many of the wonderful opportunities that technology has to offer, I think that as a society as a whole, we have become too dependent upon it and I also think that when not used properly or for the right reasons, it can be detrimental to those that use it. Like the book says, “When used well, computers offer many advantages,” (Gullo 86). However, I think that it is necessary to implement other means of instruction as well. In my own classroom, I would tend to make sure I taught the skills at their most basic level first, such as having the students add 2+2 on a piece of paper right in front of them and allow them to master those skills before I would allow them to move to using the technology such as playing computer games and such to facilitate and further their mathematical learning. There are some things that a computer just cannot teach, and unfortunately, they break sometimes so I think it is important for the students to have a basic, skill foundation to be able to revert to if need be.
ReplyDeleteThe section about putting together and taking apart numbers was enlightening as well. Children begin to learn the concepts of adding and subtracting by putting objects together or taking them apart, which helps them better understand parts and wholes, and by putting more objects in the same group or removing objects from the group, which helps them with the actual concepts of addition and subtraction. To implement this into the classroom, I think it is important sometimes to just let the children play and see what kind of observations they make about what they are doing on their own. I would want to sometimes intervene and ask them guiding questions to lead them into thinking about such things, but I often tend to go with the old saying that “experience is the best teacher.” Questions that could be asked could be: “How many blocks do you have?” “If you take the two red ones away, how many will you have then?” etc.
I also thought that the section on patterning and algebraic thinking made several good points. Children learn rhythmical and musical patterns the best so it is important to encourage the use of the patterns and give them ample opportunities to practice with them. I would try and implement as many musical and rhythmical patterns as I could, especially regarding math instruction. I know that when I was in school and we were learning to count by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s, a lot of us were able to progress through the numbers a lot easier if we followed the beat that our teacher set for us and then clapped along with it. Most little kids like to move, dance, and sing so I think that any time that can be included in their instruction the longer they are going to stay engaged in what they are learning and the more they are going to enjoy it and be able to retain the information.
Erin Flax
ReplyDeleteI was apprehensive about this chapter because I struggle with math. Of course our youngsters don’t deal with high level algebra or anything but the thought of it makes me nervous. I am however doing better with it and know that I need to love math to help them love math. As I read this chapter it helped. I realized that because of the informal ways we teach math I am more relaxed and confident in my abilities. The first thing I wanted to mention was on page 86 where it talked about the importance of having the families support math in the home as well. I totally agree but also see the problems many families will have. I am not alone in having fears of math. So many people hate the word math and it brings back bad memories. In my experience with home visits where we set goals with the families, and gave them tools to help learning at home, I found many parents were apprehensive that they did not possess the knowledge and skills required to help their child academically. I worked hard at instilling confidence in them. I would demonstrate how easy it is to guide their child in learning. Many became more confident. I will use these same skills when working with my kindergarten families on bringing math into the home.
I loved the chart on page 88 and 89 that had “main mathematic topics for kindergarteners.” I feel more confident in using this as a guide along with the Common Core Curriculum. I will definitely use the examples. I learn best by examples so I am very glad they had them. I also liked how the book said multiple times that we should “encourage the development of language” while we teach math. It almost seemed in their examples that the combination of both together made it seem less like a math lesson. I will definitely do that in my classroom. I really want to make sure that my students do not turn out like me. I want them to be confident in their abilities in math as with all subjects. I want it to seem natural to them. I’m glad I read this chapter.
Oh I felt the same way you did reading this chapter! I was even cringing a little bit after reading the title fearing what it would tell me. The chart was very helpful and a great guide to go off of. I think you have the right idea that we have to be enthusiastic about math if we expect our students to be the same way! Hopefully after this it will be a little easier for us :)
DeleteI hear you on not liking math and worrying about it rubbing off on your students. It is so funny how similar our posts are. I wrote mine before looking at yours but I also wrote about wanting to encourage them to have a love of math. Page 88 and 89 are great resources. I also liked how they said kindergarten math isn’t like elementary math but is learned through play and experiences.
ReplyDeleteI love reading about Mathematics and techniques to use in the classroom. I feel like this is one of the hardest subjects to teach, or maybe that's just for me. :) This chapter mentioned that math skills are strengthened when they are linked to other ideas. Forming that connection helps make it easier for students to grasp a new concept because they can link it to something they already know. I also really enjoyed the ideas pertaining to measurement and location/directions. Having children go out with rulers and measure things around the room or make a map of the room is a great idea. It get's them moving and allows them to be hands on in the activity which really gets their different intelligences flowing. After reading this I decided that I will take the children I nanny to the zoo. Prior to it I would have them make a map of the zoo and afterwards compare how accurate we were. We would also predict how many of each animal we would see and then actually count and record how many we saw. We could also graph our observations later. The last thing that I found that was different and maybe more hands on for children was the card game "Double War". Children have a deck of playing cards and each child puts down two cards. They add them together and whoever sum is greatest wins that match. I feel like all of these ideas are something I could easily integrate into either a center or a whole lesson. It put my mind a little more at ease on teaching mathematics after reading this chapter!
