Saturday, November 26, 2011

Journal 10: End the Math Wars

End the Math Wars

Kuhn, Matt, and Kathleen Demsey. "End the Math Wars." Learning & Leading With Technology. 39.3 (2011): 18-20. Web. 26 Nov. 2011. <http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-november-2011.asp&xgt;.

The article discussed the benefits of expanding the mathematics curriculum to online sources. First, it talks about the two components of math, the step by step work with numbers and the skills of algebra and geometry to accomplish mathematical fluency, but there is another component of the real world mathematical disciplines such as problem solving and learning from trial and error. It then states that a virtual mathematic lesson could combine these two concepts to make math even more understandable and enjoyable. By implementing a virtual math program to the curriculum, it says that it will be able to make the math lessons more relevent to real life situations, which will make students more engaged with the lesson. For example, instead of a long, confusing word problem in a text book, programs like www.purplemath.com and www.dimensionu.com/math would be able to recreate the problem into a game using similar scenarios and achievements. Also, programs like the Carnegie Learning's Bridge to Algebra Readiness series are able to give students assessments that determine their mathematical background and produces a custom made activity to help them work through the skills that they scored a lower score in. As the student works through the custom made activity, it changes to accomodate the student's needs. This type of technology can greatly improve each and every students' math skills and also makes it interactive and fun for them. Also, since the updates are immediate, the software can catch students' mistakes early and help them to veer away from the incorrect steps. These programs also offer an annonymous feedback system that allows the students to ask questions or give feedback to math lessons when they are confused. This is beneficial for students that are shy or embarassed to speak up in front of their peers, but it is also beneficial for the teacher because it allows them to see where each student is having problems. This technology seems to be beneficial for everyone, for students because it is more relevant to real life situations which engages them and makes math more fun. It is also beneficial for teachers because they are able to automatically see where each student lies mathematically and what the lessons need to focus on more for the students to fully understand the material.

Question 1: How will these programs change current math teaching methods?
I think the teacher's teaching methods for the step-by-step solving will remain the same, but I think the teacher will be able to allow the program to teach how to make sense of word problems. So, the teacher will still be using similar teaching methods, however, might not need to be so in depth with dissecting math word problems.

Question 2: By integrating these programs to the curriculum, how will the students change as a result?
I think the students will be more likely to enjoy math time in school. Also, because they will be more interested in math, they will be getting more practice. And, because these programs give real life examples, they will be able to relate their knowledge to real life situations.

1 comment:

  1. I'm glad you were able to use my article to deepen your thoughts on instructional technology in mathematics.
    Matt Kuhn

    ReplyDelete