Math Strategy Explained

Hello again everyone, I found myself this morning explaining my math strategy to a parent through e-mail, and it occurred to me that it might be a bit of information that you could all benefit from. Those of you who made it to orientation may recall my tale of how I was always very good at math in school because I was able to memorize procedures and formulas with ease. This strategy backfired for me later in life though, as I quickly discovered calculus and physics demanded a more thorough understanding of mathematic principles than I possessed. This experience is what drives my own approach to teaching math (explained below). As always, I'd appreciate any feedback you can find the time to give. -Mr. H

While we do review the formulas in class each day, I try to avoid making the students memorize more than they have to. With circles it was a necessity and we focused heavily on how to find the area and circumference of a circle. With volume I see less of a demand and have focused more on understanding the concepts. One reason is because I believe if a student can understand the concept clearly enough, it is much better than relying upon a formula they have memorized. Secondly, in geometry the formulas change quite often and it seems to confuse the students as much as it helps them. Does Volume equal Length x Width x Height, or Length x Width x Depth? Is the area for a triangle ½ Base x Height or ½ Width times Height? And what’s the difference between Base and Width, or Height and Depth? These are questions that can be resolved with a thorough understanding of the concepts, but not more memorization of formulas. Hope that makes sense for you, don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any further concerns. –Mr. H