Helping Children Learn Math – Flashcards

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List the 5 strands that compose what we think of as learning and understanding mathematics.
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1. Adaptive reasoning 2. Strategic competence 3. Conceptual understanding 4. Productive disposition 5. Procedural fluency
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Adaptive reasoning is:
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Capacity for logical thought, reflection, explanation and justification.
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Strategic competence is:
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Ability to formulate, represent and solve mathematical problems.
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Conceptual understanding is:
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Comprehension of mathematical concepts, operations and relations.
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Productive disposition is:
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Habitual inclination to see mathematics as sensible, useful and worthwhile, coupled with a belief in diligence and one's own efficacy.
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Procedural fluency is:
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Skill in carrying out procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently and appropriately.
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List 4 things a teacher should do to create a positive learning environment:
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1. Make sure the classroom arrangement is safe and comfortable and that it supports the lesson's learning activities. 2. Make sure the classroom is intellectually stimulating for learning mathematics. Encourage intellectual risk taking and help children feel secure about taking risks. 3. Make sure students understand that learning mathematics is a long term process and that they will not all learn the same things at the same time or be equally proficient but that everyone can become proficient. 4. Reward students for critical thinking and creative problem solving so that students learn to value and respect these approaches.
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List 6 things a teacher can do to cope with anxiety about math:
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1. Emphasize meaning and understanding rather than memorization. Help students make connections between the concrete and the abstract to facilitate understanding better. (Communicating, manipulating and modeling) 2. Model problem solving strategies rather than presenting finished solutions. Focus on the process rather than the result. 3. Show a positive attitude toward mathematics. 4. Give students mathematical experiences that they will enjoy and that will interest and challenge them while allowing them to be successful. 5. Encourage students to tell you how you feel about mathematics. 6. Don't overemphasize speed tests or drills in your classroom.
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Learned helplessness is:
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the belief that the individual cannot control outcomes and is destined to fail without the existence of a strong safety net. It includes feelings of incompetence, lack of motivation and low self esteem. Girls are particularly susceptible to this.
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List 8 things teachers can do to eliminate bias in the classroom:
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1. Dispel myths about mathematics like "all mathematicians work in isolation or white males are the best at math" 2. Have high expectations for all students and clearly communicate them to students and their parents. 3. Communicate to parents the importance of encouraging their children. 4. Make sure boys and girls participate equally in the classroom and receive equal amounts of your time and attention. 5. Make relevant connections between mathematics and the students' lives. 6. Call attention to mathematical role models of all backgrounds. 7. Explicitly teach students about the idea of learned helplessness and develop ways to prevent it or remedy it. 8. Use a variety of ways to assess student performance.
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Retention is:
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The degree to which students can hold onto and use what they have learned.
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What is retention of information so critical to mathematics instruction?
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Because mathematics is cumulative.
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Which type of learning is more stable over time and less susceptible to big declines-- skills or problem solving?
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Problem solving
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List 4 ways that teachers can help improve retention:
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1. Teach in a way that promotes understanding and meaning. 2. Provide students with hands on investigation that help students discover for themselves the idea or concept. 3. Help students make connections between mathematical ideas and the real world. 4. Periodically review key ideas.
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What is the overriding goal of mathematics instruction?
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For students to become mathematically proficient.
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Procedural knowledge is:
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Reflected in skillful use of mathematical rules or algorithms. For example knowing how to do 2 digit long division.
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Conceptual knowledge is:
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Understanding what mathematical concepts mean. For example knowing that one meaning of division means forming equal groups.
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Research shows that conceptual knowledge does not ____ but may even help students____
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Diminish skills; recall and use skills
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There is a _____(negative or positive) consequence of teaching procedural knowledge without conceptual knowledge.
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Negative
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Rote learning is:
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Memorizing without meaning
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A student who learns a procedure without meaning will have difficulty with:
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1) knowing when to use it 2) remembering how to do it 3) applying it in new situations 4) judging if the results are reasonable
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Instruction that focuses on develop conceptual understanding can also:
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Yield efficient skills
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To learn more abstract mathematical concepts students must:
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Have developed enough both physically and psychologically
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This person asserted that learning comes through experience and active involvement by the learner
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John Dewey
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This person argued that learners actively construct their own knowledge.
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Jean Pieget
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Constructionist view of learning suggests that:
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Rather than simply accepting new information students interpret what they see, hear or do in relation to what they already know. In other words they build new knowledge from their personal experiences and prior knowledge. It concentrates on what happens in between the stimulus and response--that is the focus is on the thinking students do.
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Behaviorism focuses on:
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Observable behaviors and is based on the idea that learning means producing a particular response (behavior) to a particular stimulus (something in the external world). In other words students learn specific skills (behaviors) by observing teachers demonstrating those skills in relation to specific stimulus. Learning depends upon not only the teacher but also on the students themselves. Behavior can be shaped through reinforcement--- i.e. rewards and punishment.
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The main advocates of behaviorism were:
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Edward Thorndike, B.F. Skinner and Robert Gagne
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True or false: Excessive practice, premature practice or practice without understanding is associated with negative effects.
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True. These often lead to a fear of, dislike of mathematics or an attitude that mathematics does not need to make sense.
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A behaviorist approach can be helpful when:
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Teaching students a fixed set of skills in a fixed order (procedural knowledge)
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The steps to use when planning a lesson from a behaviorist approach are:
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1. State precisely the objectives or goals of instruction 2. Identify the prerequisites for achieving the goal in order to use them as building blocks for instruction.
