Marian Small

Small began teaching at the University of New Brunswick's Faculty of Education in 1973. Within that faculty she served as department chair, acting associate dean, acting dean, dean, and acting vice-president.{{cite web | title = Marian Small | publisher = University of New Brunswick | date = May 16, 2007 | url = https://www.unb.ca/faculty/emeritus/honorees/fredericton/qtou/small.html}}

Small served two terms on New Brunswick's School District 18.

Small advocates a "constructivism" approach to mathematics instruction, which encourages students to construct explanations to math problems. "There is a strongly held belief in the mathematics education community", wrote Small, "that mathematics is best learned when students are actively engaged in constructing their own understandings. This is only likely to happen in classrooms that emphasize rich problem solving and the exchange of many approaches to mathematical situations, and that give attention to and value students’ mathematical reasoning".{{cite web | last = Small | first = Marian | title = How Students Learn Math and What Math We Want Them to Learn | publisher = Cengage Learning | date = 2012 | url = http://www.nelsonbrain.com/content/9780176643461.pdf}}

To demonstrate this approach, Small provides an example of students learning to add 47 and 38. A traditional approach to math instruction would show students how to add these two numbers by "grouping the ones, trading, and then grouping the tens". Small explains that in a constructivist classroom, "the teacher might provide students with a variety of counting materials and pose a problem such as, "one bus has 47 students in it; another has 38. How many students are on both buses?" and allow students to use their own strategies to solve the problem". This would be followed by a classroom discussion where the various approaches used by students were shared and additional ideas were added.

Small's approach is enhanced by skillful questioning by the classroom teacher.{{cite web | title = Asking Effective Questions | publisher = Ontario Ministry of Education | date = July 2011 | url = http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/cbs_askingeffectivequestions.pdf}}

Small's style of math instruction has been described as a "random abstract approach" by those favouring more traditional skills-based pedagogy.{{cite web | last = Zwaagstra | first = Michael | title = How to Make Math Education Worse in N.S. | publisher = Chronicle Herald | date = October 3, 2012 | url = http://thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/142943-how-to-make-math-education-worse-in-ns}} Toronto's Globe and Mail stated: "in the latest—arguably fiercest—of the "math wars" to break out in Canada, she would be Public Enemy No. 1 for those who think kids are fast losing their number sense because of the "fuzzy-math, basic-skills-lite" teaching Dr. Small and many of her contemporaries promote".{{cite news | last = Anderssen | first = Erin | title = Why the War Over Math is Distracting and Futile | publisher = Globe and Mail | date = March 1, 2014 | url = https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/why-the-war-over-math-is-distracting-and-futile/article17178295/?page=all}}

Regarding her role in the math wars, Small has acknowledged the "concern about less emphasis on memorizing the facts and allowing calculator use" as well as the "very loud and impassioned debate on these matters". Regarding the different approaches along the continuum of math instruction, Small stated "neither is better—they are different. In fact, the more tools and approaches that we have, the more likely we are to be successful at a task".

• Making Math Meaningful to Canadian Students K–8
• Big Ideas from Dr. Small K–3
• Big Ideas from Dr. Small 4–8
• Big Ideas from Dr. Small 9–12
• Good Questions: Great Ways to Differentiate Mathematics Instruction (K–8)
• More Good Questions: Great Ways to Differentiate Secondary Mathematics Instruction (9–12)
• Eyes on Math: A Visual Approach to Teaching Math Concepts (K–8)
• Leaps and Bounds 3–4, 5–6 and 7–8
• Uncomplicating Fractions
• Uncomplicating Algebra{{cite web | title = Marian Small | publisher = One, Two.. Infinity | date = September 13, 2014 | url = http://www.onetwoinfinity.ca/}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Small, Marian}}

Category:Canadian educational theorists

Category:Academic staff of the University of New Brunswick

Category:Living people

Category:1948 births

Category:20th-century Canadian mathematicians

Category:20th-century women mathematicians

Category:21st-century Canadian mathematicians

Category:21st-century Canadian women mathematicians

Category:Canadian mathematics educators

Category:Canadian women educators

Category:Canadian textbook writers

Category:Women textbook writers

Category:20th-century Canadian women writers

Category:20th-century Canadian women scientists

Category:21st-century Canadian women writers

Category:21st-century Canadian women scientists