Teaching mathematics in elementary school is a challenging feat for
many, especially because, even at a young age, children develop an idea
of what math is and often form a negative connotation regarding math.
Teachers must work even harder to allow students to not only learn
mathematic concepts, but also foster a love of mathematics. One of the
most important things to remember when teaching math is, not every part
of math should be explicitly taught. While it may be intuitive in other
subjects that students can discover important concepts implicitly, such
as coming to a conclusion in science or noticing a literary structure in
poetry, it is not always instinctive in mathematics, but it is,
however, true. To truly imbed mathematical knowledge in students there
needs to be implicit teaching, where student discover, through
manipulating numbers and playing with mathematical concepts, important
mathematical rules. Students will often create their own algorisms for
common operations if one is not explicitly taught to them. This kind of
creating your own algorism allows students to not only understand an
algorism, but also to understand why it works. It is also important to
keep in mind that this does not mean there should be no explicit
instruction in mathematics. Instead, it means that teachers should be a
guide for students, pushing them in the right direction.
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