How 2 Teach Math

How 2 Teach Math - The Goal

By Trent Tormoehlen

The goal of How 2 Teach Math is to provide math teachers with a place to come and learn about teaching different math subjects. There will be at least a three-fold approach to providing resources for teachers. First, each subject will be broken down using the Indiana State Standards (the state where I teach - Indiana has very comprehensive standards for high school math subjects) and a detailed explanation of how to present the material will be given. Secondly, there will be multiple worksheets/resources provided in pdf form for teachers to print and use in class. Finally, when appropriate there will be activities/projects provided that can be used as an alternative method for teaching the material. These will often have an emphasis on using technology in the classroom.

Simplest vs. Easiest

One of the discussions that will come up often on this website is the difference between teaching students the simplest method versus teaching students the easiest method. The simplest method is the method that can produce the quickest answer. This will often tend to be a method that includes significant amounts of mental math. Students need to learn simple methods to solve problems, especially at the lower levels, to enable them to be more efficient when solving more complex problems. However, in general, I think it is more important to allow students to figure out the simple methods for themselves rather than to teach them upfront. This can happen through carefully designed questions and problems. It is also a cultural part of a classroom. Students should be encouraged to find their own methods to find a solution. This breeds creativity and ownership, both of which are essential parts of a math classroom.

The easiest method is usually the method that is taught first. This method keeps two things in mind, what students already know and what students will eventually need to know. The best example is solving the problem 2x = 12. Most students can solve the problem mentally by thinking about what number times two equals twelve. Though that is the quickest way, it doesn't show students how to solve the problem 5x = 27. Thus the easiest way is to teach students to solve the original problem is to teach them the basic properties of equations. This provides a basis which can later be used to solve more complex problems. It is easier to lay the ground work with an easy problem rather than a difficult problem. The simple method should be acknowledged and encouraged but only if they first understand the properties of equations.

Scaffolding

One of the most important principles of teaching math is the idea of scaffolding. Essentially it is the idea of using what the students already know to teach them something they do not. For this reason it is always important to look at the "why?" for each topic. Often times it is because it will be needed later to generate a more complex topic. A good example is this discussion on rational exponents. I believe scaffolding is essential to any math classroom and will permeate every article I have on teaching math.

Instructional Worksheets

Each work I create will be labeled. One of the labels is an "instructional worksheet". This is a worksheet designed to correspond and work with the presentation of the topic. Often times they are designed to help students discover properties of math on their own. It is important, whenever possible, to allow students to generate math concepts themselves. The worksheets are designed to accomplish this. However, the are also designed for students to write out the specific property and work example problems. A significant number of students will not be able to work out the properties on their own and thus need for them to be spelled out specifically by the teacher. However, the more a student figures out on their own the better.

For now the above will be the focus of my work on this website. I have other more ambitious goals and I will keep you up to date on when those will be added.