No-one Cares About Your Educational Theory
Posted on 09. Apr, 2011 by Peter Price in Podcast
Do Teachers Inhabit an Ivory Tower?
‘Ordinary folks’ – those who are not teachers – sometimes criticize teachers for being too concerned about educational theory and not enough about the practical needs of students, their families and future workmates.
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The challenge is, of course, that as a profession, education is an academic discipline which is founded on centuries of careful research and writing by our professional predecessors. It would be wrong, and quite foolish, to ignore the foundations laid at the beginning of general public education, and the myriad advances in understanding of learning and teaching that have taken place since then.
Nevertheless, people outside academic institutions often have quite clear expectations of teachers’ work, and expect us to prepare our students to take their places as functional, productive members of society.
Number Fact Memorization
Number facts need to be memorized if one is to have any chance at using math for anything really useful, both in the classroom and in the outside world. This is one example in which setting a priority will fulfill aspirations in both contexts; students will need to recall number facts in lots (all?) future math classes, and in “real life” also.
In this podcast Peter Price argues that number fact memorization is essential for all students.
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Agree? Disagree? Let me know what you think! Please leave a comment below – the feedback will help us plan future podcast episodes!
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Episode 5 - Practical Math: Number Fact Memorization [ 10 min 25 s ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (296)
Amanda
10. Apr, 2011
Sounds great! At what age do you think number facts should be integrated into the curriculum.
Short and sweet, but still very effective.
Peter Price
14. Apr, 2011
Thanks for the comment, Amanda. I believe that number facts learning should begin as early as children start to understand numbers and their meanings – even before school if the children are ready.
Just as children learn language informally through natural, everyday interactions with significant adults in their lives, number facts should be seen as a natural part of learning about numbers from early years.