Location
Room 131
Start Date
28-2-2025 10:00 AM
End Date
28-2-2025 10:40 AM
First Presenter's Brief Biography
Dr. Janel Janiczek Smith, jjsmith@georgiasouthern.edu, is a senior lecturer in the Department of Middle Grades and Secondary Education at Georgia Southern University. Dr. Smith has an educational background in mathematics and elementary education from the University of Pittsburgh and received her doctorate in 2013 in the field of Curriculum Studies. After teaching for nine years in public elementary and middle schools in Georgia, she transitioned to higher education. Her research interests include support for first-generation students, strategies to engage adult learners in online coursework, integration of literacy across disciplines, and supporting representations and practices in the mathematics classroom.
Second Presenter's Brief Biography
Dr. Alesia Mickle Moldavan, amoldavan@georgiasouthern.edu, is an Assistant Professor of Elementary Mathematics and Science Education at Georgia Southern University. Dr. Moldavan holds a Ph.D. in Teaching and Curriculum in Mathematics Education from Georgia State University. She has significant experience working with technology and digital learning platforms to promote STEM education. She focuses her research on culturally relevant STEM practices, educational technology, and teacher professional development.
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Presentation Type
Concurrent Session
N/A
Abstract
Students often learn to navigate place value operations through algorithms and "moving the decimal". But what does this mean to students? How does this build conceptual understanding of the topic?
In this session, participants will learn about support for teaching place value in the elementary classroom. This session will be hands-on and allow participants to take materials back to their school.
Conference Strands
Content Area Math
Description
Place value and operations with place value are often presented through algorithms and "tricks" such as moving a decimal. While efficient with time in the classroom, conceptual learning does not take place that allows students to solve unfamiliar problems or transfer learning to different concepts.
Cognitive science indicates that students often do not have the capacity to learn in a representational or abstract level before concrete understanding occurs. This reasoning is supported by the work of Bruner and Keeney (1965) who propose a progression of concrete instruction and practice prior to the representational and abstract levels.
During this session, participants will engage in hands-on learning and make materials to return to the elementary classroom with supports for their students.
Bruner, J. S., & Kenney, H. J. (1965). Representation and mathematics learning. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 30(1). pp. 50-59. https://doi.org/1165708
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Included in
Exploring Place Value & Making Algebra Concrete (Make and Take, Elementary & Middle/ Secondary))
Room 131
Students often learn to navigate place value operations through algorithms and "moving the decimal". But what does this mean to students? How does this build conceptual understanding of the topic?
In this session, participants will learn about support for teaching place value in the elementary classroom. This session will be hands-on and allow participants to take materials back to their school.
