EDU 330 Elementary Mathematics – Lesson 1

I have lost touch with how primary school Mathematics is taught as my own children left school many years ago. I was told by some of my student’s parents that Maths nowadays is like solving IQ problems and is no longer straight forward. I can understand what they meant by IQ maths after watching the video on the problem Dr Yeap posted to the students and how he brought them through and finally helped them to solve the problem.

I noticed that the three problems given by Dr Yeap are not problems that can be simply taught to the students. It requires a skilled teacher to help the individuals be able to internalise the process while applying the skills and concepts learnt.

Today’s lesson gave me a new perspective towards teaching Mathematics, it is as said in the Singapore Primary Mathematics Curriculum (MOE  2006), it is a vehicle for the development and improvement of a person’s intellectual competence in logical reasoning, spatial visualisation, analysis and abstract thought. No wonder the students’ parents are calling it IQ maths. 

EDU 330 Elementary Mathematics – Chapter 1 & 2

I have always thought that we learnt Mathematics for the purpose of being able to get a job done be it as an accountant in a bank or an architect doing design; and also mostly, to use in our daily life.

For the preschoolers, my objective is to make sure they are given the foundation of Mathematics to prepare them for primary school. However, little did I know that it requires the teacher to have extensive knowledge of the subject to ensure that we are better able to teach our students. Teachers need to be persistent and patient so that they will not be frustrated when the students are unable to comprehend certain concepts. The positive attitude of the teacher will help the students develop a love for Mathematics and prevent them from seeing it as something radically abstract. The readiness for change helps the teacher to adapt and find other strategies to teach when the students encounter difficulties in understanding. Having a reflective disposition is one great asset any teacher should develop; it may not just be applicable to Mathematics, it is a disposition that applies to everything in learning.

From the reading, I may say that understanding Mathematical concepts is not just about imitating what the teacher has taught, but by engaging the students in using their own knowledge and experience to solve problems through social interaction and reflection. Teachers need to design tasks to challenge student to think critically and creatively thus arriving at understanding.

There is much to learn and I hope that at the end of this course, I’ll develop a reflective disposition in my teaching journey.