My daughter’s school offered an in-service for parents to assist with understanding the “new math” our kids are learning so we can best prepare to help them enthusiasm homework.

The Bar Model (Singapore Math) is a pictorial representation of a problem or concept where bars or boxes are used to represent the known and unknown quantities.

And the point of using this method is to help all learners get to the same answer.

Whether you’re a concrete thinker, abstract learner, understand computations, need a visual aid, etc., this strategy helps everyone understand the rationale behind the problem instead of just memorizing and following the formula.

As a nurse educator, I know it takes time for student nurses and new grads to understand rationale and expand their critical thinking.

That comes wjth exposure, education and experience.

But what if we differentiated our lesson plans, and made accommodations for varied learners to help them get to the solution in a way that’s supportive to their learning style and needs. Right?!

No more, “that’s just how it’s done”, or memorizing. But full on comprehension in a way that’s catered to the individual.

Just my 2 cents, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.