Measurement Article

Perimeter: Which Measure is it?

1. What are the main points of the article?

• including measurement in mathematics curriculum in k-12 classrooms
• students use different techniques and approaches to solve problems related to perimeter and area
  
• sometimes students do not completely grasp a concept well enough to apply it to real life situations
• students need to examine the concept of area and perimeter simultaneously to clearly distinguish between the two
• the tasks should be meaningful
  
• just applying formulas to perimeter and area problems does not help students to understand the difference between the two
  

2. How does your article connect to early childhood?

This article connects to early childhood because it can be applied to early childhood concepts. Just because students know how to solve a problem does not mean they actually completely understand the concept and can apply it to other contexts or real life situations. Teachers must know that students compute answers using different methods and approaches, too. Solely applying formulas and not knowing exactly why they are applying the formulas is basically useless for the students to know how to apply the concept and how to use their knowledge to apply it to real life situations.

3. What did you learn from the article that will help you as you teach measurement?

I learned that teaching area and perimeter simultaneously can really help students to know the difference between the two and maybe help the students to apply the concepts to real life situations. Students do not just need to apply formulas to find solutions. When students have experience confronting the concepts in meaningful ways, the students can grasp the concept better. I will also keep in mind that students use different approaches as to how they will find solutions, so staying open minded to their methods will be important.