To reflect on an element of teaching mathematics that I learned from the class and its

importance, I really found a great deal of value in the Recommendations for Class Manipulatives

from Dr. Nicki Newton. [Newton, N. (2016). Math workshop in action: Strategies for grades K-

5. New York, NY] As stated in Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching

Developmentally, manipulatives are physical objects that students and teachers can use to

illustrate and discover mathematical concepts, whether made specifically for mathematics (e.g.,

connecting cubes) or for other purposes (e.g., buttons). [A., V. D., Karp, K., & Bay-Williams, J.

M. (2013). Elementary and middle school mathematics: Teaching developmentally. Boston:

Pearson, 22] According to Ojose, the importance of hands-on activities cannot be

overemphasized at this stage (Concrete Operational Stage). These activities provide students an

avenue to make abstract ideas concrete, allowing them to get their hands on mathematical ideas

and concepts as useful tools for solving problems. [Ojose, Bobby. (2008). Applying Piagets

Theory of Cognitive Development to Mathematics Instruction. The Mathematics Educator (Vol.

18, No. 1), 27-28] I learned that when teaching mathematics, I need to incorporate tools like

manipulatives in order to foster the development of my students thinking. I can use

manipulatives with my students to explore concepts such as place value and mathematical

operations. As students use the materials, they gain experiences that help lay the foundation for

more advanced mathematical thinking.

A shift in my understanding of how students learn mathematics was after viewing the

Five Strand of Mathematical Proficiency. After viewing this and discussing in class, I learned

that proficiency is not all or nothing and that a mathematical idea can be understood on many

different levels. This proficiency develops over time, years and time to engage in mathematical

activities around a specific topic. These five strands are interwoven and support each other at all
times. Before understanding this, I did not make the connection that there was multiple layers the

students need to be actively engaged in in order to gain proficiency. This is similar to Ojoses

Applying Piagets Theory of Cognitive Development to Mathematics Instruction where it was

stated that children develop steadily and gradually throughout the varying stages and that the

experiences in one stage form the foundations for movement to the next. [Ojose, Bobby. (2008).

Applying Piagets Theory of Cognitive Development to Mathematics Instruction. The

Mathematics Educator (Vol. 18, No. 1), 26.] This helped me understand that though children may

be at different developmental levels across one age group, they should still be given the

opportunity to practice all five strands of proficiency, as they are interdependent on each other to

support the student developing entirely. As stated in Mareks Why the Learning Cycle?, a teacher

cannot accommodate the concept for students but through questioning, teachers can help

students construct meaning of the concept from their experiences, observation, and data. [Journal

of Elementary Education, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Summer 2008), 65] The student needs the experience

of using the five strands in order to grasp the mathematical concept.

An element that demonstrates the biggest shift in my own understanding of elementary

mathematics was the Misconceptions and Errors packet. This is because it has so many valuable

resources across many different topics within math. Many of the misconceptions it speaks of, I

held true until further examining the article. This is something that would not only help me better

understand the concepts within the subject but also to better understand how to teach them to my

students. The article has nine different topics that I could possibly teach in my future classroom,

all of which hold many misconceptions children may think true. Why the Learning Cycle states

we must carefully consider how children learn and what the can learn. [Journal of Elementary

Education, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Summer 2008), 63] While considering this, we should also keep in
mind misconceptions that may be perceived around the topic to help dispel these errors.

Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally states that students

rarely give random responses, so their errors are insight into misconceptions the might have. [A.,

V. D., Karp, K., & Bay-Williams, J. M. (2013). Elementary and middle school mathematics:

Teaching developmentally. Boston: Pearson, 29] When teaching in the future, I will take this into

consideration while teaching so I can use this as data of what my children may or may not

understand based on their previous knowledge.

My mathematics relationship defines me as a student and teacher in that I enjoy math

concepts and understand these concepts play a role in my every day life. According to the

Adding It Up: Helping Children Learn Mathematics article, productive disposition refers to the

tendency to see sense in mathematics, to perceive it as both useful and worthwhile, to believe

that steady effort in learning mathematics pays off, and to see oneself as an effective learner and

doer of mathematics. [National Research Council. (2001). The Strands of Mathematical

Proficiency. In Adding It Up: Helping Children Learn Mathematics. Washington, DC: The

National Academies Press. doi:10.17226/9822.] This means students must feel like what they are

learning is worthwhile and understandable; that it can be learned and used in their every day

lives. Once students have labeled math as nonsensical, it can be difficult to change their views.

As teachers, our priority while teaching mathematics should be to guide the students learning to

keep a positive attitude toward math. As stated in Why the Learning Cycle, the teacher guides

students to do the exploration safely and, perhaps most importantly, ensures that students gather

good data. [Journal of Elementary Education, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Summer 2008), 64] I believe it is

my job to teach students to be comfortable with math. Once this happens, the students will begin

enjoying what they are learning and will see how math can be applicable in their lives every day,
whether that is while they are cooking or calculating the best deal at the stores. It is important for

our students to be confident in their math skills so they can be motivated throughout their lives.