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Fourth grade math standards focus on necessary skills that children will need for the rest of their lives! How AWESOME is that?!?! Multiplication, division, factors, multiples, fractions, decimals, money, measurements and data, oh my! With an open mind, perseverance, and a lot of support, students will be successful problem solvers (and mathematicians)!
Math is all about finding the solution to a problem. And who doesn't like to solve a problem?! Every student has their own way of thinking about problems and I love to see the different perspectives students have and strategies they use to solve problems. There is nothing more fun than that!
I am involved in a program with Florida State University called CGI - cognitively guided instruction. The basic premise of CGI is to present students with story problems and ask them to solve the problem any way that makes sense to them. (CGI does not ask teachers to directly teach a child a strategy to solve a math problem, something that most parents like to call "new math.") Sometimes students draw a picture to find their answer, sometimes they know an equation, sometimes they have to talk it out. Regardless of how they choose to solve the problem, their strategy has value. Allowing students to solve math problems without showing them how to solve it "the right way" gives students the opportunity to think deeply about mathematics rather than follow specific steps and rules.
We will have many mathematics discussions in class. Students will share strategies and learn from each other. Some students might even get frustrated with my method of not showing them how to solve something, but I promise they will be better mathematicians because of it.
