K-6 Mathematics Resources

On Tuesday, February 25th, our Math Education class perused the resources for K-6 students and teachers in Newfoundland and Labrador. Luckily, our table got to start with kindergarden and work our way around the classroom until we got to grade six. As in our textbook on the section about Stations, this was a easy way to manage the materials. The materials stayed in one spot and we move to them. There was also enough resources on each table for each person to have their own individual text to look at.

The one thing that really surprised me was that there was such a dramatic change in these resources as the grade level increased. Kindergarden was filled with bright, colourful picture storybooks (some of which were actually around the size of a young child). The font was large and limited. As the grades progressed, the font got smaller, the text became complicated, and the colours vanished. The older students now have to use a textbook filled with samples on how to do a question, then a long list of practice questions. In chapter four of our text, Planning in the Problem-Based Classroom, the authors describe the process of drill and practice. From what I seen in these resources, there was a combination of both of these. However, teachers should take the time to review all the resources for a particular grade to integrate more practice, problem-solving than the disliked drilling of procedures. It makes learning more fun for the students.

What I like about the resources in all grades was the potential for the students to participate in problem solving. For instance, it might have been in a grade four teacher's guide, where I seen a worksheet that the students can complete. On the page, the students had the chance to create their very own problem and then solve it using number sentences. This would be a great way for the students to be in charge of their own learning.

Teachers should be reminded that textbooks, curriculum, and other resources are just guides. Its up to the teacher to develop good problem-based mathematics classes for the students to have a beneficial math experience. It is our goal to determine the task we want to present to the children and develop a sufficient lesson plan that accommodates the needs of all students and then reflect on this approach. In chapter four of our text, there are 10 steps that teachers should implement into the development of their lesson plans. 

Text: Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally by: Van de Walle, Folk, Karp, and Bay-Williams (2011).