Let me preface this post with comments about last class. I was wrong about my answer to that math problem and I admit it :) so I will accept any good natured ribbing you all throw me!
The reflection questions for this week include: The authors noted the
lag in development of mathematics concepts is due to delays in language
development, lack of exposure to life-based problem-solving, and inadequate pre-service
teacher preparation in the area of mathematics. Do you agree or disagree?
Explain your answer. Do you feel prepared
to teach math skills and what do you feel you need to teach?
In terms of language development, I agree that there is a lag in the development of the mathematical concepts because teachers typically don't spend the time introducing and explanation the language that used in math. I foresee the word "mean" being an issue for some students, a major reason being that there is a double meaning for the word and its concept is closely related to that of average and median, etc. I think that math as a subject tends to scare people in general, therefore some teachers may not be confident in their skills and abilities to explain mathematical concepts to students which may contribute to inadequate pre-service teacher preparation.
After teaching a couple of math lessons, I definitely feel comfortable with teaching concepts however, its a new area for me and I will always need to prepare and make sure that I truly understand the question and its process before instructing my students. I feel that I need more than one method of teaching the concept to students, especially our students who are deaf or hard of hearing. I would want to adapt to their learning style. Math is a scary subject for a lot of people, if I can find a way to make it fun and enjoyable, that's my goal!
I like the way you are thinking in terms of mathematical concepts development. Teachers may not be as confident in their skills and abilities to explain the concepts because they are too focused on the language aspects in general. This is the case because they all knew that language is an area of concern for most if not all d/Deaf students.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you feel comfortable with teaching concepts to d/Deaf students. Are there any concepts that you feel needed work before teaching d/Deaf students? (hint-problem solving).
Sonia,
ReplyDeleteI liked your motivation in last class and your determination to get your point across. Word problems are tricky and depending how your interpret them varying answers can occur. I'm glad you feel comfortable in teaching math. It's actually one of the subjects I enjoy because there is a beginning and end. I also like Craig's question about what concepts you might need to prepare. The language is a huge issue but also teaching the multi-step process to an operation can be a struggle. What's your thoughts on this?
One thing I saw today with the Math in Focus curriculum is the use of multiple strategies to solve a given problem. The lattice method was one strategy used to solve a 2 X 2 division problem. The general education teacher was new with this method and the deaf educator had never seen it before. Fortunately, we learned this in our class and I was able to help the student. I completely agree that this area is a scary one. It is for me, but it is something that I am working on overcoming!
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