TEACHING FOR UNDERSTANDING MATHEMATICS (Group 2)

INTRODUCTION

Learning outcomes:
Explain how teaching for understanding can be applied in teaching mathematics.

What is understanding?
Understanding is being able to think and act flexibly with a topic or concept. It goes
beyond knowing; it is more than a collection of in-formation, facts, or data. It is more than being
able to follow steps in a procedure. One hallmark of mathematical understanding is a student’s
ability to justify why a given mathematical claim or answer is true or why a mathematical rule
makes sense (CCSSO, 2010). Understanding must be a primary goal for all of the mathematics
you teach.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM, 2000) identifies the process
standards of problem solving, reasoning and proof, representation, communication, and
connections as ways to think about how students should engage in learning mathematics
content as they develop both procedural fluency and conceptual understanding. Students
engaged in the process of problem solving build mathematical knowledge and understanding by
grappling with and solving genuine problems as opposed to completing routine exer-cises. They
use reasoning and proof to make sense of mathematical tasks and concepts and to develop,
justify, and evaluate mathematical arguments and solutions.

up

This report maintains that the strands of mathematical proficiency are interwoven and
interdependent—that is, the development of one strand aids the development of others.

Here we provide a brief discussion about each mathematical practice.

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. To make sense of problems,
students need to learn how to analyze the given information, the parameters, and the
relationships in a problem so that they can understand the situation and identify possible ways
to solve it. One way to help students analyze problems is to have them create bar diagrams to
make sense of the quantities and relationships involved.
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively. This practice involves students reasoning with quantities
and their relationships in problem situations. You can support students’ development of this
practice by helping them create representations that correspond to the meanings of the
quantities and the units involved. For example, when fourth graders draw a bar diagram
showing one tree as being four times the height of another tree, encourage them to connect
their representation to the expression 4 * h, where h is the height of the shorter tree. Ultimately,
students should be able to move flexibly between symbols and other representations.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. This practice emphasizes
the importance of students’ using mathematical reasoning to justify their ideas and solutions,
including being able to recognize and use counter examples.
Encourage students to examine each others’ arguments to determine whether they make sense
and to identify ways to clarify or improve the arguments.
4. Model with mathematics. This practice encourages students to use the mathematics they
know to solve problems from everyday life. For third graders, this could mean writing a
multiplication or division equation to represent a given situation or using their measurement
sense to determine whether a rug advertised in the newspaper would fit in a designated location
in their classroom.
5. Use appropriate tools strategically. Students should become familiar with a variety of
problem‐solving tools and they should learn to choose which ones are most appropriate for a
given situation. For example, fifth graders should experience using the following tools for
computation with decimals: base‐ten manipulatives, decimal grids, pencil and paper,
calculators, and number lines. Then, if these students are asked to fi nd the sum of 3.45 and
2.9 and provide their reasoning, they could use base‐ten manipulatives or decimal grids to
illustrate the meaning of each decimal and how the decimals were combined.
6. Attend to precision. In communicating ideas to others, it is imperative that students learn to
be explicit about their reasoning. For example, they need to be clear about the meanings of
operations and symbols they use, to indicate units involved in a problem, and to clearly label
diagrams that accompany their explanations. As students share their ideas, emphasize this
expectation and ask clarifying questions that help make the details of their reasoning more
apparent. Teachers can further encourage students’ attention to precision by introducing,
highlighting, and encouraging the use of accurate mathematical terminology in explanations and
diagrams.
7. Look for and make use of structure. Students who look for and recognize a pattern or
structure can experience a shift in their perspective or understanding. Therefore, set the
expectation that students will look for patterns and structure and help them reflect on their
significance. For example, help students notice that the order in which they multiply two
numbers does not change the product—both 4 * 7 and 7 * 4 equal 28. Once students recognize
this pattern in other examples, they will have a new understanding and use of a powerful
property of our number system: the commutative property of multiplication.
8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning. Encourage students to step back and
reflect on any regularity that occurs in an effort to help them develop a general idea or method
to identify shortcuts. For example, as students begin multiplying numbers, they will encounter
situations in which a number is multiplied by 0. Over time, help them ref l ect on the results of
multiplying any number by 0. Eventually they should be able to express that when any number
is multiplied by 0, the product is always 0.

