How children learn math?

Children learn math best through activities that encourage them to:

• explore;
• think about what they are exploring;
• solve problems using information they have gathered themselves;
• explain how they reached their solutions.

Children learn easily when they can connect math concepts and procedures to their own experience. By using common household objects (such as measuring cups and spoons in the kitchen) and observing everyday events (such as weather patterns over the course of a week), they can "see" the ideas that are being taught.

An important part of learning math is learning how to solve problems. Children are encouraged to use trial and error to develop their ability to reason and to learn how to go about problem solving. They learn that there may be more than one way to solve a problem and more than one answer. They also learn to express themselves clearly as they explain their solutions

How the Kids Learn?

Base on my experience as a teacher, there are a lot of ways that the kids absorb knowledge from the teaching and learning activities performed in school. I group these into three main group:

By listening
Some kids intend more to be better in understanding something that was thought is by only listening to the teachers. This kind of pupils can learn without looking to their teacher and can learn instead they are blind. But a good teacher whose can elaborate the contents of learning will enhance this type of pupils.


By doing
Some kids learn more by doing something that related to what they are learning. By this way, this type of pupils need to be actively involve in classroom activities such as drama, experiments and activities that need they doing something...

By looking
Some kids love to see something colourful. As these type of kids sees the colorful will make them enquiries what they are seeing and can remember what they have seen longer than the other types.

Howard Gardner: Multiple Intelligence

Howard Gardner initially formulated a list of seven intelligences. His listing was provisional. The first two have been typically valued in schools; the next three are usually associated with the arts; and the final two are what Howard Gardner called 'personal intelligences' (Gardner 1999: 41-43).

Linguistic intelligence involves sensitivity to spoken and written language, the ability to learn languages, and the capacity to use language to accomplish certain goals. This intelligence includes the ability to effectively use language to express oneself rhetorically or poetically; and language as a means to remember information. Writers, poets, lawyers and speakers are among those that Howard Gardner sees as having high linguistic intelligence.

Logical-mathematical intelligence consists of the capacity to analyze problems logically, carry out mathematical operations, and investigate issues scientifically. In Howard Gardner's words, it entails the ability to detect patterns, reason deductively and think logically. This intelligence is most often associated with scientific and mathematical thinking.

Musical intelligence involves skill in the performance, composition, and appreciation of musical patterns. It encompasses the capacity to recognize and compose musical pitches, tones, and rhythms. According to Howard Gardner musical intelligence runs in an almost structural parallel to linguistic intelligence.

Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence entails the potential of using one's whole body or parts of the body to solve problems. It is the ability to use mental abilities to coordinate bodily movements. Howard Gardner sees mental and physical activity as related.

Spatial intelligence involves the potential to recognize and use the patterns of wide space and more confined areas.

Interpersonal intelligence is concerned with the capacity to understand the intentions, motivations and desires of other people. It allows people to work effectively with others. Educators, salespeople, religious and political leaders and counsellors all need a well-developed interpersonal intelligence.

Intrapersonal intelligence entails the capacity to understand oneself, to appreciate one's feelings, fears and motivations. In Howard Gardner's view it involves having an effective working model of ourselves, and to be able to use such information to regulate our lives.

What is thinking skill?

• When cognitive skills are strong, academic learning is fast, easy, efficient, and even fun.
• When cognitive skills are weak, academic learning will be, at best, a struggle.
• Cognitive skills are, therefore, the essential tools for learning.

It will help immensely if you keep these points foremost in your mind as we examine mental skills more closely.

Mental or cognitive skills may seem a bit mysterious because they are not easy to see or recognize by themselves. But, without the underlying cognitive skills, you and I could not process the information received from every possible source -- sound, touch, sight, taste, and smell.

ASSURE Model: The best way to organize the lesson plan.

Analyze learners
State objectives
Select instructional methods, media, and materials
Utilize media and materials
Require learner participation
Evaluate and revise

The ASSURE model is one of the way for teacher to design and develop the most appropriate learning environment for their students. You can use this process in writing your lesson plans and in improving teaching and learning.

• Analyze learner- teacher must know the standard of the students like age, sex, socioeconomic level and etc. Teacher also must know the level of the students cognitive skill. Beside that the way of how the student love to learn must be analyze.

• State objective- Objectives are the learning outcomes, that is, what will the student get out of the lesson?

• Select instructional methods, media and materials- The selection of the methods, media (video, audio, computer, etc.) and materials must be appropriate withe the students and the lesson to meet the objective stated.

• Utilize media and materials- test the media and make sure all of them working. Make sure the media and materials can be use in the classroom.

• Require learner participation - try to make the student take part in the teaching and learning session. Try to avoid lecturing. Listen to your students and allow them to become aware of the content. Allow them to learn as opposed to trying to "teach" them.

• Evaluate and revise - Evaluate the teaching and learning session whether achieve the objective or not. Try to state the weaknesses and the ways to overcome it in the next session.

Teacher: The human artist.

How can a teacher be a human artist? Why I said that? All of us learn from at least a teacher. We must have teacher to have skills and knowledge to live in this earth. Without a teacher we are nothing.
As we were born, we do not know anything. We learn how to speak, walk, run and everything we can do now. How we learn these? By using our sense, brain and the inquire of the what we want to know, is it possible that we can learn all? Of course not! We need teacher to teach us to do something.
By a teacher, we also can learn something faster and easier. Our first teacher usually our parents. They teach us to walk, talk and do basic things to live. We learn a lot of knowledge in school such as history, mathematics, science etc.
I am very proud to be a teacher because I can paint the future. I am the one of the future painter. I teach children to be 'someone' in the future. If I teach something that can benefit the human being and the world. If I teach them something wrong, disaster will come.