Working with word problems not only enriches students' mathematical understanding but also allows for integration with other subjects in the curriculum and fosters students' communication skills. Teachers in grades K-3 at Olive Chapel have been trained in CGI by learning, watching and discussing how children solve mathematical problems. The teachers work with their students, and have learned to take their students' thinking into consideration when they make instructional decisions. Problem solving is the focus of instruction, with children deciding how they should solve each problem. Many strategies are used to solve problems.
Children communicate to their teachers and peers how they solved the problems.
Teachers understand children's problem-solving strategies and use that knowledge to plan their instruction. Children bring with them to school a knowledge of mathematics, which should be used as a basis for instructional decisions. Children develop mathematical understanding and acquire skills by solving a variety of problems in any way that they choose. Children gain understanding and inform other children and their teachers as they communicate their mathematical thinking. If you walk into a CGI classroom at Olive Chapel, you will see students using a variety of manipulatives to solve very complex problems.