Teach Middle East Magazine Jan - Mar 2020 Issue 2 Volume 7 | Page 41
Sharing Good Practice
to tackle new learning, despite not
remembering the formulas as they
have learned how to reason about the
relationships.
Supporting Teachers
Helping students develop mastery
skills in Mathematics begins with
the teachers as they have the most
influence. To support teachers so they
can help their students develop a
deep understanding of Mathematics
that can be applied in real-life
contexts, attention should be given
to cooperative and co-dependent
teacher development, embedding
authentic problem solving, and
shifting a greater focus of the learning
to reasoning.
First, high-quality teaching begins
with; opportunities to collaborate,
experiences to practice and learn,
and purposeful instances of objective
reflection. This can take many forms
(i.e. Professional Learning Communities
or Japanese Lesson Study), but high
performing schools and nations create
the space and norms for focused
attention to the nature of learning
Mathematics. This kind of support
should be frequent and on-going, to
help teams develop collectively and
to support new teachers in building
the culture of the school with respect
to learning Mathematics. A great
resource to learn more about Lesson
Study specifically can be found at
https://lessonresearch.net/
Secondly, authentic problem solving
needs to be purposefully embedded
into the curriculum. This means
creating space for the exploration of
more open-ended and non-routine
problems. These kinds of problems
build both procedural fluency and
conceptual understanding as they
require students to use Mathematics
in meaningful ways. While many
textbooks and similar resources have
"story problems" at the end of lessons
or units, we do not have to wait until
the end of a unit to play with these
problems. Use such problems at the
beginning of a unit to help provide
meaning for the learning. You can
introduce the problem early on,
but do not have to complete it; let it
simmer and revisit it periodically so
students can continue to grapple
with the Mathematics understudy, in
meaningful ways.
Lastly, classroom learning experiences
should focus far more on reasoning
than "answer-getting." Again, answers
matter in Mathematics, but they
are the last thing that matters. If a
solution is correct, but the reasoning
upon which this solution is based is
flawed or missing, then the student
has not mastered the concept.
When students have opportunities to
pose questions, develop arguments,
and make connections between
mathematical
relationships,
they
learn to see the pattern and structure
of the Mathematics involved; they
develop mastery. This means carefully
understanding the kinds of questions
and problems we pose as educators.
One suggestion is to record the
learning in the classroom and reflect
on it with a respected colleague. Notice
the focus on the learning, rather than
the teaching. Look objectively at the
learning by analyzing the responses
from students. Are they trying to "get
answers," do they provide simple one-
word responses, or do they "explain"
by telling the steps they took (this is
merely procedural and not focused
on the reasoning)? Understanding the
ways in which students respond to
questions can help teachers identify
how they can focus more on reasoning.
Mastery in Mathematics
Helping students develop mastery
begins with the outcomes in mind. In
an age where we can quickly Google
an answer or calculation, we need
to help students understand that
the three myths of mastery (speed,
accuracy, and memorization) are not
the traits that define someone who is
good at Mathematics. Mastery comes
from making connections, being
creative, and building understanding
on reasoning when faced with
challenging experiences.
Dr. Bennett is a passionate educator who strives for equity in learning for all students.
As a global consultant and an Associate Professor of Education specializing in
curriculum and instruction, he has worked with educators throughout the United
States and across the Middle East, Europe, Australia, and Asia.
Class Time
Term 2 Jan - Mar 2020
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