9.1M Ability to support and reinforce the instruction of students in math following written and oral lesson plans developed by licensed teachers.
9.2M Ability to utilize effective developmental, age-appropriate, and culturally sensitive instructional strategies in math that supports the instruction of licensed teachers.

Introduction

This unit addresses instructional strategies that a paraprofessional might encounter in a mathematics classroom.

Many new strategies of math education have been researched and implemented in recent history. This has created diversity of instructional techniques in today’s math classroom. As a result, the paraprofessional may encounter a classroom that uses traditional [teacher-centered instruction] or a contemporary approach where students construct their own knowledge with minimal teacher intervention. This unit attempts to bridge this gap by presenting three of the most common types of instruction that may be encountered by the paraprofessional. All of these strategies are based on procedures that are used in most classrooms of today.

The first is the traditional, [lecture-based instruction], in which the instructor directly explains the necessary information that is needed to complete a mathematical task through the use of examples and then the students apply these procedures to practice problems. Although this pedagogical perspective has been criticized for not being as effective as more modern approaches, this method is still used in many classrooms.

The second approach to teaching is centered on [inquiry-based instruction] and is used in most mathematics classrooms today. This strategy uses questions that teachers pose as the cornerstone of their instruction. It is often incorporated into other instructional styles, indicating its versatility and usefulness in a variety of situations.

Lastly, the [constructivist approach] to teaching mathematics is explored in this unit. This form of instruction is less prominent in the math classroom, perhaps due to the time that it takes to implement or the fact that the teacher has less control in the process. This example of [student-centered instruction] provides the teacher with a challenge as he or she must restrain from interfering with the process of learning. The paraprofessional may encounter this instructional method and should be able to adapt accordingly.

The ability to assist the mathematics teacher is a vital contribution of the paraprofessional. This contribution can be significantly increased if the paraprofessional is self-reliant and able to perform the tasks in which the teacher needs assistance. There are many methods used in teaching mathematics, and although mathematicians may debate which approach is best, each has merit and can be used effectively. When finished with this unit, the paraprofessional will be able to use different methodologies to assist the teacher in educating students in the K-12 mathematics classrooms.

Objectives

As you read the objectives for this unit, think about and rate your current knowledge using the following scale.

1. I do not understand this.
2. I do understand this.
3. I understand this well enough to use in my work.
4. I could teach others about it and use it in my work.

Upon completion of this unit you will:

• Support and reinforce the teacher in the instruction of students in mathematics;
• Utilize effective developmental, age-appropriate, and culturally sensitive instructional strategies in math;
• Access and effectively use available resources for supporting instruction in math;
• Gather and record data regarding student performance in the area of math;
• Know terminology related to the instruction of math; and
• Understand how the Minnesota Standards and Testing (including state and local testing) direct the teaching of math in the state.

Information for this unit was gathered, in part, from the following resources:

Polya, G. (1985). How to solve it: A new aspect of mathematical method (2nd ed.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Sowder, J., & Schappelle, B. (2002). Lessons learned from research. Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Inc.

Stein, M. K., Smith, M. S., Henningsen, M. A., & Silver, E. A. (2000). Implementing standards-based mathematics instruction. New York: Teachers College Press.

Woolfolk, A. (2001). Educational psychology. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

The Para eLink is sponsored by the Minnesota Paraprofessional Consortium, in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Education, located at the Institute on Community Integration in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota.

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