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The benefits of a behaviorist approach are:
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1. Provides instructional guidelines 2. Allows for short term progress 3. Lends itself to the current focus on accountability
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The drawbacks of a behaviorist approach are that:
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It leads to a focus on simple, short-term objectives that are easily measured and de-emphasizes long term goals and higher level cognitive processes such as problem solving.
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Behaviorist oriented verbs for outcomes are:
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Explore, justify, represent, solve, construct, discuss, use, investigate, describe, develop and predict
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Some useful ideas for teaching math that come from a behaviorist approach are:
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1. Behavior can be shaped by drill and practice 2. Students can be helped to learn specific skills in a fixed order 3. Clear statements of objectives help teachers design lessons directed at specific learning outcomes 4. Clear statements of objectives and learning outcomes give students a clear idea of expectations
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Several advocates of constructivism are:
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William Bronell, Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner and Zoltan Dienes
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The levels of thinking by elementary school children characterized by Piaget are:
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1) Preoperational 2)Concrete operational 3) Formal operational
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The levels of thinking by elementary school children characterized by Bruner are:
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1) Enactive 2) Iconic (semi-concrete) 3) Symbolic
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The levels of thinking by elementary school children characterized by Dienes are:
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1) Free Play 2) Generalization 3) Representation 4) Symbolization 5) Formalization
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An elementary student in the preoperation stage:
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Represents action through thought and language but is prelogical in development
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An elementary student in the concrete operational stage:
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Thinking may be logical but is perceptually oriented and limited to physical reality
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An elementary student in the formal operational stage:
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Considers the possible rather than being restricted to concrete reality. Is capable of logical thinking that allows them to reflect on their own thought processes
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An elementary student in the enactive stage:
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Firsthand manipulating, constructing or arranging of real-world objects. Child is interacting directly with the physical world
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An elementary student in the iconic (semi-concrete) stage:
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Representational thinking based on pictures, images or other representations, Child is involved with pictorial and/or verbal information based upon the real world
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An elementary student in the symbolic stage:
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Manipulation of symbols. Child manipulates and/or uses symbols irrespective of their enactive or iconic counterparts.
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An elementary student in the free play stage:
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Interacts directly with physical materials within the environment. Different embodiments provide exposure to the same basic concepts but at this stage few commonalities are observed
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An elementary student in the generalization stage:
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Patterns, regularities, and commonalities are observed and abstracted across different models. These structural relationships are independent of the embodiments
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An elementary student in the representation stage:
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Provides a peg on which to hang what has been abstracted. Images and pictures are used to provide a representation
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An elementary student in the formalization stage:
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Provides an ordering of the mathematics. Fundamental rules and properties are recognized as structure of the system evolves
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Students learn mathematics well only when:
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They construct their own mathematical understanding
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Three basic tenets of constructivism are:
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1) Knowledge is not passively received; rather, knowledge is actively created or invented (constructed) by the students (made not found) 2) Students create (construct) new mathematical knowledge by reflecting on their physical and mental actions 3) Learning reflects a social process in which children engage in dialogue and discussion with themselves as well as with others (including teachers) as they develop intellectually
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The lower and upper limits of what a child can learn at a particular developmental stage are determined as follows:
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Lower: The concepts and skills the child has already learned Upper: The tasks that they can successfully complete only with scaffolding or support by someone who is more skilled or knowledegable
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Zone of proximal development (ZPD)
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Range described by Vygotsky of what a child can learn at a particular stage of development
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Learning is:
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Active and internally monitored; it is a process of acquiring, discovering and constructing meaning from experience
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Four general agreed observations about how children learn are:
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1. Several identifiable stages of thinking exist and children progress through these stages as the grow and mature 2. Learners are actively involved in the learning process 3. Learning proceeds from the concrete to the abstract 4. Learners need opportunities for talking about or otherwise communicating their ideas with others.
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Teaching occurs only to the extent that______
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Learning occurs.
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Three types of development that influence mathematics instruction:
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1. Cognitive 2. Physical 3. Social
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Cognitive development refers to:
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How children think, reason and learn information
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Physical development refers to:
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A child's muscles and motor skills
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Social development refers to:
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How children interact with others and helps to describe their self-concept (how they feel about themselves.)
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Active involvement sometimes requires physical activity but always involves:
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Mental activity
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The two categories of actively involving students are:
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1. Exploration and sense making 2. Reflection and use of metacognition
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Ways to encourage exploration and sense making:
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1. Through physical involvement
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Children are more likely to remember something if:
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They have figured it out for themselves
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Metacognition is:
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Thinking about one's own thinking
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Competent problem solvers ask themselves three questions:
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1. What am I doing? 2. Why am I doing it? 3. How will it help me?
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Ways to help students develop metacognitive awareness:
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1. Help students be explicit about how they work when solving problems. Ask: Why did they do that? How did you know not to use that information? 2. Share aloud your own thinking as a model. 3. Prepare students to accept and be aware of common problem-solving experiences by pointing out various aspects of problem solving. For example: Some problems take a long time to solve. Some problems can be solved in several different ways. 4. Encourage students to become more aware of and to think about their own mathematical thinking. For example: What math problems do you like best? What math problems are the most difficult?
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How can we help students make sense of mathematics?
