Playing With Numbers
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SP R IN G 2017
TEACHING STUDENTS MATH IS
This approach forgoes the traditional
NOT THE SAME AS TEACHING
notion that some students have greater
STUDENTS TO THINK LIKE
natural ability than others at math, and
M A T H E M A T I C I A N S . Many of the rote
methods used to convey mathematical concepts during the second half of the 20th century succeeded in shepherding students through their multiplication tables and onward into algebra and trigonometry. They did little, however, to instill an enjoyment or love of mathematics and left it to colleges and universities to eventually teach the more complex and analytical skills that are needed for students to truly “think” like mathematicians. One analogy might be that traditional “procedural” math instruction is akin to learning how to turn on a light, whereas more advanced mathematical thinking is about solving real world problems: learning instead how electricity works, and how to generate and channel it. With the hiring of Lower School Math Specialist Jennifer Hogan, the re-working of the Lower and Upper School math curriculum, the acquisition of new Lower School math lab furniture and teaching materials, and the ongoing professional
instead works to realize each student’s unique ability and realize their potential to learn mental math skills and get excited about mathematical thinking. Step into a Lower School math class at Peck and you will not see rows of students imitating an instructor as she “carries the one” on a chalk board problem. You will see students rolling dice, playing cards, decomposing numbers with number bonds, marking up their number lines, fighting fraction wars, building multiplication towers, and manipulating dominoes to visualize mathematical concepts. Many of these math techniques and resources (known as “manipulatives”) may seem foreign to parents—especially when they assist their children with homework. With “guided math,” however, parents should rest assured that their children are receiving individually leveled instruction. With a renewed curiosity and interest in math assignments, our parents, as well as our students, will not so much be “doing math” as thinking like mathematicians.
development that is taking place within our faculty—The Peck School is motivated by the belief that mathematical thinking is not the same as simply ‘doing math.’ Beginning in Lower School, students are beginning to receive a much more playful and “guided” approach to math instruction. By working with smaller groups of students and rotating through centers of instruction, faculty can tailor instruction much more individually to each student’s aptitude with specific areas of math.
Peck News
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