Today, we have a very special guest. Shaoyang was one of the teachers I met during my contract teaching. He was motivating and was one of first teachers I learned from. He believes in doing what is right rather than what is popular.
I was pleasantly surprised when he asked me if he could post on my blog. Teachers reading and affirming my methods are always a source of motivation for me.
Today, he shares about his journey when he was younger.
Here it goes!
-----------------------------
Hi everyone!
My name is Shaoyang and I have been following Danny’s posts
for a while. Some of his posts are on skills in solving word problems and I
want to share my experience with you all on this aspect while I was a student.
By the way, I would like to thank Danny for letting me post
on his blog.
Problem
Does your child (and sometimes you yourself) GIVE UP EASILY
in solving word problems? Do the both of you feel DISCOURAGED upon seeing
SENTENCE AFTER SENTENCE in a word problem? If you answered ‘yes’, read on. If
not…you still can read on.
When I was a Primary 4 student, I understood word problems
like playing ‘tikam’: literally GUESSING the solutions to the word problems.
Somehow, in the first 3 years of school, I survived through guessing. You (or
your child) might also have this experience before and you can be sure it IS
NOT A NICE FEELING.
More problems
Now, you would think that I could get through Primary 4 by
guessing. Instead, I failed my Math exams in mid-year.
I WAS SHOCKED! It never occurred to me that I would fail
Math.
THE BEST PART WAS MY UNDERSTANDING OF ‘SUBTRACTION’ IS AS
FOLLOWS:
4 – 1 = 1, 2 OR 3.
That was how BAD my math was. I had to take action to pass
my exams at the end of the year.
A plan is hatched
NO MORE FOOLING AROUND. I decided to seek help from my
parents and teachers in Math. They told me an important element to solving math
word problems:
UNDERSTANDING
With guidance, I slowed down my reading of solving word
problems to look out for information that will help me UNDERSTAND the word
problems and solve them. As time went by, I gained more confidence in solving
word problems when I saw that my most of my solutions were correct and more
importantly, based on understanding, not guesswork.
THE GRAND FINISH
Then, came the turning point in the year end exams. 92 out
of 100!
The JOY was beyond description! I had moved from failure to
92, double of what I have been doing! This was a tremendous milestone!
My point?
Solving Math word problems is still as difficult as ever.
With resilience, guidance from mentors and understanding, you can turn them
into opportunities of learning by deepening your understanding of Math concepts.
Today, because of that breakthrough, I treat every Math problem as a challenge
to strengthen my understanding of Math concepts! J
IF I CAN SOLVE WORD PROBLEMS, YOUR CHILD CAN TOO!
----------------------------------
I hope you benefit from this post. Please share with your friends if you find it useful.
Together, we can make a difference in educating our next generation.
Stay tuned!
No comments
Post a Comment