Resources in the Classroom

Looking at the resources that are available in today's Newfoundland and Labrador classrooms was a surprising experience for me.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect, besides maybe a lot of drill-work beginning in the elementary grades.  I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of differentiation in questions, as well as a lot of upper-level taxonomies (justify, explore, analyze etc).  I think that having preexisting resources as an option and even as a part-time resource can be very comforting, especially as a way of brushing up on personal math skills.  Another thing that surprised me about the resources available is the large range of picture books that students can relate to and apply to mathematics that are available in the primary grades - but completely disappear in the elementary grades.  I think that it would be beneficial for students to continue to have resources that make mathematical concepts more realistic and tangible for them instead of just the textbook.

The classroom set of textbooks is a contentious issue, and I think that we can agree that it should not be the be-all end-all for teaching and assessing mathematics in the classroom.  I think that the extensiveness of the resources given (the amount of teacher guides, reproducible and practice questions) often give educators the wrong idea that the textbook is the main way to teach mathematical concepts to students.  In the classrooms where I've seen the the highest reliance on textbook resources I've also seen the greatest frustration in math - from those who find it too easy, those who find that the problems are too confusing and then those who don't believe that they can do it so they don't even begin.  I don't think these teachers think that they are doing anything wrong - why have all of this material available if we aren't going to use it?  But, as in our mathematics textbook Elementary and Middle School Mathematics - Teaching Developmentally says we must consider our class first and create lessons that will suit their interests and abilities, which is contrary to sole use of the textbooks.  The text also points out that we cannot drag our students through a worksheet that will assess their understanding of any particular concept and then assume that they have mastered it, which I think is a myth that is propagated by textbook use.

Although I am one of those who is comforted by the availability of preexisting resources, it is also interesting to think about the possibility of that money being spent better on creating your own set of resources.  I think that when we consider our own personal strengths and weaknesses as well as the abilities and interests of our students the money we put into textbooks could be better spent on creating a mathematics program that is for them.  I think that it would benefit not only the students but also the teacher because they would be more personally invested in the subject - rather than just passing on a curriculum that they didn't create with materials that they didn't choose. 

Today's exploration of resources definitely sparked greater consideration for how resources and money are doled out in the education system, and what the implications are for us as future educators.