Assignment 1

Chapter 1 - Teaching Mathematics in the Era of the NCTM Standards

The first chapter focuses on the changes in the current mathematics standards and the guiding principles in how mathematics should be taught. I agree that the most important tools in teaching children mathematics are: our knowledge of mathematics and how children learn mathematics. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) is an organization of teachers and mathematics educators who are implementing changes to the content and the way mathematics is being taught. This allows students to see that mathematics is useful and make connections to the real world.

The Six Principles

The six guiding principles that are fundamental to high-quality mathematics education are:

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The Five Content Standards

There has been a new emphasis on preschool which recognizes the need to highlight the critical years before children enter kindergarten. The five content standards are:

• Number and Operations
• Algebra
• Geometry
• Measurement
• Data Analysis and Probability

Each content standard includes a small set of goals applicable to the four grade bands: pre-K - 2, grade 3 - 5, 6 - 8 and 9 - 12. Even though these five content standards apply across all the grades, we should be mindful that each strand does not have an equal emphasis for each grade band.

The Five Process Standards

The five process standards refer to the mathemtical process thorugh which students should acquire and use mathematical knowledge.

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Shifts In The Classroom Environment

There are major shifts in the environment of the mathematics classroom that are neccessary to allow students to develop mathematical understanding. These are postive changes which complement the guiding principles in the way mathematical concepts should be taught.

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Chapter 2 - Exploring What It Means to Know and Do Mathematics

As I was reading Chapter Two, I had flashbacks of how mathematics was being taught to me. I mainly learnt mathematics through memorization. The questions that I posed to either the teacher or my parents were meet with curt remarks of "Just memorize it! Is that so difficult?" I started hating mathematics because I did not understand what was going on. I did not see the connections between mathematics and the real world. 

This chapter has given lots of examples of how mathematics can be taught and has sparked my interest in this subject. I am beginning to enjoy doing of the activities that the author has provided and somehow I keep thinking to myself: if only I wasn't taught mathematics the old-fashioned way, I may have grown up being interested and more enthusiatic whenever I had a Mathematics lesson in school.

I agree with the author that by providing opportunities for students to connect the dots between theory and practice helps them develop their own network of blue dots. And by challenging students to think critically and creatively,  we raise future leaders who are able to reason, justify and rationalize.