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Practical Principles in Teaching

Mathematics
1 tudents should be actively involve in
learning mathematics
2 Mathematics learning is a developmental
process
3 communication is an integral part of
mathematics learning
4 ood and interesting questions facilitate
mathematics learning
 Practical Principles in Teaching
Mathematics
5 Multi-embodiment aids learning in
mathematics
 Metacognition affects mathematics
learning
 Mathematics anxiety is influenced by how
mathematics is learned
 orgetting is a natural aspect of learning,
but retention can be aided
MANIPULATIVE
 Manipulative materials are concrete
models that involve mathematics concept,
appealing to several senses, can be
touched and moved around by the
students It should relate to the students¶
real world
 ood mathematics manipulatives are
durable, simplistics (easily manipulated)
attractive (to create interest) and
manageable
 MANIPULATIVE
 Use of manipulative materials
± tudents will learn:
 to relate real world situations to mathematics
symbolism
 to work together cooperatively in solving
problems
 To discuss mathematical ideas and concepts
 To verbalize their mathematics thinking
 To make presentations in front of a large
group
 MANIPULATIVE
± tudents will learn:
 That there are many different ways to
solve problems
 That mathematics problems can be
symbolized in many different ways
 That they can solve mathematics
problems without just following
teachers¶ directions
 ow should learning using manipulative
materials be evaluated?
± concept development and understandings
should be valued more highly Effective use of
mathematics manipulatives contributes to
conceptualization and understanding or
teachers to assess students¶ understanding of
concepts, different techniques of evaluation will
be needed Teachers will receive more insight
into students¶ mathematics understanding by:
 Listening to students¶ talk about their
mathematics thinking

bserving students working individually and
in cooperative groups
 Asking why and how questions rather than
asking:
± Yes or No questions
± or results of calculating activities
± or answers
 aving students write a solution to a problem
rather than by only responding with correct
or incorrect values
To facilitate collecting assessment data, different types of
questions will need to be asked by the teacher The
traditional questions which focus on calculating and correct
answers will change to:

 ow and Why questions

 Problem questions to stimulate the
thinking process of the students
 aving students write responses to
mathematics problems
± Integrate writing with mathematics
± Numerical values are not sufficient for
answers to mathematics problems
  Presents an opportunity for reflection, which is
conductive to students¶ cognitive development
 elps identify students having mathematical
difficulties
 elps identify the conceptual level of
development of the students
± ome examples of appropriate questions
and responses for students might be:
 ow do you know that«?
 What would happen if«?
 Why do you suppose«?
 What makes you think your answer is correct?
 ow could you prove that your answer is
correct?
 could you express your answer in a different
way?
 What is another way to solve the problem?
 ow many different ways can you find to solve
problems?
 ow can you convince the other members of
your group that your way is the best method to
solve the problem?
common Manipulative Materials
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± Also called Dienes blocks or base ten blocks
± MAB¶s consist of wooden blocks of variuos
sizes
± Blocks are called units, longs, flats and blocks
 Pedagogical uses:
± As model for a numeration system, place
value, square roots, ratio and proportion, and
volume
± As a model for teaching four fundamental
operations on whole numbers and decimals
± Maybe use as algebra tiles to model
polynomials and its operations including
factoring
± or teaching the numeration system, it is
usually used with a place value mat
 raction kit
± consist of a whole, halves, thirds, fourths,
sixths, eights, ets
± Maybe rectangular or circular (fraction disc)
±
ften used with the whole-part chart
 Pedagogical uses:
± Develop the concept of fraction and its
different definitions
± change an improper fraction into a mixed
number and vice-versa
 how equivalent fractions and the
operations of fractions
 Explore the concept of the area of a circle
using fraction discs
 Discover the formula for finding the area of
a circle