Reflection Week 2

Conceptual Learning: Math Grade 2

Throughout the short time I had in PS2 I had the pleasure of seeing first-hand how
conceptual learning can foster the rapid development of numeracy skills well beyond grade level.
When I walked into the grade 2 math class on my first day of practicum, I was in awe of how
well my teacher associate (TA) had set up the students for success. Students were doing addition
and subtraction of 3- and 4-digit numbers on personal white boards and even in their head
without having to write them out. Additionally, several students were able to multiply single and
double- digit numbers. The students had such a deep understanding of numbers it was almost
surreal. For this reason, conceptual learning was something I was going to further study to
effectively teach the grade 2 students in the small intervention groups throughout the course of
my practicum.
From what I have learned, conceptual learning focuses on seeing the material being
taught in a big-picture way. Conceptual learning gives students a bird’s eye view of the concepts
being taught so they can see material from a top-down approach. This approach enables the
learner to better organize and categorize information which in turn builds stronger connections
with and between concepts. Conceptual learning encourages learning through critical thinking
rather than memorization.
There are several different approaches to conceptual learning in math and my TA used
several of those approaches. For effective concept-based learning, it is essential to create a
classroom structure that will foster big-picture understanding. Beginning the class with a quick
brain warm up such as math talks, spiral reviews or redrawing 3-D shapes (as my TA did) is a
great way to stimulate the brains of learning students.
Following the warmup, it is helpful to give students open-ended problem-solving
questions. These questions provide opportunity for deep learning as students are encouraged to
explain their thoughts, and reasonings throughout the problem-solving process. A great way to
establish this task is by providing each student with their own journal. One thing my TA did that
is essential in the open-ended problem-solving process is to give each student a different
question. This ensures they truly understand the concept and are not simply solving the problem
based on what they overhear from their peers or what they see their peers writing in their journal.
The point of these open-ended problems is not to have each student identify all the different
ways to solve a problem. Rather, the point is for students to self-identify a problem-solving
method that works best for them and gets them to the right answer. When students explain their
reasoning, it can provide insight to their train of thought and how they process information. This
revelation is very eye opening for the teacher and it can help the teacher view problems from a
new lense.
After the open-ended problem-solving, it is then time to focus on a certain concept within
the lesson. The amount of time allotted for this is meant to be relatively short and straight to the
point while still providing ample opportunity for self discovery. From what I saw come to
fruition throughout my TA’s lessons, in this time frame it is important to ask questions to the
whole class that can be answered relatively quickly. Providing quick response time ensures
students don’t count on their fingers, which uses low level thinking, but rather they rearrange
numbers in their head, which uses high level thinking strategies. It takes several months to get
students to this point but when they do reach such high levels of thinking they are able to solve
problems much more efficiently.
This last stage is known as small group intervention. In my short period of time in the
classroom I worked with small groups of students of various conceptualization abilities. When I
arrived many students in the classroom were able to subitize very automatically and some
students found subitizing more challenging as they didn’t quite grasp the concept of numbers.
With this group of students, I identified several interesting patterns that could be further analyzed
to understand how their brains visualize and conceptualize numbers. For the students that
struggled to subitize numbers it was interesting what numbers and combinations of numbers
caused confusion. For example, adding 5 and 3 was much easier for them to do when the
subitizing cards of 5 and of 3 were organized as they are on dice. When those formations were
not conventional, they couldn’t visualize them in their brain. After repetition of the subitizing
cards they were able to add those same cards much easier and their recall was more reflexive.
Another pattern I saw was the interchangeable use of the numbers 6 and 9. Although I can’t
conclude this, I was wondering if it may have something to do with an upside down 6 being a 9
and vice versa. When given 2 subitizing cards with 3 dots on each and asked to add the cards
together one student often said 9. The same would happen when asked to add 3 subitizing cards
that each had 2 dots on them. When asked to add 3 subitizing cards with 3 dots on each the
student would say 6. When asked to add 2 subitizing cards with 6 dots on one and 3 dots on the
other the student would also say 6. After several opportunities for practice, these errors were
minimal. This being said, it was interesting to see the connection that had been made between
these numbers in the students’ mind. In this same breakout group the students had difficulty
understanding the triadic relationship between numbers. For example, 6 + 4 = 10, therefore we
can say, 10 – 4 = 6 and 10 – 6 = 4. Another example is, 3 + 5 = 8, therefore we can say, 8 – 5 = 3
and 8 – 3 = 5. Again, after repetition they were able to grasp how these numbers were correlated
and were quick to make connections. As my TA demonstrated very well in her classroom, small
intervention groups can be easily set up in stations. Creating several stations where students can
work without guidance and one station where students are given ample guidance. This can
inform the teacher of where students are at in the learning process while providing opportunity to
help students move beyond the challenges that may be holding them back.