Effective Instructional Strategies to Ensure Fifth Grade Mathematics Readiness
Literature Review
The purpose of this literature review is an exploration into effective instructional strategies to ensure fifth grade mathematics readiness. This two-part study investigates what teachers consider to be key elements in instructional design and implementation to support mathematics curriculum across the elementary grade levels. It will also investigate specific mathematics skills that teachers believe should be taught and reinforced each year from kindergarten through fifth grade.
Due to the constant changes to the national and state education programs, there has been an increase in the focus on language objectives and literacy skills in the classroom today, while mathematics skills have received increasingly less emphasis and become less of a priority. “Although students have made progress in some areas of math, when it comes to basic arithmetic—in particular, the ability to compute—growth has been disappointing” (Loveless, 2003). Students who have as yet to show proficiency in fundamental mathematics skills by the fourth grade year will quite possible require remedial instruction. It is difficult, and often impossible, for educators to adhere to the curriculum structure of the current grade level when students are not yet proficient in the basic concepts that should have been mastered in previous grade levels.
The Reteaching of Mathematics Skills to Fifth Grade Students
Studies indicate that student mathematics achievement has remained unchanged in lower elementary grades as compared to the middle school grades (Kutscher, 2008). Reteaching is necessary to reintroduce and reinforce mathematics concepts to students who have be...
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Loveless, T. (Director) (2003, February 6). Trends in math achievement: the importance of basic skills. Mathematics and Science Initiative. Lecture conducted from U.S. Secretary of Education, Washington, D.C.. Retrieved from http://www.brookings.edu/research/speeches/2003/02/06education-loveless
Linder, S. M., Powers-Costello, B., & Stegelin, D. A. (2011). Mathematics in early childhood: Research-based rationale and practical strategies. Early Childhood Education Journal, 39(1), 29-37. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10643-010-0437-6
Slavin, R. E., & Lake, C. (2008). Effective programs in elementary mathematics: A best-evidence synthesis. Review of Educational Research, 78(3), 427-515. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.cu-portland.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/214120806?accountid=10248
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Bright, G.W. & Joyner, J.M. (1998). Classroom assessment in mathematics. New York: University of America, Inc.
Jones, Rebecca. “Solving Problems in Math and Science Education.” The American School Board Journal. 185.7 (1998): 16-20.
When conducting this interview, I have learned a lot about the different differentiation strategies that my host teacher uses in her classroom and how they are both similar yet different from tracking students in the classroom. This has informed me on what skills I want to possess in my future classroom and what I want to do to make my students the most successful they can be when learning mathematics.
Mathematics education has undergone many changes over the last several years. Some of these changes include the key concepts all students must master and how they are taught. According to Jacob Vigdor, the concerns about students’ math achievements have always been apparent. A few reasons that are negatively impacting the productivity of students’ math achievements are historical events that influenced mathematics, how math is being taught, and differentiation of curriculum.
In the 1980’s a report called “A Nation At Risk” stated that American children had fallen behind in such subjects as math and science. Thus came the advent of education’s increased focus on literacy and numeracy, accountability and academic standards. These high standards, according to Dumas (2000), are the most significant trend in schools today.
Trujillo, K. M., Tracing the Roots of Mathematics Anxiety through In-Depth Interviews with Preservice Elementary Teachers http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCR/is_2_33/ai_62839422 [accessed July 2007]
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In order for a child to achieve academically, the child must master basic facts. A child's progress with problem-solving, algebra and higher-order math concepts is negatively impacted by a lack...
My enthusiasm and the strongly committed teachers I have encountered in my life have attributed to my success in math and science. Prior to going onto ninth grade, my Math classes dating back from middle school were never mentally straining. Math appealed to me because in eighth grade, my math teacher, Dr. Christopher, would encourage her class by recognizing our achievements with small rewards such as candies and ice cream passes during lunch. Her actions sparked my interest in math. I have a natural regard for math and science. By breaking down math problems step by step, I can better understand them. ...
Assessment plays an integral part of the teaching and learning process by providing teachers with information on students’ developing mathematical capabilities (Booker, Bond, Sparrow, & Swan, 2010; Reys et al., 2012). Assessment is a daily requirement within the primary school context and when properly developed and interpreted can be used positively to encourage students, provide information to direct and modify teaching and learning activities, provide feedback to students about progress and contribute to reporting (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development [DEECD], 2009; Junpeng, 2012; New South Wales Department of Education and Communities, 2011). This essay will examine formative and summative assessment strategies teachers
Sherley, B., Clark, M. & Higgins, J. (2008) School readiness: what do teachers expect of children in mathematics on school entry?, in Goos, M., Brown, R. & Makar, K. (eds.) Mathematics education research: navigating: proceedings of the 31st annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australia, Brisbane, Qld: MERGA INC., pp.461-465.
Skemp, R (2002). Mathematics in the Primary School. 2nd ed. London: Taylor and Francis .
...S. and Stepelman, J. (2010). Teaching Secondary Mathematics: Techniques and Enrichment Units. 8th Ed. Merrill Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Devlin believes that mathematics has four faces 1) Mathematics is a way to improve thinking as problem solving. 2) Mathematics is a way of knowing. 3) Mathematics is a way to improve creative medium. 4) Mathematics is applications. (Mann, 2005). Because mathematics has very important role in our life, teaching math in basic education is as important as any other subjects. Students should study math to help them how to solve problems and meet the practical needs such as collect, count, and process the data. Mathematics, moreover, is required students to be capable of following and understanding the future. It also helps students to be able to think creativity, logically, and critically (Happy & Listyani, 2011,