Fantastic post. As a Primary teacher posts like yours help keep me on the right track. I used to struggle to include work on generalising and pattern identification and description and did so using the inductive process you described above. I did it because I was told children should be doing it but was never satisfied that it served any purpose beyond keeping children busy. I have not done it in a long while, and have instead turned to teaching core maths skills. I have found children taught the key skills are more engaged with maths and believe they can be successful in it. Nevertheless, I have continued to be nervous I am neglecting something by staying away from the above. Writers critical of progressivist education such as yourself have been crucial in helping me improve my teaching, growing my own knowledge and helping me avoid the empty nonsense promulgated by progressivist education activists.
Thanks for your comment and I'm glad you enjoyed the post. Your statement that you feel nervous that you are neglecting something by ignoring things like growing tiles corresponds to what I've said about the traditional approach to math: some teachers feel guilty using it (including me!)
I taught primary grades for years. I found knowing the math required for algebra helped me separate the wheat from the chaff. I have known teachers who spent weeks in class having their students work on interesting patterns that are not needed and rarely mentioned in math textbooks through calculus. Unlike Barry, I never felt guilty about teaching traditional math most likely because that was how math was taught when I started teaching and I found my students were successful with it.
I believe strongly in how math should be taught, and even more strongly in how math should not be taught. Nevertheless, when I am involved in teaching it as I believe it should be taught, I feel vaguely guilty, as if I am doing something against the rules and perhaps even wrong. That’s how belief systems work. It is an acculturation process.
But like James, I found that how I was taught resulted in success, and have seen that same success with my students.
Fantastic post. As a Primary teacher posts like yours help keep me on the right track. I used to struggle to include work on generalising and pattern identification and description and did so using the inductive process you described above. I did it because I was told children should be doing it but was never satisfied that it served any purpose beyond keeping children busy. I have not done it in a long while, and have instead turned to teaching core maths skills. I have found children taught the key skills are more engaged with maths and believe they can be successful in it. Nevertheless, I have continued to be nervous I am neglecting something by staying away from the above. Writers critical of progressivist education such as yourself have been crucial in helping me improve my teaching, growing my own knowledge and helping me avoid the empty nonsense promulgated by progressivist education activists.
Thanks for your comment and I'm glad you enjoyed the post. Your statement that you feel nervous that you are neglecting something by ignoring things like growing tiles corresponds to what I've said about the traditional approach to math: some teachers feel guilty using it (including me!)
Aaron,
I taught primary grades for years. I found knowing the math required for algebra helped me separate the wheat from the chaff. I have known teachers who spent weeks in class having their students work on interesting patterns that are not needed and rarely mentioned in math textbooks through calculus. Unlike Barry, I never felt guilty about teaching traditional math most likely because that was how math was taught when I started teaching and I found my students were successful with it.
I should clarify what I mean by feeling guilty.
I believe strongly in how math should be taught, and even more strongly in how math should not be taught. Nevertheless, when I am involved in teaching it as I believe it should be taught, I feel vaguely guilty, as if I am doing something against the rules and perhaps even wrong. That’s how belief systems work. It is an acculturation process.
But like James, I found that how I was taught resulted in success, and have seen that same success with my students.