TEACHING FOR UNDERSTANDING

● Teaching Toward Instrumental Understanding

Instrumental mathematics
● is centered around rote learning, memory, rules, and correct answers.
● Pros: provides rules to get the right answers, and can be rewarding when arriving
at the correct answer quickly.
● Cons: doesn’t promote a deeper understanding of maths, and can limit
opportunities to build connections between mathematical concepts.

In teacher-centered classrooms, teachers introduce a method which students are

expected to routinely apply and perform at the end of the lesson. The entire focus of the lesson
is on the steps and procedures that the teacher has outlined. The teacher solicits no ideas from
individual students. Understanding is connected to being able to carry out the standard
algorithm supported by a singular approach.

Everyone has to do the problem in the same way. The students do not have the
opportunity to apply their own ideas or to see that there are numerous ways to solve the
problem. This may deprive students who need to continue working on the development of basic
ideas of tens and ones, as well as students who could easily find one or more ways to solve the
problem if only they were asked to do so. The students are also likely to use the same method
instead of looking for more efficient ways
.

● Teaching Toward Relational Understanding

Relational mathematics
● focus more on establishing connections, building understanding over time,
applying concepts to other problems, and gradual increases in complexity.
● what is learnt can be adapted to new tasks, becomes easier to remember, and
exists on an intuitive, organic level.
Multiple Entry Points → Prior Learning and Experience → Connections Between
Concepts

In learner‐centered classrooms, teachers begin where the students are—with the

students’ ideas. Students are allowed to solve problems or to approach tasks in ways that make
sense to them. They develop their understanding of mathematics because they are at the center
of explaining, providing evidence or justification, finding or creating examples, generalizing,
analyzing, making predictions, applying concepts, representing ideas in different ways, and
articulating connections or relationships between the given topic and other ideas.

When students are encouraged to solve a problem in their own way (using their own
particular set of gray dots, or ideas), they are able to make sense of their solution strategies and
explain their reasoning. This is evidence of their development of mathematical proficiency.

During the discussion periods in classes, ideas continue to grow. The students may
hear and immediately understand a clever strategy shared by a classmate that they could have
used but that did not occur to them. Others may begin to create new ideas to use that build from
thinking about their classmates’ strategies over multiple discussions. Some students in the class
may hear excellent ideas from their peers that do not make sense to them. These students are
simply not ready or do not have the prerequisite concepts to understand these new ideas. In
future class sessions there will be similar opportunities for all students to grow at their own pace
based on what they already understand.

● The Importance of Student's Ideas

When students have more choice in determining which strategies to use, they can learn
more content and make more connections. In addition, if teachers do not seek out and value
students’ ideas, students may come to believe that mathematics is a body of rules and
procedures that are learned by waiting for the teacher to tell them what to do. Therefore, it is a
worthwhile goal to transform your classroom into a mathematical community of learners who
interact with each other and with the teacher as they share ideas and results, compare and
evaluate strategies, challenge results, determine the validity of answers, and negotiate ideas.
The rich interaction in such a classroom increases opportunities for productive engagement and
reflective thinking about relevant mathematical ideas, and students develop a relational
understanding of mathematics.
Application:

Part 1.
1. A student is given a word problem involving calculating the area of a rectangular garden.
They can strategically break down the problem, identify the relevant information (length
and width), choose the appropriate formula (area = length x width), and solve the
problem. STRATEGIC COMPETENCE
2. Luna enjoy solving math problems and sees the value of mathematics in everyday life.
PRODUCTIVE DISPOSITION
3. The class is learning about fractions. The teacher presents a pizza divided into 8 slices.
She asks, “ If you eat 3 slices, what fraction of the pizza have you eaten?”. The class
visualize the concept of fractions and connect it to a real-world example. CONCEPTUAL
UNDERSTANDING
4. Miss Gwen discuss in the class about multiplication, and ask clarisse to solve the
problem 3 x 7. Clarissse perform a standard multiplication procedure accurately and
efficiently. PROCEDURAL FLUENCY
5. Chandria is asked to explain why the sum of two odd numbers is always even. And she
use her understanding of odd and even numbers, properties of addition, and examples
to construct a logical argument and justify her reasoning. ADAPTIVE REASONING
6. The class is working on a challenging word problem. Some students are struggling and
expressing frustration. The teacher encourages them to persevere, reminding them that
everyone makes mistakes and that learning is a process. PRODUCTIVE DISPOSITION

Part 2.
1. In a calculus class, students often encounter complex problems that require them to make
sense of the problem, develop a plan and then execute that plan to solve the equation. - Make
sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

2. The students know that the box has a volume of 100 cubic inches, and each item take up 5
cubic inches of space. By using these information the students can now determine the
maximum number of items can be packed in the box. - Model with mathematics.

