To Memorize or not to Memorize?

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 In class this week, we learned many important concepts, strategies, and messages towards mathematics but I think that one of the most important things that I took away from class was when Pat asked us the question, “is it more important to know/do math or understand it?”. This really got me thinking. It took me back to my elementary and high school years, where I can recall a major emphasis on having to memorize mathematical equations. Memorizing a mathematical equation is great but it is essentially useless if the student doesn’t know how to apply and work through the equation to get their answer. In high school, I remember struggling with this. The math teachers would want us to memorize the equations for upcoming tests, assuming that if we knew the equation, we would know how to work with the equation to solve the problem. The problem with memorization in math is that it is not enough to just memorize an equation because many students that do this will not always be able to figure out how to problem solve because they focused on memorizing an equation instead of practicing their math skills to work through the problem. Memorization in math can be beneficial to some students but not all students are able to learn this way and in my high school experience, I believe that this was one of the things that was discouraging made me feel like I was lost at times. Therefore, I believe that it is better to practice and understand mathematics.

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 In one of the readings for class this week, I found a memorable quote that related to designing a responsive mathematical learning environment in your classroom. The quote states “ Effective teachers know that a wrong answer might indicate unexpected thinking rather than a lack of understanding; equally, a correct answer may be arrived at via faulty thinking” – Anthony, G., & Walshaw, M. (2009). I think that this quote is important because it is not right for us to say that a student does not understand mathematical concepts if they answer a question wrong. This is all part of their learning process and we must also make that student feel rewarded for taking a risk. One way that we can do this is with positive reinforcement, feedback, and attitudes towards math.  The second part of the quote also suggests that teachers should not assume that a student fully understands mathematical concepts just because they arrived at a correct answer, we must make sure that the students are practicing and communicating their understanding to support their knowledge.  

 The final topic that I feel was very important that we discussed in class was the Math Daily 3. Which has a framework to help students develop deep understand and mathematical proficiency by allowing them to select Math by themselves, Math Writing, or Math with someone.  This strategy is great because every student learns in a different way and this allows our students to have a choice in their learning and I truly believe that when students have a choice they will be more likely to enjoy what they’re doing and if we can get our students engaged than they are more likely to develop a love for mathematics.