Teaching Mathematics to the Adolescent Brain
"The researchers found that adolescents used more of their prefrontal cortex than adults. Actually, the amount of prefrontal cortex used was simiilar to what adult brains use when performing much more complex tasks." (pg 134) Possible implications to these findings are "overworking of the frontal lobes leads to impulsive and more emotional (rather than rational) responses during problem solving." (pg 135)
Teens in other countries spend much more time with adults than with their peers, and do not exhibit the immature behavior of teens in North America.
The adolescent brain may actually have an enhanced aptitude for learning algebra more easily than the adult brain.
Students are more likely to be successful in learning math if teachers use instructional strategies that are compatible with their students' cognitive styles.
Since adolescents are surrounded by visual images, it makes sense to use visual tools in the mathematics classroom. Graphic organizers are one type of visual tool.
Homework assignments should not have a heavy weight in a student's class average.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Feb 10: Chapter 5
Teaching Mathematics to the Preadolescent Brain
Students should write in a journal reflecting on what they learned in math that day.
When you give students writing activities you need to scaffold them and be specific.
Students don't always understand that the "=" sign means equal. The notion of "equal" is complex and difficult for students to comprehend, yet it is a central math idea within algebra.
"Layering the curriculum is a simple way to differentiate instruction, encourage higher-level thinking, prepare students for adult-world decision making and hold the accountable for learning."(Pg 144)
Students should write in a journal reflecting on what they learned in math that day.
When you give students writing activities you need to scaffold them and be specific.
Students don't always understand that the "=" sign means equal. The notion of "equal" is complex and difficult for students to comprehend, yet it is a central math idea within algebra.
"Layering the curriculum is a simple way to differentiate instruction, encourage higher-level thinking, prepare students for adult-world decision making and hold the accountable for learning."(Pg 144)
Jan 13: Chapters 3 and 4
Reviewing the Elements of Learning/Teaching Mathematics to the Preschool and Kindergarten Brain
Students learn best at the beginning of class and at the end of class. In a 40 minute period, the highest degree of retention is during the first 15 minutes of the class. The next 10 to 15 minutes of the 40 minute class is "downtime", followed by the last 10-15 minutes of the 40 minutes which students have a degree of retention close to the first 15 minutes of the class.
"During a learning episode, we remember best that which comes first, second best that which comes last, and least that which comes just past the middle". (pg 61)Rehearsal is very important for students to maintain information in their memory.
Working memory connects with the learner's past experiences and needs to answer to question: "Does it have meaning?"
Teachers need to spend time building meaning of concepts.
Through writing activities, teachers help students to learn a math concept more effectively and develop crititcal-thinking and problem solving skills.
Young students learning math should look for patterns.
Dec 9: Chapters 1 and 2
Developing Number Sense/Learning to Calculate
Our language is a barrier to how we learn numbers.
"Our ability to approximate numerical quantities may be embedded in our genes, but dealing with exact symbolic calculation can be an error-prone ordeal." (pg. 35)
Memorizing facts is not intuitive.
We are born with a built in number sense, genetically pre-disposed.
Survival Skill(counting number of predators)
English words make learning arithmetic harder.
The further apart numbers get the longer it takes to add them mentally.
On the mental number line, the numbers get closer together the larger they get.(See diagram pg 23)
The region of the brain we use for counting includes the same part that controls our fingers.
Just as phonemic awareness is a pre-requisite to learning phonics and becoming a successful reader, developing number sense is a pre-requisite for succeeding in math(pg. 26)
"Number sense can be considered the innate beginnings of math intelligence. But the extent to which it becomes an individual's major talent still rests with the type and strength of the genetic input and the environment in which the individual grows and learns."(pg 33)
Calculations are difficult for the human brain. Only number sense is innate.
Children in the primary grades suffer from a shift from intuitive number sense to rote memorization.
* "The idea is to use the students' innate sense of patterning to build a multiplication network without memorizing the tables themselves." (pg. 46)
Our language is a barrier to how we learn numbers.
"Our ability to approximate numerical quantities may be embedded in our genes, but dealing with exact symbolic calculation can be an error-prone ordeal." (pg. 35)
Memorizing facts is not intuitive.
We are born with a built in number sense, genetically pre-disposed.
Survival Skill(counting number of predators)
English words make learning arithmetic harder.
The further apart numbers get the longer it takes to add them mentally.
On the mental number line, the numbers get closer together the larger they get.(See diagram pg 23)
The region of the brain we use for counting includes the same part that controls our fingers.
Just as phonemic awareness is a pre-requisite to learning phonics and becoming a successful reader, developing number sense is a pre-requisite for succeeding in math(pg. 26)
"Number sense can be considered the innate beginnings of math intelligence. But the extent to which it becomes an individual's major talent still rests with the type and strength of the genetic input and the environment in which the individual grows and learns."(pg 33)
Calculations are difficult for the human brain. Only number sense is innate.
Children in the primary grades suffer from a shift from intuitive number sense to rote memorization.
* "The idea is to use the students' innate sense of patterning to build a multiplication network without memorizing the tables themselves." (pg. 46)
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