It's interesting how my entire outlook on mathematics has transformed over the course of my lifetime. What was once a debilitating fear has slowly become somewhat of a passion. I now have a desire to seek out a greater depth of knowledge so that my inabilities and inhibitions will someday become strong skills and confidence. This new found passion of mine has been born and bred from a desire to help others so that they never experience the mathematical voids that I have faced during my lifetime, and it is my hope that the lessons I have learned thus far will help my future students in their own quest for mathematical understanding.
I have noticed this passion of mine reaching into all aspects of my life. For instance, I now spend my precious free time skimming countless pages in search of exciting mathematical concepts and activities that I can collect in my own treasure chest of mathematical ideas. This cache has quickly become heaped full of exciting resources that will surely be useful for me in the near future. During one of my early morning quests for mathematical treasures, I came across a profound website that is worthy of a peek or two. It is www.livingmath.net and is brimming with wealth.
Julie Brennan, the creator of Living Math and homeschooling mom of 4, bases her instruction on the foundation of natural math. Natural math is about seeing math in every way and every situation. It provides the bridge that spans the gap between "math" and all other areas of life and school. With natural math, concepts are no longer isolated islands in the sapphire sea. Rather, each concept is connected with one's real life and the tangible objects that are all around. Students come to understand mathematics more fully and deeply because the math is naturally a part of their individual lives. Natural math is a wonder to behold: a true treasure buried just under the surface.
Living Math incorporates a vast assortment of ideas into everyday objects and situations. With Living Math, students can see how to uncover the mysteries of geometry, algebra, calculus, arithmetic, and countless other necessary concepts important in daily life. Through the guidance of Living Math, with natural math as its foundation, math shows itself to be something more than abstract formulas and confusing thoughts found within the dusty pages of a hefty textbook. It is a living, breathing entity that lies hidden in nearly every aspect of our lives. Math can easily be found in our home, the store, the toys we play with, the books we read, and even in our other subjects such as art, social studies, music, language arts, and physical education. With the ideas behind Living Math, students will come to understand and appreciate the richness and beauty of mathematics because it can be found in every daily experience.
Natural math requires an appreciation for the hidden concepts all around us along with a nugget or two of creativity. As teachers and parents, we must first understand and acknowledge the presence of mathematics that envelopes us. We can uncover it just about anywhere if we know where to dig. It's in our paintings, our classical music that streams from the radio, the storybooks on the shelves of our library, and in the activities we choose to do in our free time. Stop and look all around. Investigate the surroundings. Where can we find the hidden treasures of mathematical concepts that await us? They are there if we only step back and use some imagination in our quest.
On www.livingmath.net, Julie explains the idea of "Strewing", which is to inundate an environment with objects, materials, and resources that are rich in mathematical concepts. Some valuable suggestions include puzzles, art supplies, activity books, video and audio tapes, such as the Schoolhouse Rock series, measuring cups and spoons, recipe books, tape measures, board games, Legos and dominoes, and mathematically rich textbooks and storybooks. Providing these resources within easy reach for children will ensure that they are wholly involved with mathematics and outfitted for personal discovery and investigation.
The ideas behind natural math and the work of Julie Brennan in Living Math are exciting for me as I seek jewels to add to my own mathematics treasure chest. When children are shown the math in their real life in very tangible ways, they will uncover the gems of mathematical enlightenment that are buried just under the surface. They will become confident and appreciative of the beauty that surrounds them everyday, and that, I believe, is truly a priceless treasure to seize.
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3 comments:
First of all, I need to comment on your writing. You are an absolutely beautiful writer. That said, I love the idea of living math! What a concept! No longer can students ask their math teacher, "And when and where will I ever need this?!". The idea of getting the students hooked on math through the natural world allows the student to connect it to real life and be excited about learning. The internet has opened so many doors and opportunities for students to not only enhance what they are learning at school but to actually learn more. The internet has also been a great tool for parents to relearn what mathematical skills they may have lost so they can help their children at home with problems they may be having. Great website. Thanks for sharing!
I wish the internet was around in the days when I was a younger student. It would have made my entire educational journey a lot more enjoyable--and probably a lot more productive! Children in today's world have such an advantage over previous generations with the World Wide Web at their fingertips 24-7. I remember having to drive to the local library whenever I needed to do research or just gather extra resources to try to understand a new concept that was introduced to me in school. After searching the shelves for books that might be possibilities, I'd then have to sift through the pages in search for whatever I was looking for. After that, then lug them back home and make sure I don't lose them, accidentally spill on them or tear the pages and then make sure they were back to the library on time...What a hassle that was! I'm not arguing that libraries are bad or anything...I just think the internet is probably THE way to "strike it rich" when searching for mathematical treasures. Just think...within a matter of seconds, we can uncover thousands and even millions of sources to pursue on our mathematical quest for buried "jewels"...It is nearly unimaginable. With a little effort, we can discover some pretty amazing possibilities...
I thought the quote on the main page of the Living Math website was interesting. It stated "insisting a child must be taught traditional, scope and sequence arithmetic is like saying one must learn classical notes and scales before one can learn music". I have heard math and music compared many times before. I don't know if I totally agree with this statement. There needs to be a balance in learning like there is with many things in life. It is important to understand the basics of math in order for it to work for you, learn more and have a greater understanding. That base will help you understand all the complexities of math just like knowing notes and scales will help you understand the complexities of music. Once the complexities are more understood, one can truely even have a greater appreciation of math and its wonders.
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