tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255957639083024024.post8231877897985651491..comments2023-05-25T08:15:20.115-07:00Comments on {Musing Mathematically}: Talking with Children: Word ProblemsNat Bantinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08088568485640783921noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255957639083024024.post-76639009885135551912013-05-18T14:27:20.296-07:002013-05-18T14:27:20.296-07:00Your blog post here really has me thinking. For 11...Your blog post here really has me thinking. For 11 years, I taught Kindergarten to Grade 2, and this year, I moved up to Grade 6. Before I started, I was told by some fellow teachers that I was going to have to start using textbooks. "Junior math is taught with textbooks." I struggled with this. I never used textbooks when teaching JK-2, and I loved getting students to think deeply about math, wonder about math, and share their learning about math. I wanted this to happen in Grade 6 as well.<br /><br />I spoke to the Math Facilitator at our school at the time, and she helped me see that even in Junior grades students can be taught without relying on the textbook. In fact, what I learned this year when looking at the textbook is that it`s highly outdated and does not address all current curriculum expectations. So I moved beyond the textbook.<br /><br />It took a while to get students to adjust. They didn't want to "wonder" about math. They were hesitant to use manipulatives. And they were searching for that question with the one answer that was "right." <br /><br />Now students are excited about math. They're eager to think about why we're learning what we're learning. They are digging deeper into math concepts, and expressing their own "wonders." They are thinking beyond the textbook problem, and I hope they'd write a more open-ended problem that goes beyond the "textbook" as well.<br /><br />Thanks for getting me to reflect!<br />Aviva<br />www.weinspirefutures.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com