But, here I am! I am ready to chat about the next chapter of this book that I am LOVING every word of.
This chapter delineates the way math is traditionally taught in classrooms versus how math should be taught. Mathematics instruction should consist of open-ended, real word applications and problems and center around relationships, connections, and patterns.
My Big Takeaway
By stripping math of creativity and reasoning and distilling it down to procedures that must be learned, we are denying our students the chances they need to wrap their heads around thinking that will help them truly understand how numbers (and the world) work.
My Three Favorite Quotes...
(and what I plan to do about them now that school has started)
Not only am I incorporating many activities and lessons that promote Ability Awareness and Growth Mindset along with our beginning of the year activities, I am using Jo Boaler's Week of Inspirational Math. You can find it at youcubed.org. (I'm hoping to dig further into this website, but for now this is as far as I've gotten.)
So far, we've worked through the lessons for Day #1 and Day #2. I don't think the kids think they're really doing math. It was easy to see in today's lesson, which was all about visual patterns, that many are just not used to thinking deeply and creatively about numbers. The patterns that they found were things like "it counts by ones" or "it goes even, odd, even, odd". When really pressed, they could dig a little bit deeper, but it was clear they just didn't understand how else to think about the numbers given.
That sounds so amazing! Doesn't it? But... I don't really know how I'm going to do it just yet. I honestly don't. If school hadn't started this week and I didn't have life to deal with at the same time, I probably would've finished reading this book and tried to figure it out. Soon, soon... I keep telling myself.
I have three more days of plans from the Week of Inspirational Math and what my math time looks like after that? I can't wait to read more and figure it out.
I'm excited to learn more about the types of problems I should be providing my students. I'm excited to open up a world of math for them that they may never have seen.
Final Thoughts
I think that I truly understand the direction in which I need to travel. I just don't know exactly what I need to pack or the best route to get to my destination. I can't wait to read more and get some answers.