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1. Teach to the developmental characteristics of students. 2. Actively involve students 3. Move learning from concrete to abstract 4. Use communication to encourage understanding
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What is concrete to one student may not be considered to be:
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concrete to another student
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Children need opportunities to work with objects in the physical world before:
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they are ready to work with pictures and other representations
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Mathematical ideas are abstract by their very nature so any model that embodies them is:
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imperfect and has limitations
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Learning occurs best when students have:
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a meaningful context for the mathematical knowledge
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Research has shown that lightly directing children's attention to the important attribute of the model:
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enhances learning
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Multiembodiment or multiple embodiments is:
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The use of perceptually different models
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Research has shown that transfer across contexts is difficult if children have:
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experienced the concept in only a single context rather than in multiple contexts. The more different models or contexts (examples and non-examples), the more likely the students are to focus only on the common characteristics and make the correct abstraction
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Benefits of multiemodiment:
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1. Helps students abstract or generalize appropriately 2. Decreases the likelihood that children will associate a mathematical concept with a particular model
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Research has shown that students learn more when presented with a combination of:
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Examples and non-examples
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In general (too much or too little) time is spent with models?
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Too little
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When children explain their approaches, talk about mathematics, make conjectures and defend their thinking orally as well as in writing their:
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understanding deepens.
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Vygotsky believed that learning is social experience which challenges them to:
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make sense of new ideas
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Students at all levels should take about mathematics before being asked to:
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talk about mathematics symbolically
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Both student to student and _____ communication are important in the learning process.
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student to teacher
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___________are a vital part in the learning process
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Questions
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Using ________to represent mathematical concepts is a valuable part of being able to communicate mathematically
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Conventional symbols
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One cultural characteristic of students that has been shown to have a large impact on learning is:
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Socioeconomic status (SES)
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Students of low SES were more resistant to learning mathematics through:
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problem solving and discussion
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Four recomendations for teaching students of low SES and minority students:
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1. Push for meaningful learning rather than rote memorization 2. Be certain that students are learning what was intended from the problems presented in the curriculum Provide scaffolding so that the students do not rely on explicit teacher instruction 3. Analyze achievement data and identify important topics that are causing difficulty for struggling students so that remediation may occur 4. Advocate for these students to have access to high quality teachers and curriculum
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True or False Number sense is a finite entity that a student either has or doesn't have
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False. Number sense is not finite. It's development is a lifelong process
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Characteristics of number sense include:
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1. An understanding of number concepts and operations on these numbers 2. The development of useful strategies for handling numbers and operations 3. The facility to compute accurately and efficiently, to detect errors, and to recognize results as reasonable 4. The ability and inclination to use this understanding in flexible ways to make mathematical judgements 5. An expectation that numbers are useful and that work with numbers is meaningful and makes sense
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The stages of number sense development in early childhood and elementary are:
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1. Prenumber development, including classification and patterns 2. Early number development, including conservation, group recognition, one-to-one correspondence and comparisons 3. Number development, including: a) connecting groups with number names, including oral and written cardinal and ordinal numbers b) Counting forward and backward c) Skip counting d) Establishing benchmarks of quantities, such as 5 or 10 e) Place value
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An important characteristic of a number is that it is:
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abstract
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Research has shown that the more varied and different the experiences of a child the more likely it is that:
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they will abstract number concepts from their experiences
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Prenumber experiences are:
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experiences with numbers that a child has in their early years. Examples are: telephone numbers, their age, television channels, how many sisters they have
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Prenumber work is not all done before children do anything with numbers in school rather it typically occurs:
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simultaneously with activities involving numbers
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Classification is fundamental to learning about the real world and it can be done:
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with or without numbers
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Classification is naturally integrated with subjects such as:
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reading, science and social studies
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Classification not only helps children make sense of things around them but also helps them:
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become flexible thinkers and fosters the development of reasoning and thinking skills
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When children disagree about how an object should be classified it forces them to:
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defend their answers and clarify how the classification process was done. This helps them see the need for explaining their thinking
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Cardinal number
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Answer to the question how many
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Attribute blocks or logic blocks
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Are an excellent model for classification activities and help develop logical thinking
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The combining or union of disjoint sets is a natural model for:
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addition
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Disjoint sets are:
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Sets with no members in common
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The logical connectives that can be used to help children classify pieces according to their attributes are:
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and, or and not
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Many different experiences are needed in order to :
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sharpen children's observational skills and provide them with the basis on which to build the notion of numbers
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Mathematics is the study of:
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patterns
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Patterns can be based upon the following types of attributes:
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Geometric, relational, physical, or affective (like, happiness)
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In the early grades patterns help children develop:
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Number sense, ordering, counting and sequencing
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In the later grades patterns help children develop:
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thinking strategies for basic facts and algebraic thinking
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Exploring patterns requires:
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active mental involvement and often physical involvement
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Four different ways that patterns might be used in developing mathematical ideas are:
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1) copying a pattern 2) finding the next one 3) extending a pattern 4) making their own pattern
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Conservation of number is the idea that:
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a given number does not vary. Typically young children think a number varies depending on it arrangement or configuration. Rarely do children conserve number before age 5 or 6
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Subitizing
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A skill to instantly see how many there are in a group of objects. Comes from the Latin word for suddenly
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Sight recognition of quantities up to five or six is important for several reasons:
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1) It saves time 2) It is the forerunner of some powerful number ideas 3) It helps develop more sophisticated counting skills 4) It accelerates the development of addition and subtraction
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As children grow older their ability to recognize quantities continues to:
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improve but it is still limited
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Certain arrangements are more easily:
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recognized or subitized. Children usually find rectangular arrangements easiest, followed by linear and then circular.
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Few adults can recognize by inspection groups of more than:
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6 or 8. Even these groups must be in common patterns.
