Teaching Reflection and Action Research: The Path to Teacher Development

Author: Shen Jiliang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-14
Features: Should students "learn to do" or "learn to understand"? The new curriculum standards emphasize that mathematics learning should focus not only on the results of students' learning but also on the process. I believe what is more important is the students' thinking process, meaning they need to learn to understand. During the recent teaching of the multiplication algorithm, I truly realized the importance of letting students learn to understand. When teaching this content for the time, I did not guide the students to analyze the principles behind it. Under the teacher's dominance, by the end of the lesson, the majority of students could "mimic like a cat painting a tiger" to calculate the multiplication of multiple-digit numbers by single-digit numbers using the vertical form, meaning the goal of letting students "learn to do" was achieved. However, upon careful analysis, it became clear that the students did not truly "learn to understand," which left a time bomb for their future learning of multiple-digit multiplication by multiple-digit numbers. After analyzing the reasons for the failure of this lesson, in another class, I adjusted my teaching approach. I focused on the intrinsic connections between knowledge, allowing students to gradually understand the principles through attempts and discussions, ultimately reaching consensus. Moreover, in this lesson, I made a bold attempt. After students tried to calculate the result of 8 × 3, I encouraged them to raise the problems they encountered during their calculations. I then summarized the students' questions and wrote them on the blackboard in a timely manner, turning them into shared issues. The students' questions reflected their desire to solve problems, and when they helped each other address the issues they cared about, they naturally focused their attention. This allowed students to truly think, which is the best of their participation in the learning process.