ReplyDeleteHi Kristin!
DeleteI think that is a nice things to do with the children you nanny for. What a good life skill even - to be ale to logically think about a map and then compare it to the one at the zoo. I forgot to comment in my log about making connections, but it is so important. Children are more likely to learn something from math when it is about something they love. I worked with a child who had Autism once, and he had a hard time adding and subtracting, but as soon as I related it to baseball he caught on super fast. We even drew a baseball bat around his name to remind him that this math assignment was about baseball - even when I knew it was about whether or not he could add and subtract.
This was not my favorite chapter, but one I needed to read the most. Math was always hard for me, and probably won't be the easiest to teach if I get a job with second or third grade. However, the first thing I found that I liked was the resources for games. The websites are super fun, would be good to do on the Smartboard. The second thing I liked was the graph for Main mathematics topics for kindergarteners. This graph broke the topics down - and I was even able to get a few great ideas of my own just reading through on how I could correlate it to my thematic unit. Finally, I wanted to comment on the Support Play section. I had parents come to me when I was teaching preschool asking why we allotted so much time at centers and less instruction time. I had to show them the breakdown of how the time pretty much evened out, but also explain to them that playing with blocks and play doh are foundational skills for the future. I even used the same example from the book about shorter/longer snakes. So, it was nice to see that I explained something the way the book did. This was a nice chapter, and I really needed it.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you Jonelle. I feel that I really needed to read and get something out of this chapter since I struggled with math as a child. I also really liked the resources for games that they gave us. I felt that these could both be used in the classroom and at home. It would be a good resource for parents to get at the beginning of the year.
DeleteI was eager to read this chapter to learn more about mathematics because I was never interested in math as a child. I thought the chart on main mathematics topics in kindergarten on page 88 was very useful. I really like how they broke them up by topics and gave us an example of each. I feel that this chart could be very useful in my future classroom. I would also add other skills to each topic that should be taught in kindergarten. I also felt as though the general suggestions for practice was helpful. Children need long periods of time with the use of manipulative to truly develop different math skills and ideas. Technology is also a great tool for teaching mathematics. If used correctly, computers offer great advantages. They provide immediate feedback on the students work, they provide different manipulatives, they are easy to use, and are also more durable. I will allow students to use computers in my future classroom when they are working on a certain skill. I will have different math programs with fun games to motivate students to learn math. I also really liked the sources for games, and more on page 91. They gave us great examples of fun mathematical games that would be nice in the classroom and also a great resource to give to parents to try at home.
ReplyDeleteAfter posting my blog I found it very interesting that we agree on so much of the same stuff. But, what I most agree with is the use of technology. At first it was a little hard for me to accept that so much technology is used in the classrooms these days. I remember have the really old apple computers and playing "Millies Math House." & if you got to play this, it was a privilege! Although I am starting to see how much of a positive thing it is to have so much use of technology in the classrooms. Students seems to "feed" off of technology. In the preschool classroom I am in the students get so excited when the teacher pulls out her iPad for 10 minutes of the day. I couldn't believe how they payed so much attention to her with that thing. She has many books she plays off of it as well as does simple things like writing a letter and they have to name it in order to leave the group to go onto the next activity. They love it!
DeleteI thought this chapter would be interesting to read about because growing up I never was the best at math. The first comment that caught my eye was on page 86 in the K-Today text. In this paragraph they talk about using the appropriate technology. As a kid I don't remember playing many math games on the computer. Like any child, a computer can make learning fun. Using these certain programs can help individualize instruction, provide immediate feedback as well as repetition, and also they provide manipulatives that are easier to use. I think this is a great idea to use in the classroom. I will use this in my classroom for all the students. You can always find different levels of math games whether the student is struggling in an area or whether a student is excelled. In most situations, students know what "category" they are in. This will make them feel like they are playing a game rather than actually learning math. Another thing that I enjoyed was the chart on page 88 and 89. This would be a good reference to be able to look back on and view the topic and being able to see an example of the definition right away. I can definitely use this in the future if one of my students isn't catching on in a certain area. The last point that I liked was on page 91 where they have links for games. I was really excited to see this because I was just recently talking to my mom about having her let my brother play math computer games at home. Although he is in first grade, these sites have different age levels. He is struggling in math a little and this would be a good way for him to "play games" on the computer but learning and working on what he might be struggling on in this classroom. I am definitely going to keep these links for future references to use in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteWhen thinking of math for kindergarteners, it was hard for me to draw upon what exactly math for kindergartners might be. Fortunately I was just finishing up with lesson plans for 3-5 years that are math geared!
