Teaching children mathematical techniques in relation to the current technology can be a daunting task even for experienced teachers. Learning through mathematics, science and technology facilitates optimal acquisition of mathematical skills by these children.
Studies in this subject provide a vital understanding of the underlying link between children’s learning process and the surrounding technology. They relate how different backgrounds can bias one’s acquisition of digital skills and advance the best strategies to counter the different situations (Blithe, 2006).
The subject began by underscoring the importance of counting, summation and multiplicative skills to the intellectual development of children. It stressed the relevance of using real life that students could relate to in order to simplify the process of application. For instance, counting skills will enable the children to determine their age during a particular time.
Moreover, it enables them to differentiate between an object and objects. Secondly, the subject introduces the aspect of technology and how it affects the daily life of the children. Learning the subject enables one to understand the relevance of ensuring that relevant technologies are instituted in the classroom for equal acquisition of digital skills to the students.
This identifies a reason for the disparity in the speed, at which children learn, and prompts the teachers to seek strategies to ensure presence of a level learning environment, irrespective of one’s background.
Another vital lessons imparted by the subject are patterning and sequences. Patterning deals with the organization of different objects taking into consideration their relationships. Sequences, on the other hand, refer to how things are ordered.
Children require skills to help them compare and contrast a range of things in the real environment. Armed with this information, teachers can incorporate patterning lessons using real life objects to facilitate easier comprehension of mathematical skills, such as addition and subtraction.
The subject highlights the vital skills that should be possessed by teachers if efficient integration of technology and the learning process is to be achieved. For instance, possession of excellent comprehension of elementary mathematics, pedagogical knowledge and effective classroom methodologies are significant.
They call for increased effort for teachers who exhibit a deficiency in any of these areas. Correction efforts include taking an extra course in one’s area of weakness. In my case, I need to boost my skills in elementary mathematics (Sarama, 2009)
Though technology can be beneficial to children with complication in acquisition of certain skills, the subject points out how its usage could be detrimental to the moral of the child. For instance, early exposure of children to the internet contributes to later drug abuse. They get access to pornographic films and fall victim to negative peer pressure. This calls for teachers to be cautious with the usage of technology by these children.
For instance, they (children) should only be allowed to access internet under the watch of an adult, or pornographic sites should be censored to help restrain immorality. Moreover, teachers should advice parents on similar matters since they may not be in a position to keep an eye on the children after school.
Though the subject has tackled the technology, math and science exhaustively, I feel it has highlighted the areas that require reflection but has failed in providing appropriate solutions to these problems.
For example, it identifies the disparity in technological exposure between children form different families but does not provide a strategy to alleviate the difference, before instituting a level learning ground. This calls for further study to identify workable solutions that target the gaps in the teaching process as earlier indicated.
References
Blithe, S. (2006). The Well Balanced Child: Movements and Early learning. California: Hawthorne Press.
Sarama, J. (2009). Teaching and Learning Early Mathematics. New York: Routledge Publishing.