Blog 2 Custom Literary practices
Reading Buehl’s Chapter 7 and learning about how we as teachers can customize literacy strategies was really interesting. There are multiple literacy strategies, and for each subject, there can be different ways to teach and use literacy. This reading got me thinking about how students can struggle with specific subjects, especially math. I plan on being a math teacher, so I think it is really important that students understand not only how to do the math, but also what the problem is asking them to do.
There are multiple types of problems that students have to work with in a math class. Some are entirely numerical, while others are word problems. With word problems, students may know how to do the math, but if they do not understand what the question is asking, they may still have trouble solving it. This made me think about how teaching literacy can differ from subject to subject. A strategy that works well in an English class might not work the same way in a math class.
I think we need to create strategies that adapt to both the student and the subject. As a future math teacher, I want to think about how I can help students understand the language of math instead of assuming that they either understand it or they do not. How can I take general literacy strategies and change them so they actually help students think through a math problem?
I have also seen many students who know how to do the math but still struggle because they do not fully understand what a problem is asking them to do. Your question about adapting general literacy strategies to math made me think that customization should involve more than simply bringing reading strategies into a math classroom. Buehl’s idea of “insider moves” suggests that we need to consider how mathematical reasoning itself shapes the way students read a problem, such as interpreting precise language, connecting words with symbols, and explaining their reasoning. At the same time, Wickens et al. made me think about whether asking students to “think like mathematicians” might sometimes create distance for students who do not see themselves that way. Maybe the goal is not to ask students to become mathematicians, but to give them meaningful opportunities to participate in mathematical practices.
ReplyDeleteI have definitely noticed that students often have problems understanding certain word problems. Whether it be from not knowing what method to use to solve the problem or not even understanding what the question is asking you, not understand what the information is that the question is giving you. Obviously these factors are also important to a students understanding of math as math is not just plugging numbers into formulas but actually being able to understand and apply concepts. So I believe we need to do a better job at teaching students how to interpret these problems and give them a better base of understanding when it comes to the actual reasons behind why certain concepts are the way they are and how they can use that knowledge to think critically about the questions.
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