My Initial Wondering

When I reflect on my childhood experience with math, I clearly remember a struggle understanding what it all “means.” I couldn’t conceptualize any of it, and it made me hate math. Word problems were especially difficult for me. Of course, this was way before anchor charts were popular, and manipulatives were hardly used. I eventually created my own strategies to “text code” word problems, and committed myself to a robotic ritual of completing my assignments free of the “whys” or “hows.” I was able to “get through it” but, to me, math was nothing more than numbers on a sheet of paper. I know now that I could have benefited from the current mathematical strategies that are so frequently ridiculed.

As I continue my journey through internship, I often wonder how many students truly understand the math they are working with, or are they experiencing the same struggles I did as a child. I even question whether the higher performing students truly understand the concepts. I understand there is no “perfect” method of mathematical instruction, but there needs to be a balance between traditional pencil-and-paper instruction and modern-day teaching methods. So my question to myself is, how can “old school” and “new school” work together harmoniously in a classroom?

Wondering: How can I create a balanced math curriculum to accommodate all of my students’ needs?