ReplyDeleteOn pg. 88 and 89 of the text, I spent a lot of time reading, reviewing and taking in the information. These two pages cover the main mathematic topics for kindergarteners. The text gives valuable ideas on how to connect information to other ideas. Numbers, patterns, geometry, measurement and data analysis are the biggest concepts covered in kindergarten. Each of these areas was thoroughly reviewed throughout the text.
One of the things I really caught was the importance of making sure that you're utilizing best practices when teaching math. I think since math is something so many people struggle with themselves that the idea of teaching it can be daunting. Making connections to other curriculum areas, supportive play and appropriate technology can all be helpful. I thought it was interesting to think of legos and building blocks as math enrichment.
Kimberly, I like what you said about using best practices and making connections to other curriculum areas. The more the kids are interested the more they will learn. Tying in other areas of the curriculum will also help reinforce them as well.
DeleteI agree that helping the students to make connections is such an effective teaching strategy. Informal learning during play is a tool I will definitely use in my classroom, because using manipulatives and gaining that comprehension with hands on experience increases knowledge.
DeleteI would have to agree with you it is very difficult to not only learn math and science but it seems very intimidating to teach. The reason I believe this to be true because in these particular subjects children and youth learn in various ways that can make it difficult to teach. They not always have the same understanding or grasp things the same. They gave some great ideas on how to teach the children math and I also found it very helpful especially the blocks and legos.
DeleteI really liked the information on p.88-89 as well! I want to make sure that I am doing everything I can to aid children in their learning - but teaching math scares me! I find that the charts and tables in this book are all really helpful. I never liked math myself so I understand your fears there.
ReplyDeleteMath is a subject that most people struggle with. I was a little nervous about teaching it but after I read this chapter I now have a better idea of how to teach it. I like how the Chart on pages 88 and 89 separated the different math focuses and gives some example of what to do. I love that the examples are basic so that they can be changed to match the theme that is being discussed in the class. The "Source for games and more" chart has some great reinforces to use.
ReplyDeleteOn page 91 the book discusses how dramatic play can help kids with math skills by having stories of adding or taking something away. Math can also be taught with different manipulative that are fun and exciting for the students.
I work with a teacher how does not really like to teach math so I was a little nervous about this chapter but after reading it I have realized that there are so many different ways to teach math and that it is important to teach.
Carrie, I have to admit that I was kind of nervous about teaching math as well. I was never very good at it as a child and it didn't come to me as naturally as it did for my two older brothers. I have always been more into science and reading. I would have to agree that this chapter took a little bit of the stress of teaching math away.
DeleteChapter 8 in our K: Today texts went over the mathematics concepts that should be taught in kindergarten and how we, as teachers, should go about it. The main section of the chapter that I thought would be the most useful was the chart on pages 88 and 89. This chart outlines all the topics of math that should be taught to kindergarteners, along with the key concepts and examples of what should be taught. These pages will easy references to go back and look at when we are stumped in the math area while we teach kindergarten.
ReplyDeleteAnother section that I enjoyed in this chapter was the suggestions for practice. The three main suggestions that they provided were to make connections, support play, and use appropriate technology. When we make connections for the students, we need to connect “their informal knowledge to their explicit knowledge of math.” During supported play it is important to only intervene when it is necessary. Children need the opportunity to figure things out on their own before support is provided. Appropriate technology provides the students with a way to work on math as an individual at their own level and provides immediate feedback, along with making the process of learning math more fun and exciting.
The last part of the chapter that I thought was so important for kindergarten teachers to remember is a quote at the end of the chapter that stuck out to me. It says, “Quality kindergarten mathematics is not elementary arithmetic pushed down onto younger children. Instead, it invites children to experience mathematics as they play in, describe, and think about their world.”
I like that you mentioned that quote at the end of this chapter,because I think that it is also very important to remember that you need to make learning fun and something that is meaningful for the students. If you are just trying to cram information down their throats, they are going to be bored, disengaged, and not really remember a whole lot of waht you are teaching.
