Monday, April 23, 2012

Math Learning... Let the Fun Begin

An older, long, but still interesting piece on math learning with emphasis on the "unschooling" and "Sudbury" movements, and describing "playful math," "instrumental math," "didactic math," and "college admissions math:"
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201004/kids-learn-math-easily-when-they-control-their-own-learning

(I probably don't agree with everything in the article, but do find it an interesting read.)
The author concludes as follows:
"And so, dear parents, please stop worrying about your kids' learning of math. If they are free to play, they are likely to play with math and learn to enjoy its patterns. If they live real lives that involve calculations, they will learn, in their own unique ways, precisely the calculations that they need to live those lives....
"And so, dear educators, please step out of your boxes and take a look at these remarkable educational movements--the unschooling and Sudbury movements -- and study them to see, from a different point of view, how education can work in such a painless and joyful manner when kids are free and in charge of their own learning. Nobody, at least no student, benefits from the thousands of hours of forced math "study" that we put kids through in our schools. The same amount can be learned in a small fraction of that time by kids who are free."

1 comment:

Pinky Kulkurni said...

I read your post and it seems very interesting. I agree to what are you talking about,since i had experience in it.I am teacher i am in teaching profession from last 12 years. I slways feel that children feel bore with normal way of teaching. Teaching with online lessons really helping children http://www.youtube.com/user/GuruBix i feel that now a days children are sitting near computers for very long time. So if we can able to show them online lessons then they will show interest in it.