Thinkspiration™ The Inspiration® Software Blog

With the 2011-2012 school year launch of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), educators and administrators have been hard at work to make sure their curriculum meets the requirements. Designed to fully prepare students with skills for college and the workplace, the Common Core State Standards, provides a clear framework  of what a student should accomplish and learn before the end of each year. “The Common Core State Standards focus on core conceptual understandings and procedures starting in the early grades, enabling teachers to take the time needed to teach core concepts and procedures well—and to give students the opportunity to master them,” (Indiana Department of Education).

Commonly referenced in curriculum of all grades, concept learning is valuable and necessary in a student’s education and growth. However, no matter how often the teaching of concepts may be emphasized by the educator, concept-centered curriculum is often a challenge for students to learn.  A common challenge for teachers is that while students may retain principles and facts, understanding of concepts and how to apply that knowledge often goes overlooked.

According to Sydelle Seiger-Ehrenberg in “Developing Minds: A Research Book for Teaching Thinking”, a prevalent misconception is that concepts can be taught and learned the same way as facts. But in reality, concepts and facts require different approaches and different learning strategies. The problem is that facts and concepts often get lumped into the same category, making students unable to distinguish the differences between them. This results in students’ incomplete understanding of subjects and lessons.

We all know how important math is in a young learner’s education. We also know how difficult it can be to teach basic math skills; it’s such a complex subject and challenging to find new ways to ingrain the concepts and proper understanding in students. They often become consumed with finding the correct answer and miss the vital learning steps in building a solid foundation in the basics of math.

In my last blog post, “Common Core State Standards and Visual Learning: Part 1“, I focused on incorporating visual learning and thinking techniques in English Language Arts subjects to meet the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). I’d like to now discuss the value in using visual thinking and learning tools to achieve not only the Standards for Mathematics among early learners, but how these tools will help enforce basic math skills that will help them succeed in high school, college and the work force.