After reading chapter 9, The
Big Picture, I came across something that does not surprise me. People use
reciting techniques to “teach” information to students. Reciting information is
not going to help to students successfully obtain and understand concepts they
need to know. Zadina discusses how young students are taught to recite numbers
to set the foundation for upcoming math skills. It is great if students can
recite their numbers and even recognize them in written form, but the students
are not applying any of their mathematical knowledge. They are just recalling
information, not much critical thinking going on there. In order for students
to truly understand numbers, young students need to apply number sense. This can
be done by allowing students opportunities to count. This could take place in
the classroom, on the playground, lunchroom, or even a homework activity. For
example, students could be asked to create a math “story” or word problem (could
take it a step further, and the students could create a song about their story)
Students would then allow others to try and solve the created problems using
manipulatives where they must count items. By constantly counting items, it
allows students opportunities to relate math inside and outside of the
classroom. By applying counting skills, students’ number sense becomes
stronger. Which means they have a better chance of storing this information in
their long-term memory.
Ashley, I agree that reciting skills out of context doesn't help. How do you feel about alphabet letter sound songs? I definitely used them when I taught PreK and my students who sing the songs to themselves when reading so I think that it helped. What are your thoughts?
ReplyDeleteI think using songs is a great way for students to recognize information, being able to apply the information is where it begins to get a little tricky:) Knowing what something looks like is great, but knowing how that information is relevant (such as using the letters to read) is much better.
DeleteAshley, this was an interesting post. I agree that often students learn to "call" numbers but this doesn't translate to counting quantities or to understanding numbers. There's an interesting book I read by Kathy Richardson called How Children Learn Number Concepts that talks a lot about the different stages of counting, among other math skills. I would recommend it to anyone interested in early math development.
ReplyDeleteKaty- to your question, I do think that recognizing letters and recalling their sounds is a rote skill that cannot necessarily be avoided, but students find meaning in it when linked to their names, friends's names, words they know, etc. As long as the song is a means to a different end I think they are helpful for student engagement and providing the needed repetition.
Ashley, this was an interesting post. I agree that often students learn to "call" numbers but this doesn't translate to counting quantities or to understanding numbers. There's an interesting book I read by Kathy Richardson called How Children Learn Number Concepts that talks a lot about the different stages of counting, among other math skills. I would recommend it to anyone interested in early math development.
ReplyDeleteKaty- to your question, I do think that recognizing letters and recalling their sounds is a rote skill that cannot necessarily be avoided, but students find meaning in it when linked to their names, friends's names, words they know, etc. As long as the song is a means to a different end I think they are helpful for student engagement and providing the needed repetition.