DeleteIn this chapter we read a lot about mathematics in Kindergarten. I can admit that I have even over looked mathematics in the Kindergarten year, and focused more on the reading and literacy skills. The book tells us that young children have a natural ability to learn about numbers and geometry in the first year of their life. As teachers we need to tap into this natural skill and help them to develop it. Mathematics can be integrating into almost all lessons. Whether it is through classification, magnitude, enumeration, dynamics, pattern, spatial relations or shape. Because this is a skill sometimes left out, we now how research-based content standards, these standards show the concepts and skills that children should be learning in the Kindergarten year. I like when the book says that, “this does not mean formal mathematics “pushed down” from higher grades. High-quality learning is often incidental and informal, but not unplanned or unsystematic.” As teachers we need to understand the connections between ideas is where learning takes place. With activities it is our job to help the students connect the informal knowledge to their explicit knowledge of mathematics. In my classroom I will allow for time for play. During this play I will have manipulative that promote mathematical learning. For instance, using legos or blocks. I know at our daycare we let the children get on the computer and play games that promote their mathematical skills, like brick breaker. We have to be sure to monitor them and demonstrate skills when needed.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I read in this chapter that stuck out at me was when it was discussing some general practices for suggestion. It stated that most good mathematical activities are ones that also develop language and vocabulary. It gave an example of having the students lining up in a particular order. This is an activity that I for one would not at first even think to be a math or language activity when I see it being done, but when you think about it, it really is. The more I learn about education, the more I am able to see just how easy it is to integrate learning into everyday activities. This section also brought up the use of technology when teaching mathematics. I think this is a great way to teach students, but in my experience so far in doing my internships, I do not see students being able to take advantage of this technology when doing math, except perhaps when the teacher is using the smart board. . When I did my internship in a kindergarten classroom, the only computer that was in the classroom was the one that belonged to the teacher, so I am just unsure how students are able to take advantage of technology to further their math skills. I have seen some really great math programs online that are games that help teach students math concepts that I think would be a great way to get students involved in math, and have fun while learning. In this chapter it also lists sources for games and other helpful information for teachers to use as a resource to help them find activities to help teach math concepts. I found this to be very beneficial, and something that I will definitely refer back to.
ReplyDeleteVery true, not every classroom/school district has the best technology. Or even much technology! I have been in both -the ones that had a computer lab with outdated desktops that the entire school shared and the ones with laptops in each classroom. Perhaps in those situations with little technology in the classroom -teachers could provide useful websites or phone apps to parents for use at homes. Most families have internet or smart phones and if the grocery stores are any indication, many families let their children play games to keep them occupied - they might as well be educational games. Angry Birds, while not classified as educational is actually teaching some physics principals... :)
DeleteI really enjoyed this chapter (as I have the rest :)). I found it interesting that US children are behind those in other countries. Math is an integral part of many things whether obvious or not. Patterns, shapes, and awareness of space are a part of everyday life. Music is full of patterns. Shapes represent many things - stop signs, restrooms, McDonald's.... And children develop spacial awareness just by moving their bodies and learning how they fit in the space around them. As the book pointed out, much of early math learning is incidental, but should be planned by the teacher. It is up to teachers to set up the experiences so that learning can happen. Last week, the pre-k class traced their bodies with sidewalk chalk on the playground and took turns seeing who fit in who's outline. This week (if the tracings remain after the rain), they will measure them with blocks. The chalk is gone, so they may do tracings on large pieces of paper. After reading the chapter, I definitely feel we are on the right path preparing them for kindergarten success. I remember struggling with math as a young child in 1st or 2nd grade. I needed a little differentiating in how it was taught/explained to me. I don't remember what the issue was, but I know that after my parents got involved and identified the issue, I never struggled with math again. In fact, it became one of my favorite subjects! I am confident including math concepts in activities and incorporating it in my lesson plans.
ReplyDeletePhyllis Wyatt
ReplyDeleteBlog # 8
I loved reading this chapter because I love Math. I have always enjoyed math more than any subject area in school and therefore love reading different ways to teach children math to the point of them actually loving to engage in the learning and activities. The first thing that stood out to me was the support play. I never realized how much blocks and legos actually are used to develop different mathematical thinking. It gives an example of the instructor observing the child’s play time with the blocks to access the child’s creativity and thinking as it relates to math and gives the suggestion of reading different books that show creative ideas with blocks and legos as far as structure etc. I think this is wonderful to incorporate into the classroom because it is something that most children love playing with and it gets their minds thinking and learning at the same time they are having fun. Another area they touched on was Geometry, this subject was a difficult subject to begin with but noticing now that they are starting to introduce this subject earlier in the elementary years now. This subject helps the students become aware of their world and the things around them , shapes etc. It is important that they learn this early on because it gives them an idea of their environment and the construction around them. The last point that stuck out to me was patterning and algebraic thinking. This area focuses on patterns such as visual patterns and movement patterns. The example that they give is ABABAB. The preschoolers learn to engage in this area by rhythmic and musical patterns they learn this through songs and movements and it helps them learn the patterns. These area’s will be introduced into my classroom in various ways I love the way they introduce the concepts to the children and of course I will make them into my own.