Making Mathematics Meaningful ─ For Students in the Primary Grades

When Sir Isaac Newton talked about the teaching of mathematics he made the statement that it is possible to teach anyone to repeat but making students understand what they are learning presents a challenge. Some of the many challenges that exist in making young learners understand are identified in Making Mathematics Meaningful. Effective teaching strategies and activity settings are identified, suggestions for orchestrating discussions, posing effective and open-ended questions and accommodating different types of students' responses are made, and meaningful practice settings are described. The emphasis is on sense making for the reader as well as for the young learners. To reach this goal, specific and non-subjective language is used throughout the book. The framework for Making Mathematics Meaningful includes a focus on developing: number sense – the key foundation for numeracy, estimation strategies, spatial sense, measurement sense, and mathematical reasoning. Young learners are introduced to many new ideas in learning through problem solving settings. Strategies are described that can foster: ability to visualize, to think and think flexibly, confidence, willingness to take risks and use of imagination which are important aspects of sense making. Suggestions are made for strategies to advance students’ thinking. Mental mathematics strategies are part of young students learning the basic facts. Opportunities are illustrated that make it possible for young students to develop personal strategies for calculation procedures. Criteria for good games for the mathematics classroom are identified. Sample game setting and possible variations are described. Special assessment techniques and tasks that are required to determine whether or not the goal of making mathematics meaningful has been reached are identified. Recommendations are made for translating assessment results into meaningful reports for parents. The strategies, activities and problems that are included in Making Mathematics Meaningful also make contributions to young students’ language development, reading comprehension and the development of evaluative skills. The content of Making Mathematics Meaningful is presented with a minimum of theoretical discussion. The intent is that anyone who is interested in guiding young learners and making mathematics meaningful for them can easily translate the suggestions into action. Making Mathematics Meaningful is an excellent reference for parents, anyone interested in home schooling, teachers who want to expand on ideas for the mathematics classroom, teachers in training, tutors and those involved in learning assistance.