Kirsten's Blog

 In the article that I read by Bray and Maldonando, the auhors discuss the importance of math facts in a rather different way. The way that they explain the process of number strings is in comparison with show and tell and memorization. Rather than recalling the facts and telling students how to solve the equation the way that you taught it, the concept of number strings challenges the students way of thinking. Number strings can be done in numerous ways, for the chart that was represented in the article provides the reader with a few examples. For example, the students can create this 'base 10' mindset, where they are given two different whole numbers and re-write in a way that represents how they got to ten and adds it to the original number that is left over. Either way this prevents students from simply saying "I used my fingers," and challenges their prior knowledge in ways that still allow them to get the right answer.

 Overall, this assignment allowed me to realize how students can learn differently. Although a teacher may teach a certain concept one way, the students may analyze it differently and find the way that works best for them. The question that our group had was rather opinionated, for there could have been more than one 'correct' answer. There were over 20 examples to look over, however the we chose the seven that represented the description best.  When it came to the presentations in class, it was rather difficult to hear the other groups present their material. Because I am an online learner and I was at home while the other groups presented, the feedback was rather distracting. The audio kept cutting in and out, making it hard to truly hear what the other groups were, let alone participate in the presentation of my own group.  The student work feedback was well organized. It allowed me to get a definition of the word before finding an example that accurately matches the d...