Monday, November 26, 2007
November 20th Class: Manipulatives
Today in class we were introduced to the wide variety of math manipulatives. As I think back to my school years I can’t help but wonder why we didn’t have access to these great resources. The only manipulative that I even recognized were the pattern blocks, but I can’t remember using them in the classroom. To my amazement there are lots of manipulatives we can use in the classroom, as well as lots of fun and interesting games to go along with them. The game that I found the most interesting was the one with the straws. In pairs we had to remove up to three straws each time and whoever got the last straw lost. This was a great game for students to express the different strategies they would use as they played. The other game which was lots of fun, but at times difficult, was the one where we had to make a square out of the different shapes given to us. I have to mention that our group was the first to finish!! We where also given a sheet of different animals that could be created from the shapes, I thought it was a great game.
Observation Days Completed
Yesterday was our last observation for this semester. I am sure that everyone had positive and knowledgeable experiences. For the five days that I completed I had a wide variety of activities, which were all lots of fun. I got to do many things such as read aloud to the class, be on recess duty, go on a field trip to the fluvarium, participate in reader aerobics, as well as observe great teachers at work. For the most part the math that I did get to observe was pretty much based out of the text book, but it did include activities where the students got hands-on practice with math. One thing that I did see, which was not a part of my math class when I was in elementary school, and that was math journals. The teacher explained to me that it was a result of wanting the students to be able to talk more about math and relate it to real life experiences…I thought that was pretty cool. I’m sure everyone can’t wait to get back to the classroom after Christmas and gain even more valuable information.
November 22, 2007
Today was the start of our team teaching presentations. I think this assignment is a great way for us to get hands-on practice with teaching math. I think that by having the opportunity to teach a math lesson to a group of peers is helpful because we do not necessarily have the same pressure we would have if teaching children in the classroom. By doing this assignment we are all getting great lesson plans that we could use when we get out into the classroom and we are actually getting to see the lesson in practice. The presentations that have taken place already were great and even though they were intended for primary or elementary I think we all had fun doing the activities. Great Work Everyone!
Fraction Kits
Today in class we were given a handout that helped us create fraction kits. By cutting different coloured paper into different sizes we created concrete manipulatives to learn about fractions. I have to admit it took me quite some time to figure out what we were actually doing and what size I needed to hold up when Ms. Cameron called out a fraction. I don’t exactly know why I kept doing it wrong, maybe because when I was in school the only way we seen fractions was in a written problem from the text. Anyhow I will definitely practice using the fraction kit to learn more about fractions and I intend to use this resource when I enter the classroom.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
October 16th Class
In today’s class we all got a chance to talk about our experiences on our first observation day. Most of us really enjoyed our observation day and acquired a great deal of knowledge from just one day. We had a lot of stories to tell both good and bad. I thought this class was very interesting because we all got to hear everyone’s perspective and their thoughts on many things, such as classroom management, routines, diversity of students and how certain classes were taught, just to name a few. I’m sure that everyone can’t wait to get back because hands-on experience is where you gain the greatest knowledge.
October 4th Class
During class today we looked at the math journals. We all picked a journal and had time to skim through it and see if we found anything that caught our attention. I thought these journals were great, they are jammed packed with information and wonderful teaching ideas. One activity that stood out to me was a November activity were students had to calculate the size of a turkey they would need for Thanksgiving dinner. They used the general rule of how much turkey an individual would eat (I can’t remember what it is now) then figure out the size of turkey needed, also taking into account if your family wanted leftovers or if certain members would eat more or less than the general amount. The math journal provided a worksheet students could use as a guide along with a great information for the teacher to use to help you guide students. I thought this activity was pretty cool because most parents don’t know what size a turkey they need to feed all of their family and it would be a great feeling for students to be able to teach their parents how to correctly calculate the right size turkey. (They would be talking about how they came up with the answer all through dinner!)
October 2nd Class
During this class we were placed in groups, given a big piece of white paper and A LOT of sand. I couldn’t believe it when Mary said we had to try and count the grains of sand. I thought to myself..she must be mad…we will be here forever. Anyway, as crazy as I thought the activity was I found myself trying to find ways to count the sand. First we all decided to spread the sand out evenly, then place it into equal sections but we soon found out it was way to difficult to try and count itsy bitsy grains of sand in what seemed to be a small area. So then we decided we would dip our finger into the sand, count the sand grains that stuck on our finger and then see how many ‘finger’ amounts were in the pile. To my amazement we actually came up with an estimate number for the number of sand grains we had. After the whole class all had a discussion about our ways of counting the sand…we all had lots of different ideas and had tons of fun trying to count the sand grains. I think this would be a great activity for students because it a fun, usual, and hands-on way of teaching and learning math.
