Parts and Wholes...

Submitted by Susan Jones on Wed, 01/16/2013 - 17:48
  • 2329 Views
  • 3 Comments

We've had two classes with our three students in our pilot of a conceptual mini-module for math.   We're using materials from Dorothea Steinke's "part and whole" curriculum and a trial run of the very visual dreambox.com software.

    Nobody's gotten online for dreambox yet... hoping that's not a trend, and it may not be because there's only been a day between classes (we'll have a full week 'til the next with the holiday Monday).   Our "big picture" thinker, who actually has most of the concepts but crashes and burns if you call it "math," is *not* bored but enjoying making connections and feeling confident... one of our "what's the method" students did her homework with her child, and when a problem asked her to make up parts and wholes for dining out, the kiddo got out the Red Lobster receipt from her purse :)    I *love* *love* *love* the idea that math is this thing that you have fun doing with your mom :) :)   This *is* a shift for them -- thinking of ideas instead of plugging numbers into a procedure -- but I think we'll get there...

Comments

Thanks, Sue, for letting me know that Parts and Whole are part of your curriculum.

For those of you not familiar with the idea, it boils down to this:

There are only two kinds of math problems: 1) Find the Whole when you know the Parts (addition and multiplication)

                                                               2) Find the Part when you know the Whole and one Part (subtraction and division)

Try one-step words problems this way. Get the number relationships straight, the correct operation becomes obvious.

Especially try it with geometry (When you know the area and one side of a rectangle, how do you find the other side? When you know the circumference, how do you find the diameter?)

Put up some examples of problems that have baffled your students. See if it helps to think in terms of number relationships first (Parts and Whole) prior to choosing the operation.

Dorothea Steinke

 

.... I am really glad there are lots of examples built in  ... these folks are *so* accustomed to guessing at what procedure to use and plugging numbers in and hoping they pass that the notion of understanding is foreign.   One of 'em is still a little on the defensive side -- this is just different... 

For those of you interested in a quick tool to determine how your students think about number relationships (the basis for understanding math) -

Visit with me at COABE next week. I'll be at the Adult Numeracy Network pre-session on Sunday. I'll be presenting on Number Sense: a simple tool that uncovers it (Wednesday morning). I'll be around so we can talk. I'd love to meet you.

Dorothea Steinke