EC STEM Institute

ECE TeachersAs Mathematicians

Teresa GonczyThursday, Sept 4th, 10:30am

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

Problem Solving

The Smallest Candy Store Problem

* Take a few minutes to try it out yourself* Then collaborate with your group

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

Problem Solving

The Smallest Candy Store Problem

* Create a poster showing your group's thinkingabout the problem

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

Problem Solving

The Smallest Candy Store Problem

* What were some of the strategies you used?

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

Problem Solving

The Smallest Candy Store Problem

* What made this problem interestingor unusual? How was it different than

other math problems you've done?

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

Problem Solving

The Smallest Candy Store Problem

* How did working on this problem make you feel?

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

Problem Solving

The Smallest Candy Store Problem

* How could you modify or adapt the probleminto one that your students could work on?

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

Why Math in ECE?

Research shows that early math skills are just as predictive, and possibly more predictive, of later

academic success than early literacy skills.

And yet most preschool classrooms devote much more time to literacy than to math.

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

Duncan, G.J., Dowsett, C.J., Claessens, A., Magnuson, K., Huston, A.C., Klebanov, P., Pagani, L.S., Feinstein, L., Engel, M., Brooks-Gunn, J., Sexton, H., Duckworth, K., and Japel, C. (2007). School readiness and later achievement. Developmental Psychology, 43(6).

Why Math in ECE?

Why less math?

Perhaps because ECE teachers don't see themselves as mathematicians?

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

What is Math?

But what is math?

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

What is math?

Mathematics is a way of understanding the world around us.

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

What do mathematicians do?

Mathematicians don't sit around doing worksheets or lots of calculations all day.

They problem solve!

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

What do mathematicians do?

Problems versus Exercises

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

NAEYC & NCTM

Kids should be problem solving too!

Position Statement Recommendations:4. Strengthen children's problem solving &

reasoning processes.6. Provide for children's deep & sustained

interaction with key math ideas.

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

Problem Solving Strategies

What are some problem solving strategies that you use in real life, or with your students?

Not just in math!

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

Problem Solving Strategies

Polya's Four Steps

* Understand the problem* Devise a plan

* Carry out the plan* Look back

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

Problem Solving Strategies

* Guess & check* Make a list/table

* Look for a pattern* Draw a picture/model

* Solve a simpler problem* Work backwards

* Act it out/use manipulatives* Change your point of view

* Try special cases

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

Problem Solving Strategies

Let's try a few more problems! :-)

* What strategies can you use?* What is interesting to you

about each problem?

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

Problem Solving Strategies

How can you modify or adapt these problemsand strategies so that they'll work

with the kids in your class?

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

Problem Solving Strategies

Let's create some preschool problems!

* Start with an interesting situation?* Start with a math concept?

* Start with a problem solving strategy?* Start with a harder problem & simplify?

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

Problem Solving Strategies

Problem SharingWith Colleagues

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

Problem Solving Strategies

* Can you tell me about the problem?* What is the problem asking you to do?

* What do you know already?* What have you come up with so far?

* Could you draw a diagram?* Can you make a list?

* Is this like other problems we've worked on?* Can you make it easier?

* Could you do it a different way?

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

Conclusion

* I used to think... Now I think...

* What new idea or activity are you going to take into your classroom next week?

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA

Contact

Teresa Gonczyteresaeg@gmail.comTwitter @earlymath

Slides will be availableon my blog at

www.teresaeg.com/blog

© Teresa Gonczy 2014 – Region IX Head Start Association Early Childhood STEM Institute, San Diego, CA