Teaching Math: Effective

Strategies for Teaching

Elementary Math
Rodrigo Gloriana
Tankersley, Karen (1993). “Teaching Math
Their Way”. Educational Leadership
 As stated: “Teachers at a K-8 urban school in Phoenix, Arizona, worked to
develop an effective math program that generated student interest and
positive self-esteem. They eventually set aside classroom and large
enclosed porch area to house math manipulative lab, where children could
learn new concepts at concrete level. Results are excitement about math
and substantially improved state achievement test scores.”

 https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ462450
Effective Strategies for Teaching
Elementary Math
1. Make it hands-on
 Elementary math can be difficult because it involves learning new, abstract
concepts that can be tricky for children to visualize.
 Try to imagine what it's like for a five-year-old to see an addition problem for
the very first time. Since it's a totally new concept to them, it can be hard for
them to visualize a scenario where one quantity is added to another.
 Manipulatives are hands-on tools that make math a lot easier for young children
to understand.
 For example, Lego is a great way to demonstrate number building, operations,
fractions, sorting, patterns, 3D shapes, and more.
2. Use visuals and images
 While students will come across
countless graphs and visuals in their
math textbooks, research shows this
isn't the only place they should be
utilized.
 According to the National Council of
Teachers of Mathematics, the most
powerful way to use graphics in
elementary math is in conjunction with
specific practice or guidance, either
from a teacher or another classroom
tool such as Mathseeds.
3. Find opportunities to differentiate learning

 As Carol Ann Tomlinson has said, differentiation means giving students multiple
options for taking in information (1999).
 It's important that students feel comfortable and are given the opportunity to learn
new math ideas at their own pace, without feeling rushed. But while the idea that
'given enough time, every student will learn' is nothing new, it's easier said than
done.
 Mastery learning is about giving students as much time as they need to grasp a
specific skill or concept. It involves varying the time you give each student to
succeed.
 Technology-based classroom tools offer a powerful way to differentiate learning
while teaching elementary math, which is an effective way to help students in
mixed-ability classrooms to succeed. 
4. Ask students to explain their ideas
 Have you ever noticed how much more confident you feel about a
concept after explaining it to someone else?
 Meta-cognition is the process of thinking about your options, choices,
and results, and it has a big impact on the way students learn.
 Before assigning a math problem, ask students to brainstorm problem-
solving strategies they can use. Encourage students to work together to
suggest different strategies in a respectful way.
 This process can be carried out at every stage of problem solving when
teaching elementary math. Once students have offered an answer, ask
them to verbalize step-by-step how they got that answer.
5. Incorporate storytelling to make
connections to real-world scenarios
 When it comes to igniting the interest of young minds,
not much comes close to a good story.
 Incorporate story problems into your classroom lessons
allow students to see how certain math concepts can
apply to real life. Story problems are also a good way
to help students understand how to use math in
everyday life, and see the relevance of math.
6. Show and tell new concepts
 Elementary math teachers should normally begin each
lesson with a 'show and tell.' Telling is the process of
sharing information and knowledge with students, while
showing involves modeling how to do something.
 These days, teachers can really kick 'show and tell' up a
notch with an interactive whiteboard, using animations,
and videos to clearly show and tell specific math
concepts in an engaging and interesting way.
7. Let your students regularly know how
they're doing
 Feedback is an important part of teaching elementary math and improving students'
results.
 Let your students know how they have performed on a specific task, along with
helpful ways that they can further improve and extend their skills.
 Remember, feedback is different to praise. Focus your feedback on the task itself
(rather than the student) and make sure they have a clear understanding of what
they did well and how they can improve next time. In Carol Dweck's research
around what's known as the 'growth mindset', she writes:
 “The growth mindset was intended to help close achievement gaps, not hide them. It
is about telling the truth about a student's current achievement and then, together,
doing something about it, helping him or her become smarter.”
Summary: Effective Strategies for
Teaching Elementary Math
 1. Make it hands-on.
 2. Use visuals and images
 3. Find opportunities to differentiate learning
 4. Ask students to explain their ideas
 5.Incorporate storytelling to make connections to real-
world scenarios
 6. Show and tell new concepts
 7. Let your students regularly know how they're doing
Reference

 https://mathseeds.com/articles/2018/02/01/teaching-elementary-math/