Ged Teaching, One Room Schoolhouse

Admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:05:45 +0000

Ged Teaching, One Room Schoolhouse

In the evening the literacy classroom is full of expectant students. They seek to put a future GED mathematics test behind them. The teacher, once again, faces the task of teaching for the GED math test. No one said it would not be easy. All of this sounds easy until faced with actual numbers.

The counting numbers and values

Place value of numbers to the right and left of the decimal point.

Addition subtraction multiplication division

Rounding up and rounding down a number

What happens if the math skill is not present in the student? If a student doesn’t know the value of the number 3? A student can’t add 3 + 2 = ? These questions help define the challenges of students and teachers. Yep, the teacher must teach the information above. It is the interplay of two simple but old questions.

What does the student know?

What is the student required to know?

This is the basis by which to conduct a class or teach information. The classroom of students are not all at the same level of math skills. A teacher, really a mentor, must take each student from question 1 up to question 2. Even if the teacher can teach math, knowing math is not the same as teaching math. English may be a second language for a student. So a teacher must:

Diagnose the student

Use appropriate teaching skills

Teach with memory aids

Evaluate a student’s performance

Enhance student’s worth, skill and respect

Granted these are really simple steps that a teacher wants to use to reach the goals. Can you see the complex interplay of mentor and student? The dance that both engage in to enable skills transfer and understanding? In chaos there is order and understanding.

The nail that sticks up out of the floor is hammered! Will the stresses of learning and using math information lead the student to decide to fail? Some students pay a high price for changing or seeing the world differently from their peers or culture. GED education is not a one size fits all for every student.

In a GED class there are multiple ways a student or teacher can fail. Each student must be motivated by the teacher or mentor. The teacher must be flexible, aware of their students’ problems and leading them towards the goal. Multi-tasking seems to be a trait for those who teach.

Hang in there as we briefly cover info on math. Students need to know fractions,

ratios, algebra, geometry, mathematical rules, mean, mode, median, and the metric system. Students should comprehend above and how to solve math problems. The ideal classroom will be the one in which student demonstrates:

How they can store information in their minds.

That they can recall and use the stored information.

That they can do analysis, integration, synthesis and processing of information;

They understand test questions types, test strategies, and test logic.

That they can perform at or above the test standard.

A GED classroom often contains adults and teenagers together. Learning difficulties in students through physical and or psychological reasons are more prevalent in our students. Our students must change their outlook on learning. Buy into the belief that they too may be successful. One constant in their life is failure. Teachers attempt to turn this around and repair the damage of the concept of failure.

The poor GED mentor or teacher must be energetic because energy attracts, grabs and pulls a student out of their current orbits. If you want to move a strand of cooked spaghetti in a straight line you pull not push it.

Students will respond to a teacher’s care and expectations if the teacher is bold enough to ignore the students’ excuses. It’s alright to remind a student that what they thought was not possible is indeed proven possible.

A lot is learned in a GED math class besides math for both the mentor and student.

By: Ronald Newton

Learning Mathematics » Literacy Classroom

Ged Teaching, One Room Schoolhouse