Blog #27 – DIAGNOSTIC-INCREMENT STYLE OF TEACHING
I am often asked to describe my style of teaching mathematics. In general, when I am explaining mathematic problems to students I like to constantly ask questions to see if the concepts being taught are being understood. My questions normally focus on common errors that occur when teaching a specific concept. I call it the “Diagnostic-Increment Approach to Teaching”.
My questions are diagnostic in nature and progress from simple to more complex. The main goal of the questions I ask are to uncover individual or class weaknesses. The increment part of how I teach is what some people may call the spiral approach. For example, if topic A is taught on Day 1, then topic A is reviewed before topic B is taught on Day 2. On Day 3, topic A and B are reviewed before topic C is taught. At the end of that lesson, all topics are reviewed and a test is administered, where students must demonstrate mastery of those topics. To give my students a greater chance at success I make it a point to review several topics taught earlier in the year as a refresher.
If you would like to personally sample some of my instructional mathematical workbooks that I have written using the Diagnostic-Increment Approach for free, I invite you to visit my website, RamMaterials.com, and click on Magical Math Tips. If you want to receive these samples directly to your inbox every month, I invite you to sign up for my monthly newsletter and enjoy.