Although teaching in a constructivist manner has many advantages, there are some disadvantages that should be looked at carefully. If a teacher sits passively in the classroom observing the students as they construct knowledge, they could start to form false methods or procedures. Warrington stated that the teacher must understand each child's thought process and be able to carefully determine when and how to direct them to deeper and higher levels of thinking. During her experiences in the classroom, for example, when the class was working through the problem 4 2/5 divided by 1/3, the majority of the class was agreeing with a false procedure. If the one student who had done it correctly hadn't spoken up or figured the correct process out, then the entire class would have been in agreement with an incorrect method. Although constructing knowledge is extremely effective if done correctly, there is no way to force the children to come up with the right methods or procedures on their own. If they cannot figure it out on their own than the teaching method is useless.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Blog Entry #5
Teaching mathematics to students without first telling them the procedures or even the right answer can be very helpful to a child's education according to Mary Ann Warrington. This method of teaching gives students the opportunity to construct their own knowledge with what they have been taught previously as well as through heated mathematical debates. Warrington spoke about how this kind of teaching environment gives the students more confidence and willingness to take risks by solving problems with their own devices. She talked about how constructivism brings forth intellectual autonomy. When children are encouraged to think for themselves they will develop much more successfully.
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I agree that there is no way to force children to come to the right methods or procedures they need to do work on their own. But I do believe they need to use their own devices and that sitting back is a useful way to help them acquire those skills
ReplyDeleteI thought that Warrington's brief discussion of the confidence her students have was really important so I was glad to see you mention that! Although it is true that teaching method may be useless if it leads to misconceptions, there is nothing that I found in the paper to indicated that Warrington would not step in and correct their paths. I don't think that the constructivist view can be completely nullified on that account.
ReplyDeleteYou did a good job answering the prompt.
ReplyDeleteThis classroom is built upon the idea that mathematics can be understood by everyone. This gives the teacher confidence in her students.
I think that if the classroom all agreed upon the incorrect solution, the teacher would have given them another problem that would make them question their procedure. In this manner, the students discover their own mistakes and why something doesn't work.
I like how it was easy to follow the thoughts of your entry. I could tell exactly where you were going with your thoughts, and it was nice to easily see what you're saying. What about the fact that class discussion might not encourage all the students to participate? I think it's important to address this problem as well.
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