3D thinking - early and often!

I'm guessing that if you grew up around the same time I did, you experienced a similar progression. Master the 2 dimensional shapes and their measurements (perimeter and area) and then move on to the 3 dimensional shapes and their measurements. Throughout this process, at least in my elementary years, I'm fairly certain not a single elementary teacher I had in front of me had a degree (major or minor) in mathematics. So they did what they'd always done, show some pictures in books and talk about formulas and calculations. Once we made the leap to 3D though, my brain really struggled to "see" what was on the paper as taking up space - even with the paper nets we cut and taped into 3D objects.

Do you suffer from the same affliction I do?
I can't say that my parents didn't ask me to do this often enough or not, but I certainly needed some more practice!

Don't shy away from letting your child do this kind of spatial thinking. Have them order containers smallest to largest, and then test it out with water! Are you SURE everything in that "smaller" container will fit in the next one up? Talk about volume in cups or cubes or milliliters or spoonfuls...whatever you're familiar with - and then mix it up!

Comments

The Power of Yet (and I Don't Know)

This one's for all the parents facing the "why...?" and "how...?" and "why not...?" and "do I have to...?" questions. And for the teachers (and parents) who are uncomfortable with admitting they aren't the omniscient geniuses we'd like our kids (and students) to believe we are. There is a LOT of power in the word YET. And even more power (in my opinion) in admitting you don't know. Students of all ages need to know that they don't have to know everything - and the people in their lives don't know everything either. Try it out. It's OK to not get it, yet. It's OK to not know. Let's find out together.

It's not new, it's meta

Metacognition: a buzz word that educators like to throw around Metacognition: thinking about thinking Yes, that's a real thing teachers are asked to do on a regular basis. We are expected to anticipate errors our students might make before they make them. We are constantly on the look out for students who have a different approach than their peers to a problem. And now we're seeing these "metacognition" problems showing up on standardized tests for all ages. The practice of explaining your thinking can be a tough one to wrap our heads around as adults. It feels easier to say "It just IS the answer." But we want to dig deeper into HOW or WHY you arrived at your answer because It's Not New, It's Meta

There's HOW MANY ways to add 2 numbers?

To answer the title question - a LOT! We take for granted that most of us adults can add quickly because we "know our math facts". For many of us that may be true, but I would bet that the vast majority of adults out there do quite a few of the addition strategies your children are taught in elementary school without even knowing it! This video addresses some of the addition strategies that I've seen frustrating parents. Addition Video As always, let me know if there's a topic you'd like to see Demystified!

Demystifying Elementary Math (from a Secondary Perspective)

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