Last week was a great way for myself, as well as my classmates to get to see the programs that are available to each grade level in the primary/elementary grades. Most of us, including myself have not actually seen or even had the opportunity to go through and look at the teacher resources for grades kindergarten through six. It was nice to have the time to be able to go through these books, compare/contrast, and talk about key ideas and concepts that were present at each grade level.
As I moved from the primary resources into the elementary, I noticed many significant differences, most of which you do not get to see in the daily classroom. Being an observation day student for the past couple of months has allowed me to see the daily routines of many classroom teachers from kindergarten through grade six. Although I have not seen a lot of mathematics during my time at my assigned school, I have seen some interesting techniques that teachers use with their students.
The kindergarten, grades one, two, and three resources guides contained colourful, animated, and inviting texts that made teaching math fun. It was appealing! What I found so intriguing were the little 'extra' texts that were contained throughout these grades. It made me realize that teachers could teach math using story books and reinforce ideas or topics through a math story. (I was obviously aware that you could do this, but actually seeing that it was provided for teachers was somewhat encouraging and relieving!) As I continued going through the primary resources I noticed that number concept and patterns were major topics that was continuously focussed on. And then I went to grade four... When I began to look through the resources for this grade I was a little shocked but also apathetic. It was big difference from what I had previously looked at and there were no picture books or extras!! I had always said that once you get into the higher grade levels that the curriculum becomes more boring and bland. But this was just a reminder that it actually does. It just goes to show that the primary grades get all these little extras and the elementary grades are left with the boring, black and white textbooks that no one wants to use! Now, do not get me wrong this is probably not always the case, but as a first year teacher all those little extras would help you out a long way and give you a little stress relief! This was a big deal for me- I guess it was because I was thinking of myself as a first year teacher and how I would feel if I was given this resource after comparing it to another of a primary grade. Just because students are learning about more abstract and challenging concepts does not mean they cannot learn through stories or colourful, animated techniques. The number of web tools and apps that are available are countless. I know that when I use them with the children I tutor they are so much more engaged and motivated about the topic of discussion. Yet, I did not see one reference to an online web tool or app that teachers could use with the students in the classroom. Now, I am not saying that the resources that are available to students in the elementary grades are horrible or useless, but I do think that they could be 'jazzed' up a little more to make them more appealing. With the wide variety of technological tools available to teachers there should be a way for elementary students to have that same fun and interested feeling when they engage in math in their classrooms. As a future teacher I hope to be able to bring an enthusiastic approach to teaching math in my classroom. I know as a former student that I was not overly fond of always doing textbook work and "mid and final chapter reviews" every couple of weeks. However, looking back I do see the benefit in the resources that are provided and the opportunities they have for students to complete the given tasks. With these resources and 21st century technology I think that teaching mathematics can be much more successful to the diverse array of students in our daily classrooms.
Providing these resources to teachers in the K-6 grades allows them to open their minds to create new and fun math challenges for the students of their classrooms. I think that if the primary resources can be fun, colourful, and appealing to children and adults there is no reason why the elementary resources cannot be as well. Having the opportunity to view these resources and sitting down to discuss them with my classmates was a great introduction to the programs that I will hopefully be able to use in the near future.
- Penney
