TASK 2

Individual Activity

MARITZA DEL PILAR GAVIRIA FERNÁNDEZ

C.C 42.155.426
GROUP: 551032_14

TUTOR
HENRY LENIS

UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL ABIERTA Y A DISTANCIA- UNAD

ESCUELA DE CIENCIAS DE LA EDUCACIÓN
LICENCIATURA EN INGLÉS COMO LENGUA EXTRANJERA

DIDACTICS OF MATHEMATICS

APRIL 15th 2018

Based on the text “Teaching Math to Young Children”, here are the answers to the
following questions:

1. What does it mean to teach something in a developmental progress?

The order in which skills and concepts build on one another as children develop
knowledge is called a developmental progression.
There are different developmental progressions for each skill. These
developmental progressions are important for educators to understand
because they show the order in which young children typically learn math
concepts and skills.
The panel believes educators should pay attention to the order in which math
instruction occurs and ensure that children are comfortable with earlier steps in
the progression before being introduced to more complex steps. Understanding
developmental progressions is also necessary to employ progress monitoring,
a form of assessment that tracks individual children’s success along the steps
in the progression.

EXAMPLE: solving puzles, playing video games or Dramatic Mathematics

Dramatic play can be naturally mathematical with the right setting. In one study,
teachers and children put together a shop in the dramatic-play area, where the
shopkeeper fills orders and asks the customer for money ($1 for each dinosaur
toy).

In one classroom, Gabi was the shopkeeper. Tamika handed her a five card (5
dots and the numeral "5") as her order. Gabi counted out five toy dinosaurs.

Teacher (just entering the area): How many did you buy?

Tamika: Five.

Teacher: How do you know?

Tamika: Because Gabi counted. (Tamika was still working on her counting skills,
and trusted Gabi's counting more than her own knowledge of five. The play
allowed her to develop her knowledge.)
 Janelle: I'm getting a big number. (She handed Gabi a 2 and a 5 card.)

Gabi: I don't have that many.

Teacher: You could give Janelle 2 of one kind and 5 of another.

As Gabi counted out the two separate piles and put them in a basket, Janelle
counted out dollars. She miscounted and gave her $6.

Gabi: You need $7.

2. What does it mean to monitor something progressively?

Teachers monitor the progress of their learners by collecting information about

learning processes and concepts while learners are working on projects.

Progress monitoring is a form of assessment that tracks individual children’s

success along the steps in the progression which can be a useful way to ensure
that children are receiving this type of instruction. So, teachers can adapt
lessons to a child’s growing math knowledge.

Deliberately incorporating these individual differences into lesson planning by

monitoring progress and tailoring instruction can help ensure that all children
are encouraged to learn math concepts and skills that are appropriately
challenging and just beyond their current level of understanding.

EXAMPLE: observations, progress checklists, Learning Logs , Project

meetings, Curriculum Based – Measumament (CBM).

CBM-Probe

Ms. Begay’s fourth-grade class is using the math curriculum adopted by the
district. Each unit introduces a new skill, which becomes progressively more
difficult throughout the year. She tests her students weekly on the math skills
they are studying and instructs each student until he or she has achieved
 mastery. Instructional strategies are modified when students are having
difficulty with the material. When all students have achieved 75% mastery, she
moves on to the next unit. The probe to the right demonstrates the skill Ms.
Begay is teaching this week, 2 x 3 multiplication problems.

3. What does it mean that math instruction is built on what children know?

Evidence from studies of several math curricula suggests that preschool,

prekindergarten, and kindergarten children are most likely to gain math
knowledge when they are frequently exposed to targeted, purposeful, and
meaningful math instruction. Connecting the information that is currently being
taught to what children already know facilitates learning. By continually
monitoring a child’s progress, teachers can gather the information they need to
match lessons to an individual child’s knowledge level. Children develop
knowledge at different times and at different paces.

EXAMPLE: Patterns, understanding of addition and subtraction, or Number

Sense

Number Sense
This is the ability to count accurately—first forward. Then, later in school,
children will learn to count backwards. A more complex skill related to number
sense is the ability to see relationships between numbers—like adding and
subtracting. Ben (age 2) saw the cupcakes on the plate. He counted with his
dad: “One, two, three, four, five, six…”

4. What does it mean to see the word mathematically?

The panel believes children should begin by using informal methods to

represent math concepts and then learn to link those concepts to formal math
vocabulary and symbols (such as the word plus and its symbol, +). Teachers
 can use open-ended questions and math conversation as a way of helping
children to recognize math in everyday situations.

Teachers can encourage children to look for opportunities to describe math

ideas in the world around them, gradually moving from informal representations
and language to formal representations and math vocabulary as children’s
understanding grows. By exploring their environment and interacting with
manipulatives, children can begin to apply their math knowledge.

If children hear math vocabulary in context and then practice using it, they may
be better able to understand the underlying math concepts.

EXAMPLE objects, actions, words, pictures, or symbols that stand for ideas.

Representation: Making mathematical ideas “real” by using words, pictures,

symbols, and objects (like blocks).
Casey (aged 3) was setting out a pretend picnic. He carefully laid out four plastic
plates and four plastic cups: “So our whole family can come to the picnic!” There
were four members in his family; he was able to apply this information to the
number of plates and cups he chose.

5. How could the different knowledge areas include math in their

curriculums?

Two curricula that focus narrowly on number and operations but are
comprehensive in the aspects of number and operations addressed are
Rightstart and Math Is Everywhere, this is a curriculum designed to fully
integrate math into regular classroom practice.
Children who received the Math Is Everywhere curriculum performed better on
average on a test of general numeracy skills than children in a comparison
condition who received regular classroom instruction.
Classrooms may also use curricula that include more than just math—for
example, a curriculum that includes math, reading, and science in a single
package. The panel reviewed five studies of comprehensive curricula that
included an explicit math component.

EXAMPLE: The Evidence-based Program for Integrated Curricula (EPIC)

incorporates math, language, literacy, and learning behaviors in a
developmentally grounded approach to preschool instruction.

Problem-solving
The ability to think through a problem, to recognize t (ASSISTANCE, 2013)here
is more than one path to the answer. It means using past knowledge and logical
thinking skills to find an answer. Carl (15 months old) looked at the shape-
sorter—a plastic drum with 3 holes in the top. The holes were in the shape of a
triangle, a circle and a square. Carl looked at the chunky shapes on the floor.
He picked up a triangle. He put it in his month, then banged it on the floor. He
touched the edges with his fingers. Then he tried to stuff it in each of the holes
of the new toy. Surprise! It fell inside the triangle hole! Carl reached for another
block, a circular one this time…
REFERENCES

ASSISTANCE, N. C. (2013). Teaching Math to Young Children.

Bazzini, M. G. (s.f.). Research, Practice and Theory in Didactics of Mathematics.

MASANJA, V. G. (s.f.). MATHEMATICS AND OTHER DISCIPLINES.

PAGE, H. &. (s.f.). Obtenido de

https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/gpm/cresource/q1/p02/

TODAY, E. C. (s.f.). SCHOLASTIC. Obtenido de

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/math-play-how-
young-children-approach-math/