Suggested Approach. Teachers who are
not comfortable teaching math can begin
by looking for opportunities to teach math
in regular activities or familiar situations.
They can then design classroom projects
that highlight the everyday uses of math. For
example, quick counting tasks such as figuring
out how many children need a snack,
or how many mittens or hats children have,
are easy ways to incorporate counting into
everyday events. Activities such as setting
up a pretend grocery store in the classroom
allow children to practice counting food and
money. Other examples include community service projects, such as canned-food drives,
which can provide opportunities for children
to count, sort, label, and organize donations.
Sports can also provide children with chances
to practice math—for example, measuring
the distance for a race on the playground,
recording times, and making a chart to
display results. Teachers can also consider
sharing their own interests with children and
highlighting whatever math is involved, such
as the measurement involved in cooking or
sewing, the geometry involved in woodworking,
and so on.