Marian Small facts for kids

Marian Small, born in 1948, is a Canadian expert who studies how kids learn math. She is also a university teacher, a writer of math books, and a speaker who shares her ideas. She has helped write math textbooks used in Canada, Austria, and the United States. Marian Small believes in a special way of teaching math called "constructivism." This method helps students build their own understanding of math, especially for kids from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade.

Marian Small's Career Journey

Marian Small started her teaching career in 1973 at the University of New Brunswick. She worked in the Faculty of Education, which is where teachers are trained.

During her time there, she held many important roles. She was a department chair, which means she led a group of teachers. She also served as an acting associate dean, acting dean, and even dean, which are leadership positions for the whole faculty. At one point, she was also an acting vice-president for the university.

Small also spent two terms working with School District 18 in New Brunswick. This shows her dedication to improving education for students in schools.

Her Approach to Teaching Math

Marian Small strongly supports a teaching method called "constructivism" for math. This idea encourages students to figure out math problems and create their own explanations. She believes that students learn math best when they are actively involved in building their own understanding.

Why Constructivism Works

Small explains that this active learning happens in classrooms where students solve interesting problems. It also happens when students share many different ways to solve math problems. Teachers in these classrooms pay attention to and value how students think about math.

An Example of Constructivism in Action

To show how this works, Small gives an example of students learning to add 47 and 38. In a traditional math class, a teacher might just show students how to add these numbers by "grouping the ones, trading, and then grouping the tens."

However, in a constructivist classroom, the teacher would do something different. The teacher might give students counting tools, like blocks or counters. Then, they would pose a problem, such as: "One bus has 47 students; another has 38. How many students are on both buses?"

Students would then use their own ideas and strategies to solve this problem. After they finish, the class would have a discussion. During this talk, students would share the different ways they found the answer. The teacher would then add more ideas to help everyone learn even more.

The Teacher's Role in Constructivism

A key part of Small's approach is how teachers ask questions. Teachers use skillful questions to help students think deeper and explain their math reasoning. This helps students truly understand why a math solution works, not just how to get the answer.