1 / 36

Psychology of Learning Mathematics

Psychology of Learning Mathematics. Two trains of thought Behaviorism (Skinner) Constructivism (Piaget) Behaviorism – One can affect learning by changing behavior Constructivism – One affects “understanding” by constructing his/her own knowledge.

patch
Download Presentation

Psychology of Learning Mathematics

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Psychology of Learning Mathematics

  2. Two trains of thought • Behaviorism (Skinner) • Constructivism (Piaget) Behaviorism – One can affect learning by changing behavior Constructivism – One affects “understanding” by constructing his/her own knowledge Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  3. The prevailing theory in math education is constructivism Constructivism is seen to entail the following six items by most experts. Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  4. “The particular problem of mathematics lies in its great abstractness and generality, achieved by successive generations of particularly intelligent individuals each whom has been abstracting from, or generalizing, concepts of earlier generations.” R. Skemp Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  5. “The present day learner has to process not raw data but data-processing systems of existing mathematics.” R. Skemp Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  6. Mathematics cannot be learnt directly from the environment, but only indirectly from other mathematicians, in conjunction with ones own reflective intelligence. It makes students dependent on teachers (including textbook authors). Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  7. It can expose one to acquiring a life-long dislike of mathematics. Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  8. First two principles to learning mathematics • Concepts of a higher order than those which a person already have cannot be communicated to him/her by a definition, but only by arranging for him/her to encounter a suitable collection of examples. • Since in mathematics these examples are almost invariably other concepts, it must first be ensured that these are already formed in the mind of the learner. Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  9. Rule 1 is broken by most textbooks and many teachers. Good teachers give ample number of examples for each definition. Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  10. Pythagorean Theorem • Given a right triangle with right angle C then c2=a2+b2 where c is the side opposite angle C. Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  11. Concept is widely used but is hard to define. Mathematical concepts are among the most abstract. Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  12. Concept development starts with classifying. Pre-verbal examples. Baby finishes drinking his bottle and places it with empty bottles that he sees set in the corner. Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  13. Boy sees a baby for the first time and it is crawling. He pets it on the head like he would a dog. Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  14. Low Level Start with one object experienced from multiple perspectives until it is classified. c1 c2 c c3 c4 Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  15. Similar objects are then grouped or classified with the original object. c c’ c’’ c’’’ c’’’’ Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  16. From this group we abstract invariant properties by which we recognize object ch as a member of the class {c, c’, c’’, c’’’, c’’’’}. Classifying is collecting together experiences on the basis of similarities. Abstracting is an activity that makes us aware of similarities. Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  17. Naming an object helps to classify it. However, naming a concept can be limiting. A name and the concept can often be confused. 4 vs. 3 Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  18. Two Types of Concepts • Primary – Those derived from sensory and motor experiences • Secondary – Those abstracted from other concepts Defining a concept can short circuit the intended process of defining it. Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  19. Two uses of definitions • Specifies the limits, boundaries of a larger class of objects • Provides means of describing new concepts of lower order from known concepts Example: Magenta can be described as between red and blue Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  20. Beginning examples should have little “noise” More advanced examples should become noisier Collections of examples require inventiveness and a clear knowledge of the concepts/definitions they are being used for Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  21. If a particular level of abstraction is imperfectly understood, all subsequent levels are in peril. Contributory concepts necessary for each new stage of abstraction must be available when needed. Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  22. Pairing concepts together with a connecting idea is known as a relation. A transformation is applied to a relation to change it or combine it with another relation. The entire process of transforming relations creates complex structures. Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  23. The study of structures is an important part of mathematics, and the study of the ways in which they are built up and function is at the very core of the psychology of learning mathematics. Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  24. Conceptual structures are known as schema. One of the most basic mathematical schema is the set of Natural numbers with the operations of addition and multiplication. Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  25. One of the most misunderstood mathematical schema is the set of positive fractions with the operations of addition and multiplication. Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  26. Understanding – to assimilate into an appropriate schema not an all-or-nothing state Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  27. Three failures to understand • Wrong schema is used • Gap between new idea and the (appropriate) existing schema • The existing schema is not capable of assimilating the new idea without undergoing expansion or restructuring Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  28. Five Dimensions of Understanding • Nature of task • Role of the teacher • Social culture of classroom • Mathematical tools support learning • Equity and accessibility Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  29. Nature of the Task • Students develop mathematical understanding as they invent and examine methods of solving problems • Paper-and-pencil worksheets – faster execution of skills • Watching a teacher at the board – imitation • Doing and reflecting – UNDERSTANDING • Role of the teacher Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  30. Problematic – a task is problematic if it promotes new understanding. The task is an exercise if it involves only previously learned material and skills. • Problematic tasks promote reflection and communication • Problematic tasks require the use of tools • Allow students time to explore new tools • Use tools only when needed • Make sure the tool is suitable to the task Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  31. Problematic tasks should leave behind a residue • Outcomes of a task: (1) insights into structure, and (2) strategies for solving problems • Task should connect with previously learned knowledge (in and out of math class) • Task should be significant Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  32. Role of Teacher • Facilitate conceptual understanding • Make sure task fits goal and is a genuine mathematical problem • Don’t be a professor of truth and correctness • Select appropriate problems and sequencing to promote learning • Don’t intervene too much or too deeply – stems initiative and creativity • Provide essential information when it is needed • Control the social culture of the classroom Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  33. Social Culture of the Classroom • INTERACTING IS ESSENTIAL • Reflection and communication depends on the social culture of the classroom • Ideas are currency • Autonomy of students with respect to methods • Appreciate mistakes • Authority for reasonability and correctness lies in the logic and structure of the subject • Students choose and share methods • Mistakes are seen as opportunities • Correctness based on arguments Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

  34. Mathematical tools support learning • Tools are not necessarily calculators and computers • Meaning does not reside in the tool. It is formed by using the tool • Tools are used only to accomplish a task • Tools should be versatile • Tools should help to communicate effectively • Tools should aid thinking Understand The psychology of learning mathematics

More Related