3. A group of students are working on a math problem that involves determining the volume of a
cube. One student argues that the volume of the cube is equal to the cube of the length of one
side, while another student argues that the volume of the cube is equal to the product of the
lengths of all three sides. Students must analyze the arguments and determine which one is
correct. - Construct viable arguments and critique reasoning

4. In Statistics class, the students create a bar graph to represent the relationship between the
price of the product and the profit generated. - Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

5. The students know that cost of the item is 10 pesos per inch and it's directly proportional to
it's length. To determine the item's cost, they use a ruler to measure the length of the item in
inches. - Model with Mathematics.

6. In a high school mathematics class, the teacher asked the students to find the measure of a
certain angle in a triangle. One student, named Sarah, carefully drew the triangle and labeled
the angle in question. She then used her protractor to measure the angle, ensuring that she
placed the center of the protractor on the vertex of the angle and aligned the baseline with the
adjacent side. After carefully reading the measurement on the protractor, Sarah found the
answer to be 72 degrees. (Use appropriate tools strategically)

7. In a mathematics class, the teacher was explaining the concept of limits to her students. She
wrote the symbol for a limit, lim, on the board and asked if anyone knew what it represented. A
student named David raised his hand and said, "Isn't it like the value that a function approaches
as it gets closer and closer to a certain point, but never actually reaches?" The teacher smiled
and said, "That's correct, David. The limit of a function is the value that the function approaches
as it approaches a specific input, but never actually reaches. (Attend to precision)

8. A student is asked to find the area of a rectangle with a length of 6 inches and a width of 4
inches. He then looks for and makes use of structure might recognize that the area of a
rectangle can be found by multiplying its length and width (A = l x w). In this case, the student
used the structure to quickly calculate the area by multiplying 6 inches by 4 inches, resulting in
an area of 24 square inches. By recognizing and utilizing the underlying structure of the
problem, the student was able to solve the problem more efficiently and effectively.

9. In a math class they are tackling about addition pf integers. The students find it easy to add
the same integers however when adding different signed integers they were confused and find it
hard. Over time, the teacher help them reflect on the results of adding different signed integers
which is the positive and negative, that when adding two numbers with unlike signs, subtract the
values and use the sign of the larger-valued number. Eventually the students are able to
express that when adding two numbers with unlike signs, subtract the values and use the sign
of the larger-valued number. ( Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.)

10. In a high school classroom, students are learning about graph equations. The teacher
decides to use a large graph paper to demonstrate how to plot points, draw lines, and find the
equation of a line. The students are then given a worksheet where they have to graph the
equations and find the slope and y-intercept of each line. (Use appropriate tools strategically)

Part 3.
1. Teachers introduce a method which students are expected to routinely apply and
perform at the end of the lesson. INSTRUMENTAL
2. Teacher-Centered. INSTRUMENTAL
3. Students are at the center of explaining, providing evidence or justification, finding or
creating examples, generalizing, analyzing, making predictions, applying concepts,
representing ideas in different ways, and articulating connections or relationships
between the given topic and other ideas. RELATIONAL
4. The teacher solicits no ideas from individual students. Everyone has to do the problem
in the same way. INSTRUMENTAL
5. Student-Centered. RELATIONAL
6. All students to grow at their own pace based on what they already understand.
RELATIONAL
7. The entire focus of the lesson is on the steps and procedures that the teacher has
outlined. INSTRUMENTAL
8. Students are allowed to solve problems or to approach tasks in ways that make sense to
them. RELATIONAL

ASSESSMENT

Explain briefly. (5pts.)

1. Differentiate Instrumental and Relational Understanding.
2. Why is interaction and engagement important for mathematics education?