Comments on: Math Skills versus Math Concepts (Pt. 1) http://mathmojo.com/chronicles/2008/05/23/math-skills-versus-math-concepts/ The Official Blog of MathMojo.com - helping public school, homeschooling, unschooling students, parents, teachers and adults learn math with easy and effective methods. Sat, 22 Nov 2008 09:32:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Trent http://mathmojo.com/chronicles/2008/05/23/math-skills-versus-math-concepts/#comment-85149 Trent Sun, 03 Aug 2008 05:07:02 +0000 http://mathmojo.com/chronicles/2008/05/23/math-skills-versus-math-concepts/#comment-85149 In my class I always attempt to teach the concept first. This is largely a result of how I learn math myself. I am not a rote learner, I learn a concept and then apply it to problems. However, I don't think it can be discounted that students learn differently. My wife (much smarter than me) tends to be a rote learner first. She would want all the information about the kids first and then she would use that information to put the puzzle together of who is who. Me, I would gain nothing from the initial information. Basically, I think both are required in a positive math classroom. I like to use scaffolding to inroduce a concept, but I always, at some point, will give the students a very specific set of procedures and <em>rules for solving a problem. The best thing that can happen is for the students to understand the concept and then have them lay out the logical procedure for me(with a little guidance from me of course). If I had to choose I think a student needs the concept more than the skill. Mainly because when a student understands a concept it has more staying power than when he has memorized a skill/procedure. <strong>Professor Homunculus sez:</strong></em> Right on, Trent! That is basically how I feel, as well. By the way, readers, Trent has his own very good websites, one about <a href="http://www.teachingandlearningmath.blogspot.com/" target="blank" rel="nofollow">Teaching and Learning Math</a> and another about <a href="http://www.how2teachmath.com/" target="blank" rel="nofollow">How to Teach Math</a>, which covers algebra to pre-calculus. They look very good. Check 'em out. In my class I always attempt to teach the concept first. This is largely a result of how I learn math myself. I am not a rote learner, I learn a concept and then apply it to problems. However, I don’t think it can be discounted that students learn differently. My wife (much smarter than me) tends to be a rote learner first. She would want all the information about the kids first and then she would use that information to put the puzzle together of who is who. Me, I would gain nothing from the initial information.

Basically, I think both are required in a positive math classroom. I like to use scaffolding to inroduce a concept, but I always, at some point, will give the students a very specific set of procedures and rules for solving a problem. The best thing that can happen is for the students to understand the concept and then have them lay out the logical procedure for me(with a little guidance from me of course).

If I had to choose I think a student needs the concept more than the skill. Mainly because when a student understands a concept it has more staying power than when he has memorized a skill/procedure.

Professor Homunculus sez:

Right on, Trent! That is basically how I feel, as well. By the way, readers, Trent has his own very good websites, one about Teaching and Learning Math and another about How to Teach Math, which covers algebra to pre-calculus. They look very good. Check ‘em out.

]]> By: The Math Mojo Chronicles » “Math Wars” http://mathmojo.com/chronicles/2008/05/23/math-skills-versus-math-concepts/#comment-83120 The Math Mojo Chronicles » “Math Wars” Mon, 28 Jul 2008 01:39:42 +0000 http://mathmojo.com/chronicles/2008/05/23/math-skills-versus-math-concepts/#comment-83120 [...] dolcevitaacademy, which talked a bit about something that is close to my heart, which is: should you focus on teaching concrete skills first, or rather on concepts? (I’ve blogged about that on the post about Math Skills v. Math Concepts.) [...] [...] dolcevitaacademy, which talked a bit about something that is close to my heart, which is: should you focus on teaching concrete skills first, or rather on concepts? (I’ve blogged about that on the post about Math Skills v. Math Concepts.) [...]

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