Mathematics and Environment?? How and How much are they connected!!

Day in day out, whether or not, are we aware that Mathematics and Environment are inseparable! True enough, I used to take the MRT to SEED Institute, and am not aware that there are lots of Mathematical concepts, we can catch the children's attention to tie with the Concepts learnt in class.

Children learnt to read maps in the MRT routes to enhance their Topological Skills. There is Sequencing in the Map too, like after one station, what is the next station.They will be introduced to terms like'before' and 

'in between'. They learn Ordinal Numbers of 1st,2nd,3rd,4th...

Taking a ride in the MRT, requires the passenger to make some payments. Through MRT fares, children learn Multiplication. They can make predictions of how much money is going to be deducted

from their MRT pre-paid cards. Children will problem solve and started to think, how much is the fare going to be.

Another pointer to take note is learning about directions and locations like right, left,North, South, East and West. These are concepts of Spatial awareness. Children will gain an understanding of positional Language.

Other concepts e.g Distance, Money and Time gives an insight that Mathematics is a Fun-Learning subject ever.....

Distance from Tampines MRT to Tanah Merah MRT, the concepts of _________km away.

A: Lesson 1 Reflection: TRICKY TRICKS

   During the first lesson, we were given the opportunity to problem solve using cards. Interesting! Very Interesting and FUN!!  Children used to memorize o.n..e.. as 1, t..w..o..as 2..Ooops not anymore. This game will get the children to spell, and play with cards with TRICKS.Our group did trial and error arranging the cards and ensure that as we spell o..n..e...the card card with '1' MUST appear right after and nothing else.Too many trials and too many errors!! That is how problem solving in Mathematics should be.We will learn better when we make mistakes.Allow our children to make mistakes during Problem Solving, only then they are learning 'What NEVER GIVE UP!' is all about. Isn't that GREAT, Maths teach you such good values like PERSEVERANCE!!
   
   I began to realize that in Mathematics, there are methods called heuristic which need us to guess and check through trial and error, in trying to find the principle of the whole thing, we are actually generalizing it. When we are acting it out as an idea, we are actually making or testing a conjecture. These are the examples of thinking skills in problem solving.

More Blogs still under constructions....

Dear Dr Yeap,


The blogs are still under construction and will be sent once done..


Warmest regards.

MATH! Wow... not only 1...2,,,3.....( chapters 1 &2)

Teaching Math is FUN when Educators are clear What is it? Why teach MAth, the HOW TO teach in FUN, enjoying and that has enhanced learning .."Students must learn mathematics with understanding, active building new knowledge from experience and prior knowledge." (NCTM, 2000,p.20).

Children of today not only require computational skills, they are required to acquire problem solving skills and to be able to think critically so that they may reason out their findings. Another challenge is, for them to be able to make reflection on both their ideas and others' ideas as well.

To allow young children to develop the understanding of the Mathematical Concepts in a FUN way, early childhood educators need to

• provide the conducive classroom environment.
• give equal exposure to conceptual understanding and procedural fluency vice-versa
• encourage their children to actively participate in problem solving, and be fully engaged to communicate their ideas, reasoning out and make connections.
• use technology as a tool to enhance their understanding.
• incorporate  multiple assessments aligned with instructional goals and practices.
• Mathematics authority that lies within the power of sound reasoning and mathematical integrity(NTCM,2007,p.7)

We were reminded of some verbs that require higher level of thinking, and encompass"making sense" and "figuring out". Some examples are explore, investigate,, justify, construct, formulate etc.