BLOG 7
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO IMPROVE ATTITUDES TOWARDS MATHEMATICS IN PRIMARY CLASSROOMS IN WALES?
As part of Donaldson’s ‘Successful Futures’ report for Wales, ‘numeracy’ has been recognised as one of our three cross-curricular skills that will be embedded into the lessons in the classroom. Here are two concepts that help prove thatmathematics lessons can be fun at school.
Technology
Technology can be used for all children who are developing their numeracy skills.
‘The advantages of virtual manipulatives are instant feedback and student engagement; students know immediately if they have done the work correctly. When whole classes work with virtual manipulatives in lab or laptop situations, teachers can spot students with misconceptions and work one-on-one with them’ (Hamilton, 2015). The use of iPads and other technologies are becoming increasingly popular in classrooms across Wales, again, as our new curriculum identifies numeracy and digital competence as cross-curricular skills, we are able to combine these to create a better attitude towards mathematics by allowing the students to demonstrate their understandings in a virtual manner. Children nowadays are immersed in a society where technology is everything, so it only makes sense for them to incorporate that into their academic life. It gives them a chance to show their practitioners their skills in a way that may reflect their true abilities (for example, math ‘apps’ may give the child the opportunity to solve a problem in a way that suits them).
Mobile technologies have provided various approaches to learning: engaging learners in contextualised learning environments using mobile devices’ built-in sensors (Tangney et al. 2010); using the mobile phone to journal math learning (Project Tomorrow 2011); and connecting learners through mobile phones and social media (Roberts and Butcher 2009). Crompton and Burke’s (2015) survey of mobile learning in mathematics showed that there is a growing interest in mobile technology effectiveness, with 75% of 48 studies reporting positive learning outcomes. This shows that there are not only a need and practical use for technology in the classroom, but also that there is a demand ad interest in the children that participate in technology-led math lessons. By developing and encouraging the use of technology at schools, I feel that it could lead to positive attitudes towards a younger generation wanting to attain a career in STEM subject fields of work, which could be greatly beneficial to our future society, as we develop a positive attitude towards science and mathematics by combining the use of these subjects with technology at a young age.
Outdoors
Using the outdoors is a way to teach mathematics; it is not exclusive to the classroom. Especially for Key Stage One students, practitioners would be able to use the outdoors as a way to improve attitudes towards mathematics; mostly as a way to demonstrate that there are fun ways to develop their numeracy skills. For example, muddy kitchens can offer the practise of measuring, and acknowledging correct units. The outdoor environment is the ideal arena for planning maths activities that would otherwise be impractical, unattractive or impossible indoors (MS) The outdoors offer a sense of a ‘treat’ for children, as they sometimes don’t understand that they are continuing to develop, just that it’s practised in a different environment. This should create a good relationship between the child and the outdoors, and a positive attitude towards learning outdoors.
Another activity that would be appropriate for Key Stage One students is a game called ‘rob the nest’, where children would collect as many natural objects as they can (rocks, leaves, flowers etc.) the children are using their numeracy skills to count, organise and make use of the time given. Children learn to compare quantities through play and practical activities that involve sorting, comparing and counting. Practitioners help by engaging children in conversation and introducing mathematical vocabulary that will help them to verbalise their own thinking. (MS) The aim of this is to practise numeracy skills in an unconventional way, and to assess which children are aware of these skills.
For older students, physical education lessons could be combined with numeracy skills. Measuring long jump and calculating and comparing race times could introduce or develop the skills of graph making, documenting data and using units of measure. The Welsh Government acknowledges that year six students are able to ‘estimate and visualise size when measuring and use the correct units’. At this age, most students are aware of which subjects they favour, and which they dislike. Many students thrive in physical education, and could hopefully use this as a way to develop their skills in other subjects. By combining their favourite subject with another, the practitioner could create a positive environment for that child to work on their numeracy skills.
References
1. Crompton, H., & Burke, D. (2015). Research trends in the use of mobile learning in mathematics. International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning, 7(4), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJMBL.2015100101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2. Developing early maths skills outdoors by Marianne Sargent
3. Hamilton, Boni. Integrating Technology in the Classroom : Tools to Meet the Need of Every Student, International Society for Technology in Education, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cardiffmet/detail.action?docID=4395784.
Created from cardiffmet on 2019-05-05 12:28:11.
Created from cardiffmet on 2019-05-05 12:28:11.
4. Project Tomorrow. (2011). Evaluation report of the impact of project K-Nect on teaching and learning. Retrieved February 15, 2013 from http://www.tomorrow.org/docs/ProjectKNect_EvaluationReport_Mar2011.pdf
5. Roberts, N., & Butcher, N. (2009). Evaluation of the imfundo yami/yethu Project: Executive summary. Johannesburg: Neil Butcher and Associates.Google Scholar
7. Tangney, B., Weber, S., Knowles, D., Munnelly, J., Watson, R., Salkham, A., …, & Jennings, K. (2010). MobiMaths: an approach to utilising smartphones in teaching mathematics. In Proceedings of mlearn2010: 10th world conference on mobile and contextual learning (pp. 9–15). University of Malta: Valetta.Google Scholar
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