UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA SOUTHEAST

STATEMENT OF UNDERSTANDING

SUBMITTED TO DR. VIRGIL G. FREDENBERG

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR

MATH ETHODS

ED 616

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

BY

KIM MORGAN

4/17/2017

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Philosophy

I had never taught a math class before this semester, or studied the craft of teaching as it relates

to math methodology. In all honesty, I was nervous about my ability to make this subject matter clear

and engaging, as I myself struggle to understand mathematic concepts as a student. After several

months of math class immersion, teaching several lessons, and working in concentrated effort with

case-study students, I not only feel much more confident in my abilities to teach mathematics, but it has

become my favorite subject to work on with kids.

In this statement of understanding I will cover the gamut of K-8 learning, but the bulk of my my

personal philosophy was attained through my first-hand experience with 1st through 3rd grade learners,

and this is my ideal classroom range as I head into professional teaching. My passion for this age range

lies in my understanding of the importance of foundational learning. As we help young learners

develop immerging skills, we set them up for future success (or failure), with (or without) the self-

developed tools they need to build onto that foundation. Get it right in these early years, and kids will

reap the rewards of a flexible mental toolkit that serves them well the rest of their lives

K-8 Math Instruction, Standards, and Curriculum

Without listing the content standards per grade, the Eight Standards for Mathematical Practice

put forth by DEED as benchmarks for what it means to be a mathematically proficient student, cover

this well. These also relate directly to the process standards we educators are responsible for teaching

in K-12 classrooms. The standards are:

1. Problem Solving — Pose an interesting, meaningful, level appropriate problem to be solved. Teach,

and have children employ, a variety of strategies.

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2. Reasoning and Proof — Teach critical thinking skills so children can evaluate, judge, assimilate

and deconstruct evidence and information.

3. Communication — Teach the language of mathematics and facilitate its usage and understanding in

oral and written works.

4. Connections — Make real world and cross curriculum examples of mathematic concepts so students

form deeper connections with concepts. Use assessment to scaffold new learning onto existing

knowledge.

5. Representation — Encourage students to model and express mathematic concepts in multiple ways,

to deepen understanding.

The synthesis between the standards set forth for educators, and the proficiency goals

articulated for students, means students should have more than a rote memorization of facts, or a base

understanding of linear processes. They should understand math concepts, and the language of

mathematics, at a deep enough level to construct, deconstruct, critique, solve, and evaluate with

precision and at a creative level. They should understand mathematics to be an integrated part of the

natural world, and by extension, they should have lasting and meaningful connections to mathematics

in their everyday lives.

Learning and the Learning Process

I believe that math should be "done" not studied. My job is to help students develop mathematic

schemes that make concepts real, tangible, flexible, and pertinent in their everyday lives. I think math

should take place in the classroom, much as it does in the real world, stemming from a real-life

curiosity, question, or need to know.

In order to make these sometimes nebulous concepts valuable to students, I believe mathematic

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concepts need to be explored all throughout the day; not limited to a one-hour unit of study. Math

should be woven into music, art, and science lessons; it should be central to the morning work,

exploring what day and time has brought us all together. We should not only look at what the

temperature looks like on the thermometer, but discuss what that will mean when we head out to recess

(is 50 degrees cold enough to need a coat?). Mathematic concepts should be applied after students visit

the student store, pay for book orders, or contribute change to a fundraiser.

In this way, not only should math be "done" (not merely studied in a text book) — it should also

be openly dialogic! Students need to express their understandings and misconceptions, they benefit

greatly from hearing the inner workings of their peers and teachers schemes. A student may not be able

to give me the "answer" to a mathematic problem posed dialogically on the spot, but they develop

elastic schemes by constantly evaluating what type of mathematics they're using in their everyday lives.

Was that store purchase addition or subtraction? If I'd purchased more would I have needed more or

less money? Are dates examples of consecutive number schemes? Was there a pattern there? Was that

temperature "data collection" or "statistical analysis"? What is the probability of my hitting a home run

at the game today? It's in the application, that mathematic concepts become real and meaningful and

pertinent.

This dialogic exchange is also valuable to me as a teacher, in two important ways. The first is in

assessment, which I'll address later. The second, is it helps me get to know each child on an individual

level; imperative if I'm to understand how their minds work, and what they're attending to, and not

attending to yet, in their thinking. Communication skills are a muscle that must be flexed regularly

(especially in early learners), the skills they learn through dialogue help propel them forward in reading

and writing as well (both integral to mathematics understanding and practice).

Dialogue also serves the purpose of relationship building and gives me an opportunity to

establish trust. Who opens up and expresses misconceptions to a teacher they do not trust as a kind,

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patient, and helpful partner in the learning process? If I'm not invested in their thinking, they won't be

either. If I'm not convinced of their ultimate success, how can they be?

In my target student age-range it is imperative to understand the limits of abstract thinking. How

do you make thinking elastic and flexible, in a concrete thinker? That is the challenge. Formulas and

systems are fine, but I've learned not to let these process oriented approaches become a substitute for

individual schemes that are more flexible and make sense to the individual (even if not every

individual). In the end, when formulas are forgotten, it's the schemes they develop on a personal level

that will remain.

