Mathematics and Society - OS X Lion Server

DIDACTICSTEACHING VIA LAB APPROACHESSince many laboratory lessons involve small groups,they provide excellent opportunities for the developmentof group membership skills and, in many cases, the growthof a student's self-concept. With the aid of concretematerials and group support, some students may be ableLABAPPROACHE~S,..,.._....CO~CRE1gMATE:RIAL~SMALLGROUPSto experience more success than is usually the case. Errors may be recognized fromthe data or the apparatus and be changed before handing in a report. Every teacherknows the importance of peer group reinforcement to most middle schoolers. Smallgroups can be used to increase cooperation and decrease competition in some classes.. • • the laboratory approach builds on success rather than punishfailure, and -"i-"t~u~s.":e~s---""c~ur=-r=-e=cn,-"t~t~h~e",o",n=· e",s,,--"o::..f Lthem.' ..;l",e",a,"rn=i"-n",gL-':r-"a",t::;h",e",r---,t",h",a",n---,i",g:.;n",o=.r,,,-e[Kidd, Myers and Cilley, 1970, p. 128, emphasis added]Most teachers feel that more meaningful learningcan result when students are actively involved andworking with lots of concrete examples. The use ofconcrete representations for ideas has been promotedin these resources. Let us review some of the majortalking-points for concrete materials.CONCRETE MATERIALS1. Foundations for abstraction. Piaget, althoughnot a learning theorist, feels that natural mentaldevelopment is best fostered by an environment rich inexperiences with concrete objects (see Piaget andProportions in Ratio, Proportion and Scaling, MathematicsResource Project). Similarly, Bruner's idea that thebasic level of representation lies in physical actionhas been touched on in The Teaching of Concepts inGeometry and Visualization, Mathematics Resource Project.Experience suggests that only the top students caneasily handle purely verbal and symbolic explanations.LABAPPROACf