MAED 314 'Timed-write' exercise 2

On Understanding and Fluency

"What makes good math teaching?
What method of approach should be considered optimal? Should we teach students to treat homework questions as unique problems or as derivatives of each other? What truly is the purpose of repetition and what should be its focus? I have found that repetition (as a derivative approach) is a good way to train the mind to be conditioned to the instrumental style of problem solving. Sort of as a way to ingrain the knowledge and give the students a certain 'muscle-memory' for following algorithms. I like this method, as, in the same way that relational learning is built iteratively from fundamental ideas, so must the instrumental tools as well. This is how it is achieved. You can't give someone tools and not teach them how to use them. Tackling new problems every time is often bewildering and futile without proper guidance, experience & knowledge. "