Week 1- Reflection

This week, the learning of mathematics has been discussed, in terms of the ways which mathematics
can be taught. I now have an understanding that mathematics can be taught instrumentally or
relationally. Instrumental teaching is the teaching of maths in a route taught way, where students
are asked to copy mathematical techniques or formulas and then asked to practice and memorise
these techniques. Relational teaching however is quite the opposite, as it allows students to explore
and make sense of mathematics through questioning, collaboration and inquiry. Students are
encouraged to think more deeply about what they are learning and therefore have more than just
an understanding of procedures, indicating that they must understand why and how these
procedures work. This new understanding of relational teaching signifies for me, the importance to
teach for understanding which is meaningful. During this weeks tutorial we looked at how
questioning is an important tool for relational understanding. Through questioning teachers can
stimulate students thoughts, guide their thinking, and allows for deeper thought to occur. However
teachers need to encourage students to answer questions, by creating an environment where
students feel respected and comfortable to make mistakes and take risks, because it is though our
mistakes that we learn.
Therefore when I am teaching mathematics I will ensure that:
My students are given the opportunity to investigate, explore and collaborate mathematical
ideas, make justifications and question the strategies they use (Van de Walle, Karp & Bay-Williams,
2013).
The teaching and learning is relevant and meaningful to students, and not just memorization
of known algorithms, but an in depth understanding of these algorithms in terms of why they are
used and how they work (Van de Walle et al., 2013).
Students are given plenty of opportunities to discuss their ideas, share their strategies and
explain their reasoning with their peers, so that they can learn from one another, as not only do the
students listening to the idea of their peer benefit, but the student sharing and explaining their
method benefits also, as they are given the opportunity to strengthen their understanding of their
method, as teaching is one of the best ways to learn (Whitenack & Yackel, 2002).