September 27th Class
In today’s class we looked at the math curriculum guides, teachers guides and other resources to help us in teaching mathematics. I am really glad we actually got a chance to look at these resources. For a lot of people, including myself, math can be sometimes overwhelming especially when you have to teach it to a class. By looking through the books I found that there are many ideas and information to guide you through teaching math, and there are lists of resources which can also be used. I hope everyone is a little more relaxed about teaching math and remember we all know now that there is no excuse for teaching math by giving them worksheets after worksheets. Take advantage of the resources out there and help make math a lifelong journey!
Monday, September 17, 2007
Response to video
What implications does this have for me as a teacher?
This video has many points that are very important to consider when I become a teacher. One is that 'education runs deep', this is true and will affect how I will teach. Sometimes we forget how much we, as teachers, will impact our students lives. Fifty years down the road most of us will still remember how we felt in a specific classroom and how a teacher made us feel, whether it be embrassment because we could not rhyme off the multiplication table or empowerment for being able to complete a difficult math problem. Early experiences will effect us for the rest of our lives. Another point in the video is that children are not afraid to take chances and be wrong, it's only until we are taught to fear it because of humiliation or embrassment. This has implications for teaching math because its not important if we just have the final answer right or wrong. The important part is the understanding and knowing of the process that gets you there. One thing I will not do when I teach math is to give tests and mark the question wrong if the rest of the answer or the process to the final answer is right. Children need to be encouraged to take risks and even if the final result is incorrect, the important part is that we have learned something valuable during the process. Another point from the video that has implications to my teaching is that schools were created to meet the needs of industrialism. From the beginning math and literacy are at the top and the humanities and art are at the bottom. The world is changing and university degrees are becoming less valued ('academic inflation'), therefore why should we give children the impression that math and literacy are the most important when in reality, in the future and even now we will need creativity to sustain a tomorrow for us all? I believe that math can be creative, why not take risks and think outside the 'book'? It is only when you take a risk and be creative that you may learn something new. The last point for the video that is important is the idea of many intelligences. This has major implications for math because there are too many times that instructors teach directly from a book (which as you go up in grade tend to loose more color and pictures), many children may need manipulatives to help solve math problems, some may need to draw pictures or sing a song to understand math, just because these children cannot sit quietly at a desk doesn't mean they are less competent for learning math. We should all realize learning occurs many different ways but who is to say one way is superior than the other.
This video has many points that are very important to consider when I become a teacher. One is that 'education runs deep', this is true and will affect how I will teach. Sometimes we forget how much we, as teachers, will impact our students lives. Fifty years down the road most of us will still remember how we felt in a specific classroom and how a teacher made us feel, whether it be embrassment because we could not rhyme off the multiplication table or empowerment for being able to complete a difficult math problem. Early experiences will effect us for the rest of our lives. Another point in the video is that children are not afraid to take chances and be wrong, it's only until we are taught to fear it because of humiliation or embrassment. This has implications for teaching math because its not important if we just have the final answer right or wrong. The important part is the understanding and knowing of the process that gets you there. One thing I will not do when I teach math is to give tests and mark the question wrong if the rest of the answer or the process to the final answer is right. Children need to be encouraged to take risks and even if the final result is incorrect, the important part is that we have learned something valuable during the process. Another point from the video that has implications to my teaching is that schools were created to meet the needs of industrialism. From the beginning math and literacy are at the top and the humanities and art are at the bottom. The world is changing and university degrees are becoming less valued ('academic inflation'), therefore why should we give children the impression that math and literacy are the most important when in reality, in the future and even now we will need creativity to sustain a tomorrow for us all? I believe that math can be creative, why not take risks and think outside the 'book'? It is only when you take a risk and be creative that you may learn something new. The last point for the video that is important is the idea of many intelligences. This has major implications for math because there are too many times that instructors teach directly from a book (which as you go up in grade tend to loose more color and pictures), many children may need manipulatives to help solve math problems, some may need to draw pictures or sing a song to understand math, just because these children cannot sit quietly at a desk doesn't mean they are less competent for learning math. We should all realize learning occurs many different ways but who is to say one way is superior than the other.