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Research supports that subitizing is a prerequisite for:
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Counting
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Another important part of learning to count which is also essential for developing number awareness is:
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Comparison of quantities
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Placing of connectors provides a visual reminder of:
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one-to-one correspondence
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The process of recording tally marks rests on the idea of:
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one-to-one correspondence
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When making comparisons students must be able to:
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discriminate between important and irrelevant attributes
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Some models used for making comparisons are:
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1) Counting 2) Physically comparing without counting 3) One-to-one correspondence
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Children need to become aware of the descriptions of relationships such as:
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1) more than 2) less than 3) as many as
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When comparisons are made among several different things:
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ordering is involved
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Ordering often involves several different comparisons and these things help organize information:
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graphs
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Children learn the first 12 number names by:
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imitating adults and older children
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Discrete objects are materials that:
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lend themselves well to handling and counting
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Continuous quantities are:
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measured rather than counted. Ex: water in a glass or the weight of a person
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Four principles on which the counting process rests are:
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1) Each object to be counted must be assigned one and only one number name 2) the number-name list must be used in a fixed order every time a group of objects is counted 3) The order in which the objects are counted doesn't matter. 4) The last number name used gives the number of objects
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Research shows that with encouragement and opportunities to count, young children will develop efficient counting strategies without:
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direct instruction
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Counting Stages
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1) Rote counting 2) Rational counting
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A child in the rote counting stage:
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1) Knows some number names but not necessarily the proper sequence. 2) May not always be able to maintain a correct correspondence between the objects being counted and the number names.
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A child in the rote counting stage who knows some number names but not necessarily in the proper sequence needs to:
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Spend more time on the stable-order rule
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In order to help a child in the rote counting stage who does not maintain a correct correspondence between the objects being counting and the number names the teacher needs to:
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1) Have the child slow down 2) Stress the importance of one-to-one correspondence. This is an important prerequisite to rational counting
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A child in the rational counting stage:
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1) is able to answer questions about the number of objects being counted 2) exhibits all 4 counting principles: a) one-to-one correspondence b) stable-order rule c) order-irrelevance rule d) cardinality rule
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One-to-one correspondence
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The idea that each object being counted has one and only one number name
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Stable-order rule
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The idea that the number-name list is used in a fixed order every time as objects are being counted
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Order-irrelevance rule
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The idea that the order in which the objects are being counted does not matter
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Cardinality rule
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The idea that the last number name used when counting indicates the number of objects that were counted
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Counting strategies:
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1) Counting on 2) Counting back 3) Skip counting
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Counting on:
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1) Is proceeded by counting all, where a child counts all the objects again instead of counting all during an addition model 2) leads children to discover valuable patterns 3) is an essential strategy for developing addition
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Research suggests that even children who reflect all the counting principles are confused about:
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The nested inclusion of previous numbers when counting on
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Counting back:
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1) Provides another different experience in order to relate each number to another 2) Models subtraction
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Research suggests that children are capable of understanding negative numbers:
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far earlier than was once thought
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Skip counting
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1) Provides counting practice 2) Provides readiness for multiplication and division 3) Teachers should take advantage of every opportunity to encourage accurate and rapid skip counting
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Counting money is a valuable skill which should be:
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introduced and extended as far as possible in the primary grades
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Several predictable trouble spots for children when counting are:
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1) When they are about to enter the next decade i.e. 29 to 30 2) When they are about to enter the next century i.e. 199 to 200
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Benefits of calculators:
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1) Help illustrate how numbers move in repetitive patterns 2) Show how transitions are made across the decades 3) Help students relate the size of a number by noticing the amount of time needed to count it 4) Promotes both critical thinking and problem solving
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Number benchmarks
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Are perceptual anchors that become internalized from many concrete experiences, often accumulated over many years
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Benefits of a ten frame:
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1) Encourage children to think flexibly about numbers thereby promoting number sense 2) Facilitate the development of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division as well as place value 3) Facilitate patterns 4) Developing group recognition of number
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Development of the numbers 1-5 is principally done through:
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Sign recognition of patterns coupled with immediate association with the oral name and then the written symbol.
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The most most valuable relationships between numbers are the notions of:
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1) one more 2) one less
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The concept of zero should be:
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1) Taught as the absence of something 2) Should be introduced as early naturally possible 3) Should not be referred to as "nothing"
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Different representations (embodiments, models) of the same number provide an opportunity for teachers to assess a students':
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conservation of number
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Children should realize very early that ____ is a special number
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ten
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Cardinal number
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Answers the question, "how many?"
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Ordinal number
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Answers the question "which one?" Refers to order.
