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Sociocultural Approach to teaching Mathematics 

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Sociocultural Approach to teaching Mathematics 

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This approach is based on the premise that children learn according to their social environment, so teaching math should be also taught in this manner.

For example, if a particular society likes to be outdoors, children in that society should be taught math with outdoor activities.

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Learning mathematics should be thought of as “re-arranging” prior knowledge; not as re-discovering someone else’s ideas.

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The Sociocultural Learning Theory also takes into account how learners are impacted by their peers, and how social scenarios impact their ability to acquire information. Knowing that information, instructors can apply the Sociocultural Learning Theory in their instructional design by becoming aware of how different learners may directly impact one another, as well as how cultural “norms” can influence a learner's learning behavior. The instructor can create an eLearning course plan that integrates the principles of Sociocultural Learning, in order to enhance the effectiveness of the curriculum.

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All teaching and learning is a matter of sharing and negotiating socially constituted knowledge. It is something that we share as a society while interacting with each other.

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Strategy for teaching subtraction of fractions with like denominators

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Strategy for teaching subtraction of fractions with like denominators

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A fun way to teach this concept using the Constructivism point of view is to have the students make different fraction strips with given denominators. In this way, adding and subtracting fractions becomes a hands–on kinesthetic experience. While it may seem like a very basic lesson, a student’s ability to understand this lesson conceptually will help to ensure a student’s success in later lessons. Therefore, it is a great one to make interactive with the fraction strips.

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Constructivism Approach: Teaching Arithmetic

Constructivist instruction focuses on giving value to the development of students’ personalized mathematical ideas. In other words, students do not “discover” the way the world works like Columbus found a new con- tinent. Rather they invent new ways of thinking about the world.

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Student-centered instruction is a learning process where teachers and students communicate using a constructivist approach with its strategies, tools and practices. This is an approach the emphasizes on students as active learners, interactive, and responsive. A student-centered approach focuses more on students learning than on teachers teaching.

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Build New Knowledge from Prior Knowledge Activity

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Build New Knowledge from Prior Knowledge Activity

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Four children had 3 bags of M&Ms. They decided to open
all 3 bags of candy and share the M&Ms fairly. There were
52 M&M candies in each bag. How many M&M candies
did each child get?
"From a constructivist and sociocultural
perspective, this classroom culture allows students to
access their prior knowledge, use cultural tools, and build
new knowledge" (Van del Walle, p.21).

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Sociocultural Theory: Zone of Proximal Development

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Sociocultural Theory: Zone of Proximal Development

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This is the “gap” or distance that exists between a learner's possible educational development, which is determined through problem solving activities, and the development that actually takes place. This is assessed when learners are asked to engage in problem solving tasks under the supervision of an instructor. Their responses and capabilities are then compared to that of their peers. This assessment is based upon a spectrum, wherein what learners are capable of doing without any assistance is at one end of the spectrum, and what they can do while being assisted is at the other. In essence, the zone allows instructors to learn what a student is not yet capable of doing or has not yet learned, but can be taught with the proper instruction.

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According to the Sociocultural Learning Theory, language is a direct result of the symbols and tools that emerge within a culture. An individual is able to learn language through a variety of social events, scenarios and processes, which all result in the acquisition of language. This aspect of the Sociocultural Learning Theory relies upon the idea that learners go through three stages of speech development. First, they must engage in the social environment, which is known as “social speech” and begins at the age of 2. Next, they will learn about “private speech”, which occurs when learners voice their thoughts aloud, and begins at the age of 3. The last is “inner speech”, which takes the form of ideas that remain within our minds and directly impact our behavior or thoughts, and begins at the age of 7.

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Vygotsky suggested that cultures are actually formed through the use of tools and symbols, and that this key distinction is what differentiates the human race from that of animals. Intelligence is achieved when a learner can “internalize” the tools that are being provided in the culture itself. When the tools of a culture evolve and emerge, the learners’ ability to grow as individuals and increase their knowledge base is broadened. As such, according to the Sociocultural Learning Theory, it's important for instructors to understand the human mind from a historical point of view as well as a cultural one.

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Theories that are most commonly used by researchers to understand how students learn mathematics. "Constructivism might be the best tool, or lens,
for thinking about how a student might internalize an
idea, and sociocultural theory might be a better tool for
analyzing
influence of the social/cultural aspects of
the classroom" (Van de Walle. p.19)

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The sociocultural theory is based upon the idea that a learner's environment plays a pivotal role in his/her learning development. According to Vygotsky the learning process actually involves three key themes: culture, language, and the “zone of proximal development”.

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Jean Paigets theory is that "the notion that learners are not blank slates but rather creators (constructors) of their own learning. Integrated network, or cognitive schemas, are both product of constructing knowledge and the tools with which additional new knowledge can be constructed" (Van de Walle. p.19). Constructivist learning happens when students are actively involved in a process and knowledge construction, rather than just listening. Constructivist learning fosters critical thinking and creates motivated and independent learners.

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Learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current/past knowledge.
Constructivist teachers focus more on learning through activity, rather than learning from textbooks. To incorporate to new ideas, assimilation
occurs. This happens when a new concept “fits” with prior knowledge
and the new information expands an existing network. Accommodation takes place when the new concept does not "fit" with the existing network as per Van del Walle.