Math Matters

 

Have you ever entered a friendís home and it was so appealing you felt as though you wanted to take photos to hold on to their ideas? Experiences like this really speak to the importance of environmentÖenvironments that are well-organized, purposeful and reflect what we value. Creating a classroom or school environment is a critical piece of any educational plan. Well designed classrooms are kid-friendly, inviting, support student independence and demonstrate the learning taking place. Teachers design classrooms that support and enhance student learning, and it is with the same priority in mind that we approach the school-wide environment too.

 

The beliefs that guide our thinking and decisions about creating a positive and productive school environment include:

• The environment and design communicates our philosophy, goals and values.
• Learning is enhanced when the environment is organized, comfortable and inviting.
• Children learn best in a student-centered environment in which materials, displays and arrangements are intentionally designed to promote collaboration and independence.
• Spaces and materials are designed to accommodate students with special needs.
• A print-rich, strong visual environment supports students in their growing independence in literacy and mathematics.
• Children feel ownership and have opportunities to help plan and design spaces.
• Children learn more in environments in which student work is continually displayed and changed in order to reflect and celebrate their effort and growth.

(Campbell-Hill and Ekey, 2010)

 

With these beliefs in mind, we approached our most recent project -- math murals. You may have noticed by now several murals painted on the walls in stairwells and hallwaysÖ all dedicated to mathematics.  In assessing our school environment it was clear that we had established print-rich classrooms and hallways; however, where did we demonstrate our value of math? It was our desire to create displays that would demonstrate the high value we place on mathematical understanding and thinking.

 

Ms. Hindley, our assistant principal, and I met with our district math coach, Mariana Ivanov, throughout the early part of the school year to discuss how to reinforce key mathematical concepts and computational algorithms, always taking into consideration a developmentally appropriate sequence of skills and strategies. Ms. Ivanovís expertise and knowledge were invaluable in support of this undertaking. We were fortunate to find the artist Sarah Bernstein, a local graduate student and student teacher here at Central, to make our ideas a reality.

 

To date, we have five murals completed and three more planned along with computational algorithms. It is wonderful to see the children lingering in front of the murals on a daily basis, studying the visual images that link content and concepts to student experiences.