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STATEMENT OF UNDERSTANDING
MATH ETHODS
ED 616
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
BY
KIM MORGAN
4/17/2017
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Philosophy
I had never taught a math class before this semester, or studied the craft of teaching as it relates
to math methodology. In all honesty, I was nervous about my ability to make this subject matter clear
and engaging, as I myself struggle to understand mathematic concepts as a student. After several
months of math class immersion, teaching several lessons, and working in concentrated effort with
case-study students, I not only feel much more confident in my abilities to teach mathematics, but it has
In this statement of understanding I will cover the gamut of K-8 learning, but the bulk of my my
personal philosophy was attained through my first-hand experience with 1st through 3rd grade learners,
and this is my ideal classroom range as I head into professional teaching. My passion for this age range
develop immerging skills, we set them up for future success (or failure), with (or without) the self-
developed tools they need to build onto that foundation. Get it right in these early years, and kids will
reap the rewards of a flexible mental toolkit that serves them well the rest of their lives
Without listing the content standards per grade, the Eight Standards for Mathematical Practice
put forth by DEED as benchmarks for what it means to be a mathematically proficient student, cover
this well. These also relate directly to the process standards we educators are responsible for teaching
1. Problem Solving — Pose an interesting, meaningful, level appropriate problem to be solved. Teach,
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2. Reasoning and Proof — Teach critical thinking skills so children can evaluate, judge, assimilate
3. Communication — Teach the language of mathematics and facilitate its usage and understanding in
4. Connections — Make real world and cross curriculum examples of mathematic concepts so students
form deeper connections with concepts. Use assessment to scaffold new learning onto existing
knowledge.
5. Representation — Encourage students to model and express mathematic concepts in multiple ways,
to deepen understanding.
The synthesis between the standards set forth for educators, and the proficiency goals
articulated for students, means students should have more than a rote memorization of facts, or a base
understanding of linear processes. They should understand math concepts, and the language of
mathematics, at a deep enough level to construct, deconstruct, critique, solve, and evaluate with
precision and at a creative level. They should understand mathematics to be an integrated part of the
natural world, and by extension, they should have lasting and meaningful connections to mathematics
I believe that math should be "done" not studied. My job is to help students develop mathematic
schemes that make concepts real, tangible, flexible, and pertinent in their everyday lives. I think math
should take place in the classroom, much as it does in the real world, stemming from a real-life
In order to make these sometimes nebulous concepts valuable to students, I believe mathematic
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concepts need to be explored all throughout the day; not limited to a one-hour unit of study. Math
should be woven into music, art, and science lessons; it should be central to the morning work,
exploring what day and time has brought us all together. We should not only look at what the
temperature looks like on the thermometer, but discuss what that will mean when we head out to recess
(is 50 degrees cold enough to need a coat?). Mathematic concepts should be applied after students visit
the student store, pay for book orders, or contribute change to a fundraiser.
In this way, not only should math be "done" (not merely studied in a text book) — it should also
be openly dialogic! Students need to express their understandings and misconceptions, they benefit
greatly from hearing the inner workings of their peers and teachers schemes. A student may not be able
to give me the "answer" to a mathematic problem posed dialogically on the spot, but they develop
elastic schemes by constantly evaluating what type of mathematics they're using in their everyday lives.
Was that store purchase addition or subtraction? If I'd purchased more would I have needed more or
less money? Are dates examples of consecutive number schemes? Was there a pattern there? Was that
temperature "data collection" or "statistical analysis"? What is the probability of my hitting a home run
at the game today? It's in the application, that mathematic concepts become real and meaningful and
pertinent.
This dialogic exchange is also valuable to me as a teacher, in two important ways. The first is in
assessment, which I'll address later. The second, is it helps me get to know each child on an individual
level; imperative if I'm to understand how their minds work, and what they're attending to, and not
attending to yet, in their thinking. Communication skills are a muscle that must be flexed regularly
(especially in early learners), the skills they learn through dialogue help propel them forward in reading
Dialogue also serves the purpose of relationship building and gives me an opportunity to
establish trust. Who opens up and expresses misconceptions to a teacher they do not trust as a kind,
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patient, and helpful partner in the learning process? If I'm not invested in their thinking, they won't be
either. If I'm not convinced of their ultimate success, how can they be?
