Weekly Reading
This week I read What Mathematics Education Can Learn from Art: The Assumptions, Values, and Vison of Mathematics Education written by Leslie Dietiker. The focus of this article was trying to help educators imagine a way of teaching and learning math through stories and moving away from “doing the same old thing” (Dietiker, 2015). The idea of mathematical adventures, defined as adventures that are often sparked by a student’s questions or unexpected results is suggested as a way forward in math education (Dietiker, 2015). The key drive behind moving from doing math the same old way to math adventures is related to wanting students to see mathematics as something that is exhilarating, surprising, and full of wonder (Dietiker, 2015).
One of my first stops was when the author mentioned that if they were teaching today in the USA they do not feel they would have the curricular space and freedom to play with the aesthetics of math lessons (Dietiker, 2015). In British Columbia the curriculum was revamped in 2016, as I am a newer teacher, this is the only curriculum I know. The curriculum is organized by Big Ideas for each subject area. This style of curriculum gives educators agency to decide how the lesson will be delivered. However, there are still many educators who use traditional means of teaching lessons, specifically in mathematics. This led me to a question - What are the primary factors deterring teachers from integrating multimodal and arts-based lessons in other curricular areas?
The author discusses the importance of story and how story is used to teach and inspire curiosity in literacy. This immediately had me thinking about integrating math workshop with primary students. Story workshop involves students using loose parts to create and share stories. The same idea can be used for math to help students understand numbers. Provocations could be used such as how might 3, 4, and 7 all be in a math story together? Or perhaps something more open ended like a few numbers less than 20 are in a math story together, how does the story go? Incorporating math workshop into primary teaching allows students to experience joy, wonder, and creativity while building their number sense.
Introduction, Videos, and Activity
I appreciated the video this week for the introduction. I found that ideas stood out to me more easily then when reading the text introductions. I am passionate about taking students outside to learn and have been developing this part of my practice for the past four years. I agree that integration of different ways of teaching and learning need to be integrated and not forced into classrooms. I think it is okay for educators to start increasing their comfort with new ways of doing things by taking traditional math worksheets outside. This provides a base and a starting point for teachers to build on. Expecting teachers to just start integrating planned lessons that evoke curiosity and wonder right away is a stretch, just as learning is a journey that takes patience and time the same can be said for teaching.
Another point that resonated with me was the importance of not having diverse lessons coming across as orphaned ideas. If we want the education system and students to see the value in this approach to teaching and learning consistent adventures need to be provided to students. I think administrators play an important role in encouraging teachers to develop weekly schedules that allow for outdoor and arts-based lessons. This could be a conversation at a staff meeting at the start of the year to reiterate the importance of having this form of learning not just a one off.
I appreciated the connection to notation as a follow up from an arts-based or outdoor lessons. I think this is an important part for all students but especially primary students. In primary teaching connections between ideas and concepts need to be made explicit. This had me thinking about integrating a reflection journal where students reflect on the learning and record some information based around notation of the concept explored.
After watching the videos, I spent some time thinking about how these ideas related to my area of practice as a primary teacher. Teaching about time comes into the curriculum at grade 3 and I thought that body movements could be used to help students grasp the idea of the hands on a clock. As a subtopic of time students learn about recognizing time of year and seasons. This could be paired with an outdoor lesson to the beach to create sundials.
Works Cited
Dietiker, L. (2015). What Mathematics Education Can Learn from Art: The Assumptions, Values, and Vision of Mathematics Education. Journal of Education , 1 - 10.
What are the primary factors deterring teachers from integrating multimodal and arts-based lessons in other curricular areas?
ReplyDeleteLack of confidence in mathematics? Lack of confidence in other subject areas? Specialty teachers not being the teacher for their other courses? Lack of prep time being afforded to develop plans for these types of lesson? Lack of, or too much, directive from admin, as you mentioned a little further in your post?
These could be a few reasons why one wouldn't take it on. However, it's always easy to find reasons not to. As you mentioned with a meeting at the start of the year with admin, the focus could be on figuring out answers to the "why's" and focus more on the "why not's".
Hi Amanda
ReplyDeleteAs always, I love how you honour your students by following their interests and strengths and weaving in the curriculum. It fits with your article quite well, “mathematical adventures sparked by student’s interests.
Just brainstorming some ideas or reasons to your question: What are the primary factors deterring teachers from integrating multimodal arts based lessons in other curricular areas?
Maybe generational differences related to their experience and training. I know growing up, some NS schools from grade 6 up, had a dedicated art teacher and music teacher. I had to choose one course or the other in grade 6 and onward. This was in the 1990s.
Some may not see the value. On the other hand, if they do they do not see it through far enough to reap the rewards.
Some teachers like or thrive on consistency for various reasons.
I know some teachers are uncomfortable not knowing how a lesson could proceed. They like it to go according to plan and do not leave room for it to flow in a natural direction based on student’s interests and the like. This could be expected for new teachers depending on what kind of curriculum they come from or teacher education program. I think it was a couple weeks ago we considered teacher education programs. However, as one gets used to the expectations of their school and curriculum then one can feel more freedom to let a lesson progress more naturally. This most resembles my evolution.