Monday, 26 September 2011

Sir Ken Robinson

While no doubt entertaining there was a very serious and clear issue for teachers of mathematics conveyed in this video. I have always held the belief that students do have creative avenues natural to them and it is a simple fact that the wrote mathematics algorithms or formulae may not be their strong suit. When it comes to student evaluation for example I always encourage students to show me in an means feasible to them how they would solve a given problem. I always model the traditional algorithm with the use of manipulatives and diagrams where possible and relating the situation to their everyday life experiences.
I have seen several cases of students over the years whom have been labelled with LDs or other disorders and have often wondered if there was really another issue at work here. Since it is often times out of our control as classroom teachers we do not usually get the opportunity to test our hypothesis. I think this may be an area worth looking into. After all if a kid can tap dance they can, in all likelihood follow a pattern.

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