Chapter 1: Subtraction with Regrouping
Dr. Ma states that "A good vehicle, however, does not guarantee the right destination." (page 5)
Have you, in the past, attempted to demonstrate an issue in math to your students with manipulatives, only to find that the students seemed more confused after the demonstration than before? If so, what went wrong?
How is your manipulative use going in Singapore Math?
Do you understand why Tr. Belinda's and Ms. Florence's use of manipulatives for the problem 52 - 25 was conceptually incorrect for the understanding of subtraction with regrouping? If so, can you see why using base-10 blocks and/or place value disks is a better representation of the concept?
Read carefully the second paragraph on page 16 regarding the difference between the US and China's understandings of the problems 5 + 7 = 12 and 12 - 7 = 5. Think of how you learned these problems as a student and how you taught them prior to teaching Singapore Math. Are you putting the differences in understanding, and therefore in teaching, into practice in your classroom this year?
Are you having discussions in class after using manipulatives in a lesson? Perhaps you could meet with other teachers in your grade level to prepare discussion questions. Dr. Ma states that such discussions depends on the conceptual understanding of the teacher, and lead to deeper understanding of the students.
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