Designing Effective

Mathematics Instruction
Designing Effective Mathematics Instruction

• various In-Out Machines. The exercise illustrates that under some

circumstances, there may be the possibility of no answer or multiple
answers. Because most of the questions involve multiplication, this
particular exercise would be suitable for third graders. Exercises could be
made up to illustrate the same points for younger children.
 Exercise A
• An In-Out Machine takes what you put into it (input) and consistently
produces a result (output) through some invisible internal process.

INPUT OUTPUT
• Example: When 7 is put in the machine above, 8 comes out the other end.
When 4 is put in, 5 comes out. When 2 is put in, 3 comes out. When 13 is put
in, 14 comes out. Summarize the information above in the table below. By
listing each output next to its input, it may be easier to figure out what the In-
Out Machine is doingwhat the invisible internal process is.
INPUT OUTPUT
 Exercise B
• An In-Out Machine takes what you put into it (input) and consistently
produces a result (output) through some invisible Internal process.

• INPUT OUTPUT
• Example: When 7 is put in the machine above, 9 comes out the other end. When
4 is put in, 6 comes out. When 0 is put in, 2 comes out. When 13 is put in, 15
comes out. Summarize the information above in the table below. By listing each
output next to its input, it may be easier to figure out what the In-Out Machine is
doing what the invisible internal process is.
INPUT OUTPUT
 Exercise C

A B C
INPUT OUTPUT INPUT OUTPUT INPUT OUTPUT
4 8 2 4 3 0
2 4 2 1 2 0
1 2 2 5 5 0
3 6 2 7 4 0
5 10 2 9
4 8
7
2
3
2
 Exercise D
• In the In-Out Machine below, two inputs are fed into the machine at a
time, Via machine works on the inputs and a single output comes out.
2
7
5
Table A below summarizes the input and
output for this machine:
INPUT OUTPUT
(2,5) 7
(6,3) 9
(1,1) 2
(4,4) 8
(5,1) 6
 Table B below shows the inputs and
outputs of Machine B.

4
1 3
•
 B
INPUT OUTPUT

(4,1) 3

(3,1) 2

(6,2) 4

(3,2) 1
 Exercise E
• Uonsider the inputs and outputs for In-Out Machine A.
INPUT OUTPUT
CAT 3
GARBAGE 7
BY 2
Consider the inputs and outputs for In-Out
Machine B.
INPUT OUTPUT

3 0

8 0

5 0

1 0
 Exercise F
• A. Previous lesson: Counting square units to determine the area of a
rectangle. The method is illustrated with a rectangle 5 units by 4 units:
1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20
• B.Lesson introduction: "Yesterday we learned how to figure out the area of a
rectangle by counting up all the square units that we could fit inside it:'
(Review the procedure units 5 X 4 unit rectangle c -.1 shown in Step A.) "On
your worksheet (the chalkboard), you will find five rectangles (5 X 6, 5 X 9, 2
X 8, 1 0 X 6, and 10 X 9). Is there a way we can make the job of figuring out
the area of all of the rectangles easiei?“
• C. Informal shortcut: Skip counting
• 5
10
15
20
D. Using multiplication as a shortcut:
"Five times four is 20."
• Routinely question children about their work. Regularly ask children how they
arrived at their answers and whether or not their answers are justified. For
example, have them explain their reasoning by using objects to illustrate their
solution method and answer (Peck, Jencks, and Connell, in press). A steady
exchange encourages children to approach mathematics thoughtfully, to check
the reasonableness of their answers, and to depend on themselves to evaluate
their work (Lampert, 1986). It puts the emphasis on thinking and understanding
rather than on producing answers (Peck, Jencks, and Connell, in press).
Challenge children to think by asking what-if questions about their work. For
example, to help children discover an important property about addition, a
teacher can ask: "When you started with five blocks and added three, you found
out you had eight altogether. What if you started with three blocks and added
five? Would you have the same number or a different number in the end?" What-
if questions are especially useful in prompting children to justify their method
andanswer and to gauge whether they really understand what they are doing.
• 5. Create an atmosphere where children are interested in learning mathematics
rather than disinterested in or even afraid of it. A teacher sets the tone. If a
teacher exhibits interestin teaching a topic, then there is a better chance that
pupils wall be drawn to learning it. If a teacher approaches mathematics
instruction unenthusiastically,many children will approach learning it
mechanically. Several suggestions for setting a positive tone are delineated
below
• Discuss mathematics with children. In addition to making connections explicit
and encouraging thoughtful evaluation concerning the reasonableness of
methods and answers, discussing mathematical problems sends a clear signal
that this is a topic worth talking about, not something that is boring. In
encouraging the discussion of problems, children are also more likely to pose
questions and make a real attempt to understand mathematics.
• Discussing mathematics, then, fosters the belief that mathematics involves more
than memorizing facts and procedures; it involves thinking. Any number of
occasions may present an opportunity to discuss mathematics (e.g., a child's
question or error, a conflict of answers or opinion, something puzzling to a
teacher). Indeed, mathematics touches our personal lives in many ways that are
worth discussing (see Example 2-13).
 SUMMARY
• Mathematics instruction can be interesting, meaningful, and
thoughtprovoking if properly designed to take into account how children
learn and think. Instruction needs to involve children actively through
games, meaningful activities, small -group discussion, and carefully
tailored explanations and demonstrations. Instruction should be introduced
concretely in terms of counting and meaningfully in terms of word
problems. Work involving written symbolism should be introduced after
and explicitly linked to this informal mathematics.
• s. Indeed, written notation can often be introduced as a shorthand for the
mathematics already familiar to children. Instrucion can be better tailored to
meet individual needs by grouping according to ability, ensuring that a child
has mastered previous content before continuing on, introducing work with
smaller numbers, and using a variety of teaching methods. One focus of
instruction should be relational learning such as discovering patterns or
connection susing negative instances, and thinking can be fostered by
beginning lessons with a question. Finally, it is essential to create an
atmosphere of inquiry and enthusiasm by discussing mathematics with children
and by fostering constructive beliefs
• There is no one way to implement these general guide- The chapters that
follow do provide numerous examples of how that.. ,gnitive principles can be
applied to teach specific concepts and skills. Tables in Chapters 3 through 12
and the Appendices delineate a recommended instructional sequence for these
competencies. The workbook (Baroody and Hank, 1988) that accompanies this
text details a sequence of games, activities, and exercises for each of the
content areas covered. However, even the specific examples and instructional
sequences are intended as a guide rather than a definitive prescription. Most
teachers will find that they will have to adapt the activities and the sequences to
meet particular nteds of their students and situations.
PREPARE BY :JESRILE C. PUDA