Pedagogical Approaches to teaching Shapes
Using the Environment
- One strategy to to the teaching of shapes is using what is available to you in your surrounding environment, whether that be inside the classroom, or out in the yard.
- "Point out all the circles around you, such as plates or the tops of cans. Naming the shapes children see in their environment is important" (Sarama & Clements, 2015, para. 3).
What can teachers do to help?
Clements and Sarama (2000) suggest the following ways to teaching shapes:
- Reconsider teaching "basic shapes" only through examples
- Give children credit for what they know
- Avoid common misconceptions
- Expand the limited notions that are too often "taught"
Activities
Some 'shape' activities aimed at level 1-2 could be as follows:
> "Who Am I?" - Using both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes (e.g. blocks), the children are to put out 3 objects. The teacher is to then describe the features of one of the three objects. The student then guesses which shape the teacher is describing and why they think it is that particular shape and not the other two (Reys et al., 2012).
> "Who Stacks?" - Teachers will provide students with a collection of solids for them to sort according to which will stack, which will roll and which will slide (Reys et al., 2012)
>"How are we alike or different?" - In a whole class discussion setting the teacher is to hold up to solid objects. The aim is to ask the students to explain how they are either alike or different by describing their features in comparison to one another (Reys et al., 2012).
>"Who doesn't belong?" - As another whole class activity. The students are to look at 3 solid objects and justify why one of them does not belong in the group. There could be many variations to the students answers as to how they see the differences. For example: a cone, a short and wide cylinder and a long and skinny cylinder could be used. Some students may say the cone is out of place due to the "point" or some may say the short wide cylinder is out of place due to its different height (Reys et al., 2012).
> "How many faces do i have?" - Have students in small groups discuss how many faces solid objects may have. Then get them to go and collect items from their environment with a specified amount of faces, encouraging thinking outside of the box and creativity (Reys et al., 2012).
Here are some questions you might want to ask:
Why are there more rectangles recorded than any other shape?
What type of objects have the most circles?
Which shape has the fewest number recorded? Why?
Which three-dimensional shape was seen most frequently? (The cylinder, seen in cans and pipes.)
Which three-dimensional shape is often used in sports? (The sphere, used in baseball, basketball, tennis, bowling, etc.).
Which three-dimensional shape is often used in cold and hot drinks? (Ice cubes, sugar cubes.)
(May, 1994)
> "Who Am I?" - Using both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes (e.g. blocks), the children are to put out 3 objects. The teacher is to then describe the features of one of the three objects. The student then guesses which shape the teacher is describing and why they think it is that particular shape and not the other two (Reys et al., 2012).
> "Who Stacks?" - Teachers will provide students with a collection of solids for them to sort according to which will stack, which will roll and which will slide (Reys et al., 2012)
>"How are we alike or different?" - In a whole class discussion setting the teacher is to hold up to solid objects. The aim is to ask the students to explain how they are either alike or different by describing their features in comparison to one another (Reys et al., 2012).
>"Who doesn't belong?" - As another whole class activity. The students are to look at 3 solid objects and justify why one of them does not belong in the group. There could be many variations to the students answers as to how they see the differences. For example: a cone, a short and wide cylinder and a long and skinny cylinder could be used. Some students may say the cone is out of place due to the "point" or some may say the short wide cylinder is out of place due to its different height (Reys et al., 2012).
> "How many faces do i have?" - Have students in small groups discuss how many faces solid objects may have. Then get them to go and collect items from their environment with a specified amount of faces, encouraging thinking outside of the box and creativity (Reys et al., 2012).
- "Counting Shapes" - This activity can be conducted over a 24hr period, whereby students have to make a tally each time they spot a shape in an object. This can be conducted as an individual or group task. The second part of the activity involves asking questions about these shapes.
Here are some questions you might want to ask:
Why are there more rectangles recorded than any other shape?
What type of objects have the most circles?
Which shape has the fewest number recorded? Why?
Which three-dimensional shape was seen most frequently? (The cylinder, seen in cans and pipes.)
Which three-dimensional shape is often used in sports? (The sphere, used in baseball, basketball, tennis, bowling, etc.).
Which three-dimensional shape is often used in cold and hot drinks? (Ice cubes, sugar cubes.)
(May, 1994)