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Nominal numbers
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Provide a label or classification; provide essential information for identification but do not necessarily use the ordinal or cardinal aspects of the number
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Writing numbers
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1) Children can usually recognize a number before they can write it 2) Children should spend less time writing numbers than writing letters 3) Should practice writing number apart from mathematics instruction 4) If a child is having difficulty writing numbers a calculator is helpful 5) Children should be shown that numbers can sometimes be written in a different form such as with the number 4
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Place value is:
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Critical to understanding and sense making and is one of the cornerstones of our number system
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Hindu-Arabic number system
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The name of our number system
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Characteristics of the Hindu-Arabic number system:
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1) Place value-- the position of a digit represents its value 2) Base of ten- base means collection so in our system ten is a value that determines a new collection 3) Use of zero- A symbol of zero exists and allows us to represent symbolically the absence of something 4) Additive property- Numbers can be written in expanded notation and summed with respect to place value i.e. 231 = 200+30+1 5) Can represent any number using only 10 digits (0-9)
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Roman numbers differ from Hindu-Arabic numbers in that they:
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1) lack place value 2) have no symbol for zero 3) have no base
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Development of place value promotes number sense and rests on 2 key ideas:
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1) Explicit grouping or trading rules are defined and consistently followed 2) The position of a digit determines the number being represented
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Confusion or misunderstanding about place value can often be traced back to a :
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Lack of counting and trading experiences
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Two types of materials used to help young children develop the idea of place value are:
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1) Ungrouped- provide value experience and prepare a child for using pregrouped materials 2) Pregrouped
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Pregrouped materials are:
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Formed into groups before a child uses them
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Research suggests that instruction should focus on concrete models that are simultaneously connected to:
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oral descriptions and symbolic representations of the models
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Two types of place value models are:
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1) Proportional: beans, base-ten blocks, tongue depressors or measurement. Proportional models are more concrete and children need to understand them before moving on to nonproportional models 2) Not proportional: money, counters, abacus
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Young children often focus on:
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Size proportionality
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Asking a child to group by tens when they count a large number of items serves several purposes:
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1) If a child loses count, correction is easier 2) It also easier to check for errors 3) Shows a child how an unknown quantity can be organized into a form that can be interpreted by inspection
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In developing place value and establishing number names it is better to:
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Skip beyond the teens and start with larger numbers. The lack of consistency between the oral and written form of numbers is confusing.
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The ability to compose and decompose numbers reflects good:
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Number sense
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The notion of representing a quantity with the least number of pieces for a particular model is critical in:
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place value
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The idea of place value helps children proceed in from:
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1) Concrete physical models 2) Semiconcrete organizational models 3) Symbolic representational models
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When children reverse digits children should:
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Use a ten frame to compare the modeled numbers and talk about them in an effort to better appreciate the magnitude of the differences
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Encouraging children to name the same number in different ways promotes:
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Number sense
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An example of being flexible when using and thinking about numbers is:
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Counting by tens and then dropping back or bumping up
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The ability to focus on the lead or "front end" digits is an important part of:
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Number sense
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Research reports that many children lack an understanding of the relative size of:
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numbers greater than 100. Possibly from the lack of opportunities to model
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One way to help children appreciate the importance of representing place values accurately is by:
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using the same digits to represent different numbers
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Skip counting helps to:
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Decrease bumps in the counting road
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It is helpful for students to link different models to:
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larger numbers
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Once children begin to develop an intuitive grasp of larger numbers and begin to use millions and billions intelligently they are ready to:
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read and write these larger numbers
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To develop facility in reading larger numbers children need to:
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develop the correct vocabulary and practice actually naming them aloud
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Rather than requiring children to read numbers a certain way children should be encouraged to:
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select the technique that is most appropriate for the given situation
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As children develop rounding skills they should come to realize that:
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rounding rules may vary and are not universal
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Teachers should encourage students to round to numbers that:
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are easier to work with and make sense to them
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The precision of the rounded numbers should:
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make sense for the problem context
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Rounding includes the idea of being:
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closer to
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A roller coaster model is an effective model for teaching:
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rounding skills
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Learning the basic number facts is one of the first steps children take as:
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they refine their ideas about each operation
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Basic number facts are:
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An essential building block for arithmetic
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These 2 things are needed in order to do pencil-and-paper computations proficiently:
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1) understanding of the operation (operation sense) 2) having immediate recall of basic facts
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The ultimate instructional goal is that children not only know how to add, subtract, multiply and divide but also know:
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when to apply each operation in problem solving situations
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Four prerequisites for learning about mathematical operations are:
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1) facility with counting 2) experience with a variety of concrete situations 3) familiarity with many problem-solving contexts 4) experience using language to communicate mathematical ideas
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Research has indicated that children use counting to solve problems:
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long before they come to school
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Because it is not always efficient to use counting to solving problems children need to learn:
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other procedures to cope with more difficult computations
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In order to become proficient with computing children need:
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1) Experience with a variety of concrete situations 2) Familiarity with many problem contexts 3) Experience in talking and writing about mathematical ideas
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The use of materials should:
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Precede and then parallel the use of symbols
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In order to learn to write about mathematics children should:
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As soon as feasible put their ideas on paper- at first by drawings alone and then with writing
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The following general sequence is appropriate for helping children develop meaning for the 4 basic operations:
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1) Concrete modeling with materials 2) Semiconcrete representation with pictures, diagrams, drawings 3) Abstract representation with symbols, numeric expressions and number sentences
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Addition and subtraction: Separation problems
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"Take away" Involves having one quantity, removing a specified quantity and noting what is left. Ex: Peggy had 7 balloons. She gave 4 to other children. How many did she have left?
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Addition and subtraction: Comparison problems
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Finding the difference. Involves having 2 quantities, matching them one-to-one and noting the quantity that is the difference between them
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Addition and subtraction: Part-whole problems
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In this type of problem a set of objects can logically be separated into 2 parts. You know how many are in the entire set and you know how many are in one of the parts. You need to find out how many must be in the remaining part. Ex: Peggy had 7 balloons. Four of them are red and the rest are blue. How many are blue?
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Multiplication factors
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The first factor tells how many groups or sets of equal size. The second factor tells the size of each group or set.
