Reply To: Lesson 1 – What Is Proportional Reasoning And Why Is It Important? – Discussion

[Tiffany Ward]

I’ve taught 7-12th grade math. Proportional reasoning comes up in all of it. The problem I have encountered is when students have been taught to mathematize situations too early. They tend to try to throw things into a proportion or an equation, but they don’t really know why, or how it works. Usually, their instincts are much more advanced than their technical skills, but they tend to ignore them instead of leaning into them. I’m hoping to learn more about how to get students to rely on their own intuition and to get them tapping into the world of proportions that they know and understand.

[Tiffany Ward]

I’ve taught 7-12th grade math. Proportional reasoning comes up in all of it. The problem I have encountered is when students have been taught to mathematize situations too early. They tend to try to throw things into a proportion or an equation, but they don’t really know why, or how it works. Usually, their instincts are much more advanced than their technical skills, but they tend to ignore them instead of leaning into them. I’m hoping to learn more about how to get students to rely on their own intuition and to get them tapping into the world of proportions that they know and understand.