In my target student age-range it is imperative to understand the limits of abstract thinking. How
do you make thinking elastic and flexible, in a concrete thinker? That is the challenge. Formulas and
systems are fine, but I've learned not to let these process oriented approaches become a substitute for
individual schemes that are more flexible and make sense to the individual (even if not every
individual). In the end, when formulas are forgotten, it's the schemes they develop on a personal level
What I've spoken of so far is the crux of reasoning communication, and connections as they
relate to all number operations; and I believe early learners need to perform operations that work these
concepts forward and backward, up and down the number line, and throughout the 100s chart before
they go any further. We shouldn't let students get comfortable with any one system, but constantly
challenge them to explore that application in a number of ways, finding its' uses, patterns, extensions,
Learning standard algorithms is fine, but it's the student's invented strategies that create
"number sense". Students should be constructing and deconstructing numbers according to the students
preferences. These skills are proven to result in more flexible thinking, better estimation skills, fewer
errors, and greater speed and accuracy. These skills are less taxing on my time as a teacher, perform
Manipulatives are indispensable in the early years (especially with concrete thinkers) and allow
something tangible to be explored as students struggle to marry what they see and touch with the
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Number sense and chronology is first learned through number lines and hundreds charts.
Number relationships like even an odd, can best be understood by a quick sketch of "buddies". Songs
can help kids remember relationships and patterns (like which numbers add up to make 10). Base ten
cubes are a fantastic way to cement place value understanding, and offer a lot of insight (even in their
misuse) to a watchful teacher. Area, length and set models are essential throughout decimal and
fractions exploration. Shape and pattern manipulatives help early learners practice grouping concepts,
and later learners learn the underpinnings of geometry. Non-standard measurements can be modeled by
all kinds of found objects and serve to teach crucial estimation skills. Snap a ruler in half to makes ure
Visualization of concepts, both the students ability to pull visual information from a textual
problem, and their ability to create visuals that aide themselves as they work through problems, are
Any good curriculum program requires pre and post assessment (as well as formative which
should come from varied activities and daily application). I need to assess where we're at in order to
know where we're going next, and have kids apply their knowledge in a way that shows what they do
and don't understand, and how they go about their process. For this purpose, I'm a big believer in word
problems, written in a highly personalized way, that strip out all the numbers and get us down to the
concepts of application. Having kids take written or oral information, and set up the math problem for
them self is wonderful assessment, in and of itself, even if the problems are never solved.
I also believe in missing part problems as excellent assessment tools. Students should not
always be solving for the "answer", sometimes solving to complete the setup (missing addend, etc.,) of
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Understanding of the equal sign needs to be assessed, and is often misunderstood. Missing part
problems help to keep kids from thinking of the equal sign as a mathematical symbol for "and the
answer is". These problems assess whether or not students know the answer lies in understanding the
question. The presentation of the equal sign should move so the problem starts with an answer at times,
or presents the student with a problem where both sides of the equal sign are different but equal
equations.
I'm not so concerned with culminating performance tasks at this age, but I do see building
models and knowledge sharing as valuable summaries of understanding. These culminating tasks give
the students a chance to review, compile, compare, and encapsulate their learning by putting their
collective knowledge on display. It also gives students a chance to practice team-work, oral
Differentiation
If we're to do more than just teach rote procedures, if we're to encourage mathematical
exploration in a scientific discovery kind of way, we can't devise linear problems with only one correct
way to arrive at or express a solution. We must provide multiple entries, meaning a student can come at
this problem from a number of ways, based on their perspective, knowledge, skill level and
interpretation. They should be able to work the problem a number of ways, and express the solution or
In this way, math is creative, and allows self-paced learning and increased sophistication that
Our text speaks of the Van Hiele levels of understanding in geometric concepts, stating that
children can only move from one level to the next, and that the half step in between is the crucial area
of thought process that propels them forward. No step can be skipped (it warns) in the levels of
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understanding. I would argue this is true for all mathematic concepts, and that each student needs
careful individual scaffolding throughout their mathematic career. When they seem to have mastered a
number, use a greater number, when they've mastered a process, make the process one step more
complex. Move in baby steps, not giant leaps through the learning process, always starting your
Conclusion / Reflection
If it looks like real life we're doing it right! At the emergent skills age, where I hope to teach, the
best education we can give kids (in any topic of study), is a passion for learning pays off in personal
growth. Math should be fun, and a little messy at times. Kids natural enthusiasm to explore is the best
tool we have to work with. I think with a more student focused, peer oriented approach, that allows the
child to construct their own knowledge, a teacher can assist and scaffold a number of learning levels at