Response to Heather J. Robinson’s Article

“Using Research to Analyze, Inform, and Asses Changes in Instruction”
by Heather J. Robinson’s

I agree that she said “students learn best when they are actively engaged in the thinking about and doing mathematics.” Hence, I think teacher should give some time for group work and group discussion for every lecture and I think it is easier for students to talk to classmates rather than teachers. In addition, it is important to build an atmosphere “where students appreciate each other’s ideas and not afraid to be wrong in order to accomplish learning.” Hence, we have to encourages freedom of expression and value their own ideas, as well as respect and reward unusual or different ideas.

However, I’m doubtfully about how practical we can help students develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills since most of our curriculum topics are hard to teach them thinking critically, and plus group discussion takes a lot of time. Due to the topics/skills we need to teach students according to curriculum, it might be hard to give students a lot of time for discussion and teach them all the skills they have to know, sometimes it is just simply don’t have enough time, and ultimately and unfortunately people evaluate students by their grades/scores on the exam.

I have one more question about why her students score so high in class grade, but poorly in common final exam. Is it because she teaches total instrumentally, so students don’t understand it that they just simply memorize the formulas/rules, so they don’t know which one to apply when all kinds of questions are mixed together in final exam? Or is it because the questions on the final exam are just too different? Nevertheless, as a teacher, we are all life-long learners; we learn from experience, peers and students.