Cherise Tess February 22, 2021 worksheets
Have you ever noticed how many K-12 math content websites are devoted to math worksheets? There seems to be an increase in websites that cater to desperate teachers and parents by offering fast, free ”worksheet generation”, ”10 free fractions worksheets,” etc. Now, as a former teacher I am not saying that one should never use math worksheets; however, I do believe that many teachers are using a very superficial method of instruction that relies too much on low-level math worksheets and hands-off instructional approaches. Worksheet lessons move from reading the directions aloud, to doing sample problems as a group, to completing the worksheet independently (or at home with parents), day in and day out. Teaching needs to be more than passing out worksheets. Whether you are the classroom teacher, instructional specialist, or parent, the methods you use greatly impact the level of understanding achieved by your students.
Language Development. Colors are often the first adjectives your child will learn and use. Color is used to describe and identify specific objects, helping your child to learn how to pronounce many different words. Vocabulary Expansion. By incorporating colors to describe various items, your child expands their vocabulary too. Discovering new items of a certain color helps them learn new words to name the items, such as a red apple, a red fire truck, a red shirt and so forth. Learning to Read. Many early reading books use pictures to replace new or difficult words. If your child can recognise a red apple, they will be able to read a sentence with a picture of a red apple in it. Recognizing certain objects by their color as well as their shape helps your child learn how to read.
Here are five reasons why math worksheets don’t work if you want students to understand math, enjoy math, and think mathematically. 1. Math worksheets are not engaging. Numerous research studies have found that when students are actively engaged with the content, they have a much better chance of understanding and remembering what they have learned. Unfortunately, math worksheets tend to bore most students, especially those who need the most help in math. Engagement entails much more than rote repetition of a procedure. Math worksheets tend to present very similar problem types over and over, leading to mundane practice of disassociated skills. For students who understand the material and successfully complete an assignment, another worksheet becomes meaningless. On the other hand, for the students who don’t understand the material, an alternative method of instruction is what’s needed. Another worksheet simply adds to the student’s frustration, or worse, contributes to a belief that ”I’ll never understand math.” A cute image or a ”fill-in-the-blanks” riddle does nothing to increase engagement or learning (and let’s face it, those riddles are not funny!). Instead, teachers need to increase engagement by providing students with exercises in which they discover patterns and relationships, solve problems, or think creatively about math relationships.
Tip #1 – Age Appropriateness. Multiplication worksheets are easy to find on the internet but before you start printing everything you find, you need to consult your child’s grade level math book or purchase a good scope and sequence book. A scope and sequence book will tell you what your child should be doing in math according to age and grade level. This book is a handy reference to always have on hand so you can be sure your child is staying on track. A good scope and sequence book will break down math into each area and you’ll know what your child needs to accomplish for that school year. Use this book as a guide as to which multiplication worksheets you should print off. If your child is just beginning to multiply multi-digit problems without carrying, don’t make the mistake of giving her worksheets that have carrying. It will most likely throw your child for a loop and she will become upset.
Another problem with almost all worksheets is that they don’t prevent incorrect answers. Self-checking worksheets just let the student know they did something wrong–after the fact. I am a firm believer in the concept that, if at all possible, learning should be structured in small chunks in such a way that there is very little possibility for error. Worksheets often allow for mistakes to be made and then to be repeated many times. A mistake that gets practiced is extremely difficult to correct. This especially happens when worksheets are used as time fillers or baby sitters and the work isn’t really being supervised. There are some new materials being developed now based on what we are learning about how the brain learns. These brain-friendly materials should be an improvement over what has existed. I recently bought a book by Marcia L. Tate titled ”Mathematics Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites.” I highly recommend her book. She gives a great deal of information on alternative activities that are better for your child’s brain development and for learning.
Find the Subjects. As you search out free worksheets you can print for use in your home, you should keep a list of your subjects close by. This will enable you to check your list to see how well a worksheet fits into your plan for teaching your child. This will keep you from printing up worksheets you aren’t going to use. Some websites will actually provide an extensive listing of worksheets from which to choose, allowing you to get most of the worksheets you need in one place. Print Them Up. After you find the online worksheets for kids that will work for the subject matter you are going to teach your child, you can print them up. This will allow your child to complete the work offline. Because many people like to restrict the amount of screen time their child gets, especially when the child is young, doing some work off the computer will be beneficial.
Categories
Recent Post
Archive
Most Popular
Tag Cloud
division sheet everyday mathematics grade 7 area word problems 7th grade volume word problems worksheet 8th grade math jobs wiki printable clock worksheets for kindergarten grade 8 math standards us money worksheets free printable math games ks2 division of algebraic expressions worksheet kumon system decimal test 6th grade exponent rules math is fun mathematics word problems test paper answer sheet free graphing calculator relate fractions decimals and money worksheetsLatest Review
Latest News
Recent Post
Terms of UsePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyContactCopyrightAbout
© 2021 Onedayinsandiego. All rights reserved.