Thursday, August 7, 2008
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Welcome to the Master Teachers of Maine (MTM) Mathematics blog site! This blog is intended as a forum of support for teachers and administrators registered as members of the MTM Program, an intensive training project funded by the Maine Dept of Education, in collaboration with "I Get It!" Math. This partnership represents an initiative to significantly raise mathematical competency in Maine by supporting teacher growth through robust learning communities and training efforts.
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Drill V. Practice
The word drill brings to mind the act of memorization. I remember sitting at the kitchen table night after night with my mom going through piles of flashcards. My little sister, Amanda, was always at the table with us, echoing everything I said. Amanda was 3 at the time and could recite the multiplication tables all the way through the 12’s. Although, Amanda had the multiplication facts memorized they had no meaning for her.
I associate the word practice with a meaningful opportunity to better understand something. For example, when I was first learning to drive I needed a lot of practice. To this day my grandfather credits each and every one of his white hairs to having had to teach me to drive. I had a basic understanding of the rules of the road and could name the parts of the car but I needed to get in the car and physically go through the process of driving many times before I was ready to take the test for my license. If my grandfather and I had just sat in the car, parked in the driveway, and talked about driving I would still be a terrible driver (practice lets you taste the mango).
I think that drill may help for fast recall but the practice piece needs to be there for understanding.
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