Many people assume that probability is a mathematical concept that is introduced and taught in junior high and high school, however, after reading and reviewing much research, I now realize that this idea is untrue. Young children seem to have an intuitive understanding of chance and allowing them to explore this in the early grades simply enhances their probabilistic thinking, number sense, and mathematical connections. Principles and Standards emphasizes that activities in the early grades should take the form of answering questions about the likelihood of events, using such vocabulary as more likely or less likely. Children must be able to recognize that although individual events may not be predictable, there exists trends and patterns that can often occur.When doing my research it became quite clear that problems dealing with probability should be taught through hands-on experiences. It is extremely important that children participate in hands-on activities such as playing with dice, spinners, or coins as a means to investigate, make predictions, and engage in probabilistic thinking. As the Atlantic Canada Mathematical Curriculum Guide points outs, it is also important to use informal experiences that can be built on and expaned during the primary grades. These experiences should involve real-world situations both inside and outside the classroom where math is used. In doing this, mathematical learning becomes relevant to students. Templates for sample spinners and dice cutouts that can be used in the classroom can be printed off the following website:
In today's world computer simulations can also be very useful in assiting in the teaching of probability. Many websites and computer programs allow students to watch as a spinner spins or a coin flips and random outcomes are produced with the press of a button. I think the use of computers would be a great addition to a lesson on probability because it provies the hands-on experience that is essentail to learning and then also combines it with an animated visual graphic which is very appealing to children. It enables students to investigate more realistic situations than were previously possible. Having the opportunity to complete problems using a computer allows children to get a break from the usual paper and pencil tasks and actually be interested and have fun while learning their math. There are hundreds of interavtive online activites that can be used to assist in the learning of probability, however, it is important to ensure that they provide accurate information and are age appropriate for the students in your classroom. The following are several computer activites that I found online that I thought would be useful when teaching probability:
The following are references that I used while creating this blog:
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
The Atlantic Canada Mathematical Curriculum Guide
Van De Walle, John. and Sandra Folk. Elementary And Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally. Canada: Pearson Education Inc, 2005
Thanks!
No comments:
Post a Comment