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Difference between addition/subtraction and multiplication/division
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In addition and subtraction problems all the numbers must have a common label ( i.e. fruit, cats etc.) In multiplication/division problems all the labels are different
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Some of the most commonly used models for illustrating multiplication are:
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1) sets of objects 2) arrays 3) the number line
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Four distinct sorts of multiplicative structures are:
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1) Equal groups 2) Comparisons 3) Combinations 4) areas/arrays
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Multiplication: Equal groups
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Are the most common type of multiplicative structure. Repeated addition. The problem deals with a certain number of groups all the same size. Ex: Andrew has two boxes of trading cards. Each box holds 24 cards. How many cards does he have altogether?
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Multiplication: Comparison problems
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Ex: Hilary spent $35 on Christmas gifts for her family. Geoff spent 3 times as much. How much did Geoff spend? In this case Hilary's expenditures are being compared to Geoff's.
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Multiplication: Combination problems
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Ex: If you have 4 different ice cream flavors and 2 different toppings and each sundae can have exactly one ice cream flavor and one topping how many different sundaes are possible?
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Multiplication: The array model
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Can be especially effective in helping children visualize multiplication
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A good readiness experience for the concept of multiplication is:
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building and naming numerous rectangles with a variety of dimensions
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Division: Measurement problems (Repeated subtraction)
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In these problems you have equal sized groups and you know how many objects are in each group and you must determine the number of groups. Ex 1: Jenny had 12 candies. She gave 3 to each person. How many people got candy? Ex 2: How many 2 foot hair ribbons can be made from a 10-foot roll of ribbon.
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Division: Partition (sharing)
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In these problems a collection of objects is separated into a given number of equivalent groups and you seek the number in each group. Ex: Gil had 15 shells. If he wanted to share them equally among 5 friends how many should he give to each? Ex: Dealing cards
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Knowing mathematical properties is not a prerequisite for:
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working with operations. However it must be developed as part of understanding operations.
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Understanding mathematical properties implies knowing:
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when they apply
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Many children have difficulty with the mathematical property of:
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commutativity
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Basic addition facts are:
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those involving two one digit addends and their sum (100)
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Basic subtraction facts are:
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the inverse of the addition facts (100)
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Basic multiplication facts are:
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those involving two one digit factors and their product (100)
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Basic division facts are:
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the inverse of the multiplication facts (100)
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Researchers have found that, until very recently, there has been considerable variation in when
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students were expected to have mastered their basic facts
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Some students take years to master their basic facts due to a couple of reasons:
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1) A learning disability that makes it impossible for children to memorize basic facts 2) A child has not developed the ability to think multiplicatively 3) A child has not developed the underlying numerical understandings so that the memorization is rote and meaningless 4) The skill of retrieval has not been taught explicitly by teachers or understood by children
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Teachers can help children learn basic facts using a 3 phase approach:
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1) Start where the children are 2) Build understanding of the basic facts 3) Focus on how to remember the basic facts
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When determining where a student is in regards to learning basic facts it is the teachers job to:
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1) help children organize what they know 2) Construct more learning to fill in the gaps 3) develop more meaning for the basic facts and for the symbols we use to represent them
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In order to determine what a student already knows a teacher can:
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1) Use responses from group discussions 2) Observe how each child works with materials and paper-and-pencil activities and use 3) Individual interviews
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Teachers often use inventories at the beginning of the year to discover things like:
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1) Whether the children have the concept of an operation 2) What basic facts they understand 3) What strategies they use to find the solution to combinations 4) What basic facts they know fluently (within 3 seconds)
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When building understanding of basic facts a teacher's emphasis should be on:
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1) aiding the children in organizing their thinking and 2) seeing relationships among facts
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True or false No particular order for teaching the basic facts has been shown to be superior to another
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True.
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There are generally two types of thinking strategies:
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1) those that use concrete materials or counting 2) those (more mature strategies) that use a known fact to figure out an unknown fact
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Before students practice fact retrieval they should be able to:
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1) State or write related facts, given one basic fact 2) Explain how they got an answer or prove that it is correct 3) Solve a fact in 2 or more ways
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Key principles about basic fact drills
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1) Children should attempt to memorize facts only after understanding is attained 2) Children should participate in drill with the intent to develop fluency (Remembering should be emphasized) 3) Drill lessons should be short (5-10 minutes) and should be given almost every day 4) Children should be praised for good effort 5) Drill activities should be varied, interesting, challenging and presented with enthusiasm
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Teachers should take note of whether certain basic addition and multiplication facts occur:
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more or less frequently in their elementary school textbooks
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Although adding zero may seem easy to adults it is actually:
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one of the hardest strategies for children to learn. Because of this explicit work on facts involving zero should be postponed until after children have mastered some of the other fact strategies.
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Thinking strategies for addition facts are:
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1) Commutativity 2) Adding one and zero 3) Adding doubles and and near doubles 4) Counting on 5) Combinations to 10 6) Adding to 10 and beyond
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Thinking strategies for subtraction facts are:
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1) Fact families- this idea is used frequently 2) Think addition-the idea is the major thinking strategy used 3) Subtracting one and zero- similar to addition, most children find this rather easy 4) doubles- this strategy may need to be taught more explicitly than with addition; rests on the assumption that children know their doubles facts 5) Counting back-this strategy is the most efficient when the number to be subtracted is 1 or 0 6) Counting on- this strategy is used most easily when the difference is 1 or 2;research has shown that this is a very powerful strategy for many students
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Thinking strategies for multiplication facts are:
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1) Commutativity 2) Skip counting 3) Repeated addition 4) Splitting the product into known parts-- based upon the distributive property 5) Twice as much as a known fact 6) Working from know facts of 5 7) Patterns- Most useful with 9s; digits of the products always sum to 9 and the number in the tens digit is always one less than whatever factor was being multiplied by 9
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Thinking strategies for division
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1) Think multiplication- is the primary thinking strategy 2) Fact families 3) Repeated subtraction
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There appears to be a natural learning progression across all cultures for:
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single digit addition and subtraction
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The facts considered to be "basic" are not the same among:
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all countries
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Wise use of _____ and _______ are important instructional goals.
answer
calculators and written algorithms
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True or False Competence with different methods of doing computation is useful but not that important.
