BSB and Piaget

One of my favorite people just wrote an amazing blog piece. Read it here.

Not only did she write about the Backstreet Boys (thanks, besties from middle school and beyond, for forcing me to love them), she delves deep into the ideas of Piaget and moving from concrete to abstract reasoning.

I feel like I live in a world of Piaget every day. EVERY DAY. My kiddos are at the developmental age where Piaget claims that some of them are ready to move from concrete thinking to abstract thinking. If I could teach in Montessori land, (how I miss you, college job with no stress), it is a great place to be. You can see kiddos' minds churning with ideas, and finally "getting" things like algebra. Its beautiful when it is their turn to get it.

Did you read that? When it is their turn. When they are ready.

NOT, state of Arizona, WHEN THEY ARE TOO YOUNG TO UNDERSTAND.

So I spend my days trying to teach abstract concepts as concretely as possible, using blocks, manipulatives, real world examples, etc, but I yearn for a time where "the man" doesn't do something that students are not developmentally ready for.

Case in point: 5th graders solving two step equations. Not reasoning through them. Just solving them. Oy. I think Piaget is turning over in his grave.