Optimizing
Math Learning
Jack
Clines / cclines@bellarmine.edu / Faculty Advisor: Anna Raymond
It
has been said that mathematics is a language, but it is clear that not every
student today is fluent. This project sought to answer the question, how do we
construct and decode mathematical knowledge, in order to examine why some
students can “speak” math while students cannot. Specifically, aspects of the
Common Core math curriculum were studied to assess its validity and to discern
whether the curriculum’s structure could be hindering student learning or is
actually structured well and follows relevant theory proven to be affective in
practice. Aspects of learning theory, psychology, and pedagogical theory were
used to form an understanding of mathematical learning. The main theory used as
a contrast to the Common Core standards is constructivism. Relevant teaching
strategies were discussed in relation to specific math concepts covered by the
standards in order to identify whether appropriate theory could be put into
practice effectively in this set of standards.