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False. Competence with different methods of doing computation is not merely useful it is essential.
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Historically, elementary school mathematics instruction has emphasized ____________more than other methods
answer
written computation
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There are 2 essential decisions in every computation:
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1) Deciding upon the type of result needed 2) Deciding upon the best method for getting the result
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When students are deciding upon which type of result is needed they are trying to decide if:
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1) an estimate is appropriate or 2) an exact answer is needed
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When students are trying to determine the best method for getting a result they may be considering:
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1) If a calculator may be helpful or 2) if mental computation is possible or 3) if paper and pencil calculation is more appropriate
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When teaching computation a teacher's goals should help students do the following:
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1) Develop competence with each of the computational methods 2) Choose a method that is appropriate for the computation at hand 3) Apply the chose method correctly 4) Use estimation to determine the reasonableness of the result
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More than ____ percent of all mathematical computations in daily life involve mental computation and estimation rather than written computation.
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80
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_____ to _____ percent of the instruction time in elementary school mathematics directed toward computation has focused on written computation
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70 to 90
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What percentage of time should be allotted for teaching the various methods of computation is:
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1) an open question 2) depends in part upon the developmental levels of the students
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Over the years the amount of instructional attention focused on written computation has:
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declined
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One benefit of spending less time focusing on written computation is that:
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more time is now available for other instructional purposes
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The NCTM position statement about calculators says that:
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appropriate calculators should be available to all students at all times
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The CCSSM says about mathematical tools that:
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mathematically proficient students should consider the available tools when solving a mathematical problem.
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Children outgrow________ just as they outgrow shoes
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calculators
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As a teacher you need to help students understand how to use calculators appropriately. This includes teaching them that:
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not all problems can be solved with a calculator
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Calculator Myth #1: Using calculators does not require thinking
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Fact: Calculators do not think for themselves. Students must still do the thinking.
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Calculator Myth #2: Using calculators lowers mathematical achievement
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Fact: Calculators can raise students' achievement
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Calculator Myth #3: Using calculators always makes computation faster
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Fact: It is sometimes faster to compute mentally
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Calculator Myth #4: Calculators are only useful for computations
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Fact: Calculators are also useful as instructional tools
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Calculators encourage thinking because:
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They free students from tedious calculations and give them more time to go through the important problem solving processes that precede or follow computation
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Calculators can raise student achievement because:
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1) Students who use calculators have a better attitude toward math and a better self concept 2) Research has shown that use of calculators can improve the average students' basic skills with paper and pencil both in basic operations and problem solving 3) Research has shown that the use of calculators encourages students to persist longer when faced with problem solving situations
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Calculators can be used as an instructional tool because:
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1) they may be used by older children to see patterns Ex: powers of ten
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A teacher should consider using a calculator when:
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1) The computational skills are not the main focus of instruction 2) It facilitates problem solving 3) Eases the burden of doing tedious computations 4) Focuses attention on meaning 5) Removes anxiety about doing computations incorrectly 6) Provides motivation and confidence 7) a learning-disabled student needs a safety net to allow them to participate in problem solving activities more equally
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A calculator should be used as an instructional tool when:
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1) It facilitates a search for patterns 2) Supports concept development 3) Promotes number sense 4) Encourages creativity and exploration
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Using the calculator only to play games or check there paper and pencil work may send the message that:
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a calculator is only for playing games or that using it is cheating
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Research has shown that the more teachers use calculators in the classroom the more they:
answer
develop creative and productive ways to use them
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There are 2 main uses for calculators in the classroom:
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1) as a computational tool 2) as an instructional tool
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Mental computation is:
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computation that is all done in the head without tools such as a calculator or pencil and paper
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Decomposing numbers means to:
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break them up so that they are easier to handle
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Compatible numbers are:
answer
"friendly" numbers that can be combined to make numbers that are easy to compute with Ex: 8 and 2 are compatible numbers because they combine to make 10
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The first step in developing proficiency with compatible numbers is:
answer
learning how to recognize them
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The benefits of mental computation are that it:
answer
1) encourages flexible thinking 2) promotes number sense 3) encourages creative and efficient work with numbers
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By encouraging children to talk with each other about the different ways they do problems in their heads you:
answer
help them learn to think more freely and flexibly
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Some things that you should encourage your students to do regarding mental computation are:
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1) Always try mental computation before using paper and pencil or a calculator 2) Use numbers that are easy to work with 3) Look for an easy way 4) Use logical reasoning 5) Use knowledge about the number system
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Why should teachers encourage mental computation?
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1) It is very useful. Adults do more than 3/4s of their computations mentally 2) Mental computation is the most direct and efficient way of doing many calculations 3) Mental computation is an excellent way to help children develop critical-thinking and number sense and to reward creative problem solving 4) Proficiency in mental computation contributes to increased skill in estimation
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When children about grade 2 tried mental computation their dominate strategy was to:
answer
apply written algorithms mentally. This is an international dilemma.