What I've spoken of so far is the crux of reasoning communication, and connections as they

relate to all number operations; and I believe early learners need to perform operations that work these

concepts forward and backward, up and down the number line, and throughout the 100s chart before

they go any further. We shouldn't let students get comfortable with any one system, but constantly

challenge them to explore that application in a number of ways, finding its' uses, patterns, extensions,

reverse applications, and limitations.

Learning standard algorithms is fine, but it's the student's invented strategies that create

"number sense". Students should be constructing and deconstructing numbers according to the students

preferences. These skills are proven to result in more flexible thinking, better estimation skills, fewer

errors, and greater speed and accuracy. These skills are less taxing on my time as a teacher, perform

well on Standardized tests, and are included in the DEED standards.

Manipulatives, Models, Sketches and Diagrams

Manipulatives are indispensable in the early years (especially with concrete thinkers) and allow

something tangible to be explored as students struggle to marry what they see and touch with the

complex, more abstract problem in their mind.

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 Number sense and chronology is first learned through number lines and hundreds charts.

Number relationships like even an odd, can best be understood by a quick sketch of "buddies". Songs

can help kids remember relationships and patterns (like which numbers add up to make 10). Base ten

cubes are a fantastic way to cement place value understanding, and offer a lot of insight (even in their

misuse) to a watchful teacher. Area, length and set models are essential throughout decimal and

fractions exploration. Shape and pattern manipulatives help early learners practice grouping concepts,

and later learners learn the underpinnings of geometry. Non-standard measurements can be modeled by

all kinds of found objects and serve to teach crucial estimation skills. Snap a ruler in half to makes ure

kids understand proper measuring skills... In short, manipulatives work!

Visualization of concepts, both the students ability to pull visual information from a textual

problem, and their ability to create visuals that aide themselves as they work through problems, are

crucial in the understanding of an intangible concept (mathematics).

Assessment and Knowledge Sharing

Any good curriculum program requires pre and post assessment (as well as formative which

should come from varied activities and daily application). I need to assess where we're at in order to

know where we're going next, and have kids apply their knowledge in a way that shows what they do

and don't understand, and how they go about their process. For this purpose, I'm a big believer in word

problems, written in a highly personalized way, that strip out all the numbers and get us down to the

concepts of application. Having kids take written or oral information, and set up the math problem for

them self is wonderful assessment, in and of itself, even if the problems are never solved.

I also believe in missing part problems as excellent assessment tools. Students should not

always be solving for the "answer", sometimes solving to complete the setup (missing addend, etc.,) of

a problem teaches greater flexibility in thinking.

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 Understanding of the equal sign needs to be assessed, and is often misunderstood. Missing part

problems help to keep kids from thinking of the equal sign as a mathematical symbol for "and the

answer is". These problems assess whether or not students know the answer lies in understanding the

question. The presentation of the equal sign should move so the problem starts with an answer at times,

or presents the student with a problem where both sides of the equal sign are different but equal

equations.

I'm not so concerned with culminating performance tasks at this age, but I do see building

models and knowledge sharing as valuable summaries of understanding. These culminating tasks give

the students a chance to review, compile, compare, and encapsulate their learning by putting their

collective knowledge on display. It also gives students a chance to practice team-work, oral

communication, presentation, and social skills.

Differentiation

If we're to do more than just teach rote procedures, if we're to encourage mathematical

exploration in a scientific discovery kind of way, we can't devise linear problems with only one correct

way to arrive at or express a solution. We must provide multiple entries, meaning a student can come at

this problem from a number of ways, based on their perspective, knowledge, skill level and

interpretation. They should be able to work the problem a number of ways, and express the solution or

outcome in a number of ways (multiple exits) in a truly diversified program.

In this way, math is creative, and allows self-paced learning and increased sophistication that

stems from constant personal growth.

Our text speaks of the Van Hiele levels of understanding in geometric concepts, stating that

children can only move from one level to the next, and that the half step in between is the crucial area

of thought process that propels them forward. No step can be skipped (it warns) in the levels of

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understanding. I would argue this is true for all mathematic concepts, and that each student needs

careful individual scaffolding throughout their mathematic career. When they seem to have mastered a

number, use a greater number, when they've mastered a process, make the process one step more

complex. Move in baby steps, not giant leaps through the learning process, always starting your

practice with "what do I know about this student as a mathematician"?

Conclusion / Reflection

If it looks like real life we're doing it right! At the emergent skills age, where I hope to teach, the

best education we can give kids (in any topic of study), is a passion for learning pays off in personal

growth. Math should be fun, and a little messy at times. Kids natural enthusiasm to explore is the best

tool we have to work with. I think with a more student focused, peer oriented approach, that allows the

child to construct their own knowledge, a teacher can assist and scaffold a number of learning levels at

once and let the kids determine the pace.