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Part 2: The Volunteer
This is a continuation of the special presentation at the annual conference of the Drill and Kill Math Association of America. This year, the conference planners had brought in a controversial speaker: a recovering math phobic. A heckler from the audience has confronted the speaker.
The heckler shot out of his seat once more. “All right, Ms. Math Phobic, tell us about this new way of yours.”
“ Oh”, the presenter cried delightedly, “A volunteer! Thank you so much for volunteering!” she cheerfully intoned. “Ladies and gentlemen this kind man has so thoughtfully volunteered to be part of my presentation.
“What?” said the Heckler confusedly.
“Sir, thank you again. Please, come this way. My assistants will help you to the stage.” The Phobic’s heels clicked back to a small easel covered with a dark cloth, while a young man and a young woman materialized from behind the stage.
“What?” blurted the heckler again. “What?”
“Sir, if you will please” the Phobic swept her hands to a small chair that was sitting directly in front of the easel, facing the audience. She looked at the heckler and smiled a friendly, welcoming smile.
“What?” whispered the Heckler, his eyes large and his face blanched with fear.
“Ladies and gentleman, let’s give it up for our happy volunteer!” the Phobic began clapping with a gleam in her eyes. “Let’s also give a hand to my two volunteers. Folks these young people are brand new teachers. Education is an extremely rewarding field, but sometimes difficult. We need creative teachers like these two to address the needs of all children differently” said the Phobic proudly as she turned toward the Heckler and the dark easel.
“What?” whispered the Heckler again as he sat in the chair facing the audience.
“Ah, let’s get back to our demonstration. Sir, can we have your name please?”
“What?” croaked the Heckler.
“Your name, please” she questioned, smiling warmly.
“ Jorge Spinkelheimer” said the Heckler in a dry, quiet voice.
“Mr. Spinkelheimer, we are going to be working with fractions today. My objective for this lesson and more specifically, for your learning , is that you, and the audience of course, will leave here today with a hands-on lesson presenting information in a visual, kinesthetic, that’s hands-on you know, and verbal manner. You will leave also with the understanding that math needs to be connected to real-life for kids and to prior learning. Our knowledge of the brain shows that we can better retain information if we can link new information to existing information. The brain likes novelty as well and a lesson that involves movement and high interest is more likely to be retained by children than a lesson that simply presents a mathematical action and then has children practice, practice, practice.”
“What” snarled Mr. Spinkelheimer, “you’re saying practice is bad?”
“ Mr. Spinkelheimer, I’m simply saying that one method of instruction, being primarily verbal, with some visuals and then letting children practice on their own is not the most effective way to teach. Now then, Mr. S, may I call you that? Tell me how you experience fractions in your life?”
“What? What are you talking about, experiencing fractions? One doesn’t, “experience a fraction” he replied sarcastically.
“Oh sure you do. Do you give a fraction of your paycheck every month to taxes?” The audience chuckled and murmured in agreement.
“Mr. S. please direct your attention to the tray in front of you.”
“Cookies? Jelly Beans? What is this? I don’t, I don’t like Gummi Bears” grumbled Jorge Spinkelheimer. “And what’s this got to do with math?”
The Phobic walked in front of Mr. Spinkelheimer and addressed the audience.
“Ladies and Gentleman one always explains behavioral expectations before a lesson and if we were working with our students, we’d have to make clear that eating the materials is unacceptable. However, since Mr. S doesn’t like Gummi’s we may not have that problem.”
The audience chuckled again along with The Phobic.
“ Mr. S, we can do a variety of hands-on things with materials children can relate to. We can have the children simply count the Jelly Beans and make fractions with the colors, giving them an initial understanding of what a fraction is. Children can take data on the items. Graph the items and even do algebraic problems at an early age. All with something they can relate to and enjoy afterwards. We can have older children, with higher skills, count all the preferred treats, and then find the proportion of non-preferred treats to preferred ones. A fraction!”
“Well, I don’t prefer any of these treats” muttered The Heckler as he began to rise.”
“Mr. Spinkelheimer! Watch out! You’re going to hit the easel” shouted The Phobic.
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