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Guidelines for developing mental computation skills:
answer
1) Encourage students to do computations mentally 2) Learn which computations students prefer to do mentally 3) Find out if students are applying written algorithms mentally 4) Plan to include mental computation systematically and regularly as an integral part of your instruction 5) Keep practice sessions short, perhaps 10 minutes at a time 6) Develop children's confidence 7) Encourage inventiveness 8) Make sure students are aware of the difference between mental computation and estimation
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The difference between mental computation and estimation is:
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Mental computations give exact answers and estimations give approximate answers.
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Computational estimation is:
answer
a process of producing answers that are close enough to allow for good decisions without performing elaborate computations. It is usually done mentally. It is a process that usually takes years to develop.
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Students can use estimation to monitor their computations at three different points in the process:
answer
1) Before starting exact computations-to get a general idea of what to expect 2) While doing the computation-- to see if the computation is moving in the right direction 3) After completing a computation-to reflect on their answer and decide if it makes sense
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Students who are proficient at written computations are not necessarily:
answer
good estimators
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You can significantly improve students' estimation skills by:
answer
paying systematic attention to estimation in your instruction and giving students repeated opportunities to estimate
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Some vocabulary words students use when learning to estimate are:
answer
about, almost, just over, nearly, approximate, reasonable, unreasonable, in the ball park, and close enough
question
When teaching students how to estimate begin by making them aware of what estimation is about and that it is an important and useful skill so that they:
answer
develop a tolerance for error
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When teaching students to estimate it is important to:
answer
give them immediate feedback on their estimate and not to be too overly critical of their estimate
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One key to helping children develop good estimation strategies is to:
answer
encourage them to be flexible when thinking about numbers
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As with mental computation it is important that children develop a repertoire of:
answer
different strategies to use for estimation. They must learn to think about the problem, the operation, and the numbers involved and not rely on a fixed set of rules to produce an estimate.
question
Ways to use behaviorist ideas in teaching math:
answer
1. Shape behavior with drill and practice 2. Help students learn specific skills in a specific order 3. Help teachers clearly define objectives during lesson planning that focus on desired outcomes. (How will student learning be manifested?) 4. Provide students with clear objectives and learning outcomes to give students clear idea of expectations
question
Conservation of number is:
answer
That a number does not vary regardless of arrangement or configuration
question
Patterns help to develop:
answer
Number sense, ordering, counting, sequencing, thinking strategies for basic facts, thinking strategies
question
4 principles of counting are:
answer
1. Each object counted has one and only one number name (one-to-one correspondence) 2. The numbers names are used in a fixed order (stable order rule) 3. The order that objects are counted doesn't matter (order-irrelevance rule) 4. The last number named corresponds to the number of objects (cardinality rule)
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Being able to compose a number means that a child can tell:
answer
what the digits in a number represent i.e. in the number 24 that the 2 represents 2 tens or 20 and the 4 represents 4 ones
question
Being able to decompose a number means that a child can tell:
answer
Regrouping: How to break a number up in different ways i.e that the number 24 can be broken up into 1 ten and 14 ones Money is a good example of this: How many ways can you make 50 cents? 5 dimes; 10 nickels; 50 pennies; 2 quarters; 1 quarter, 2 dimes and 1 nickel etc.
question
Computational estimation is:
answer
a process of producing answers that are close enough to allow for good decision making. Typically done mentally
question
Estimation helps students to monitor computation at several points in the process including:
answer
1. Before starting (to give them a general idea of what to expect) 2. While performing the computation (to verify that the computations are moving in the right direction 3. After completing the computation (to decide if their answer makes sense)
question
When teaching estimation teachers need to:
answer
1. Help students realize that estimation and doing mental math are not the same things 2. Help students develop a tolerance for error 3. Help students realize that estimating is an essential and practical skill 4. Help students learn to be flexible when thinking about numbers 5. Help students learn and be able to choose from a repertoire of strategies when estimating
question
Estimation strategies include:
answer
1. Front end estimation 2. Adjusting 3. Using compatible numbers based on the operation being performed 4. Flexible rounding 5. Clustering
question
Regarding the use of calculators teachers should:
answer
1. Teach students that not all problems can be solved with a calculator 2. That calculators are not always the fastest way of doing computations
question
Regarding the use of calculators some benefits/uses are:
answer
1. Helping facilitate problem solving 2. Ease the burden of tedious calculations 3. Help students focus attention on the meaning 4. Removing anxiety associated with computations (providing a safety net for struggling students) 5. Motivating students 6. As a tool to help students search for patterns 7. Encouraging creativity and problem solving
question
A calculator should be used as a computational tool when:
answer
1. Helping facilitate problem solving 2. Ease the burden of tedious calculations 3. Help students focus attention on the meaning 4. Removing anxiety associated with computations (providing a safety net for struggling students) 5. Motivating students
question
A calculator should be used as an instructional tool when it
answer
1. Serves as a tool to help students search for patterns 2. Encourages creativity and problem solving 3. Promotes number sense 4. Supports concept development
question
The following is an example of what type of subtraction problem: Peggy had 7 balloons. She gave 4 to other children. How many did she have left?
answer
Separation
question
The following is an example of what type of subtraction problem: Peggy had 4 balloons. Richard had 7 balloons. How many more balloons did Richard haven than Peggy?
answer
Comparison
question
The following is an example of what type of subtraction problem: Peggy had 7 balloons. Four of them were red and the rest were blue. How many were blue?
answer
Part-whole
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