Chapter 1 and 13

"The reader should be cautious, though. Remember that a practice activity, even one that is really neat, cute, exiting, and engaging, cannot be truly effective until after the children have achieved understanding. No practice activity can take the place of good, solid concept and skill development." (pg. 386) Although I found these chapters to be wonderful resources for ideas for practice activities, I think it is extremely important not to forget that these activities are designed to add reinforcement to the lesson, not to teach the lesson. In many cases, these activities are included in the classroom before the students are ready because the teacher wants to make the lesson more fun and engaging. But, these activities could back fire if a student is struggling. Instead of being practice, these games can be seen as stressful experiences that could leave the student feeling extremely inferior. The only math game I can remember from my elementary education was the Around the World game. For me, this game was the second most stressful activity that took place in the classroom (second to the annual spelling bee). I have never had a very competitive spirit and that confounded with a weakness in my math skills made me feel extremely inadequate in relation to the rest of the class. The activities in chapter thirteen were better examples than Around the World. I found them to be less competitive and lower stress. Most games split the class into smaller groups or partners. You can use these small groups to create the perfect combination of students who will help and encourage one another. I really enjoyed how the activities take advantage of children's natural kinesthetic knowledge to help the kids see and experience what they are learning. I think these activities, once the children have learned the concepts and skills, can be an extremely useful and engaging opportunity to use in the classroom.