Brick Math Builds Creativity

​One of the big advantages of Brick Math over more traditional math teaching methods is the way the program engages students’ creativity in the learning process. Students learn by discovering the math concepts themselves, which builds true math fluency, not just rote memorization of facts.

We recently received an inquiry asking about how a kindergarten student should draw the brick models as prompted in the earliest book in Brick Math, Counting and Cardinality. That got us started thinking about how much creativity is built into the Brick Math program.

Here’s how we responded to the question: 
​When it comes to how a child will draw the brick models, there is room for a lot of creativity. Some will draw the outline of a brick around the perimeter of the studs on the baseplate paper, and others will fill in the studs without drawing an outline at all. Students can use colored pencils, markers, crayons, or a regular pencil. What a teacher is looking for is simply a drawing that indicates that the student understands the concept modeled with the bricks and can translate it from three-dimensional to two-dimensional.

In other words, anything goes when drawing the brick models as long as the teacher can recognize that the drawing shows the student’s understanding of the math. You want your students to find their own way to represent the brick models on paper. That’s part of the Brick Math method that helps reinforce the learning.

We offered a couple of examples of how drawings can be made, from later subjects in Brick Math: Data and Advanced Measurement. They may help teachers understand what to expect students will draw in  these more complex topics.
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But part of the Brick Math method is allowing students to figure out the math for themselves. That’s what they are doing when they build brick models, and also when they draw the models they have built. These are key steps in the learning process that allow for each student to develop creativity in exploring the math.
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​PS – We did also note that if a student doesn’t have the fine-motor dexterity to draw the models, you are welcome to eliminate that portion of the lessons. The drawing should not be a frustrating exercise for students who aren’t ready to do it. Likewise, young students who aren’t writing words can always tell the teacher orally how the math works instead of writing down their description. Brick Math is flexible for most learners!

The Brick Math curriculum is divided into 13 separate content areas: 
Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions, Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, Decimals, Data and Statistics, and Pre-Algebra. 

Students can start anywhere in the curriculum. Brick Math can be used as a complete math curriculum or brought in as a supplement to help students who aren’t having math success with other programs. Check BrickMath.com to learn more!