Math Autobiography
What did mathematics in your classroom look like (kindergarten-grade 6)?
>The only thing I can even remember about math in the primary grades is the text/work book we had.....a soft coverd book which you could tear out the pages. It was full of color and lots of pictures to help you add, subtract, etc. which I loved. I am a very visual learner and having pictures to help guide my thinking really helped in learning math. I cannot remember having numbers and math problems around the classroom, usually the only time you would see math was when you opened you text book.
What is your best and/or worst memory surrounding mathematics in primary and elementary?
>The best memory I have of math was in grade three when the teacher would give us practice problems and I could slove them fairly easy; since I was not a great reader or speller it made me feel good to know I was caplable for completing a math problem. Sometimes I even got the chance to help out my peers who were having difficulty.
The worst memory was (I think in grade 5 or 6) when we were excepted to know our times table really good and heaven forbid if we had to use a calculator to make a computation. I remember knowing how to complete the assigned work but had difficulty calculating the numbers in my head so I would hide a small calculator in my desk and whenever the teacher wasn't watching I would use it to help solve the problems. Those math classes were a very anxious time because I knew if I got caught using a calculator it would be seen as cheating and you would be humiliated in front of the class.
How has this affected your views about mathematics now as an adult?
>I never really thought much about that experience until Mary said in class that some well known mathematicians can't do computations off the top of their head. That made me feel better because up until this point I thought that I wasn't as competent because I couldn't rime off every multiplication.
Were you good or not good at math? How did you know this?
>I thought I was pretty good at math because it seemed to come pretty natural for me and I always got good grades on tests.
What was the role of the teacher in your math classes?How do you think they felt about mathematics?
>I can't really remember much about math in the elementary grades only that the teacher would assign us work from our text book then s/he would circulate around the classroom to see if we were working or had any problems. The best teacher I had for math was in grade 12, she did a lot of math courses in university and truly enjoyed math. She would teach us math through examples on the board and if anyone didn't understand it she would do it another way in hope they would be able to learn it, if not she was always available to help and encouraged her students to work hard and keep trying. I believe this teacher was one of the only teachers I had that truly loved math and loved to teach it.
What did assessment look like?
>Most of the assessment for math throughout my schooling was done through assignments and tests.
Tell briefly about math in high school.
>Math in high school was really bad until grade 12, up until that point the "main" teacher who was hired to teach the class was never there. This was his last year of teaching and he must of had all of his sick days saved up and used them during his last year. Everyday we would have a new subsitute and to make things worst we were beginning the new math program and it seemed no one knew how to do it, not alone teach it. Math started to really get on my nerves and was more of a head ache then enjoyable (like it use to be).
What math courses did you take in university?
>The math courses that I took in mun were 1090, 1000 and 1051.
Did you take any math electives?
>Not sure I guess 1051 was an elective but I basically did it to try and 'up' my marks.
Do you / did you engage with mathematics in your life in major ways?
>I don't really know....
How do you feel about mathematics now?
>I love math....I enjoy working on math. I tutor math to my sister-in-law and I really enjoy seeing someone who finds math difficult succeed in math....it is very rewarding to know you have helped someone understand math.
>The only thing I can even remember about math in the primary grades is the text/work book we had.....a soft coverd book which you could tear out the pages. It was full of color and lots of pictures to help you add, subtract, etc. which I loved. I am a very visual learner and having pictures to help guide my thinking really helped in learning math. I cannot remember having numbers and math problems around the classroom, usually the only time you would see math was when you opened you text book.
What is your best and/or worst memory surrounding mathematics in primary and elementary?
>The best memory I have of math was in grade three when the teacher would give us practice problems and I could slove them fairly easy; since I was not a great reader or speller it made me feel good to know I was caplable for completing a math problem. Sometimes I even got the chance to help out my peers who were having difficulty.
The worst memory was (I think in grade 5 or 6) when we were excepted to know our times table really good and heaven forbid if we had to use a calculator to make a computation. I remember knowing how to complete the assigned work but had difficulty calculating the numbers in my head so I would hide a small calculator in my desk and whenever the teacher wasn't watching I would use it to help solve the problems. Those math classes were a very anxious time because I knew if I got caught using a calculator it would be seen as cheating and you would be humiliated in front of the class.
How has this affected your views about mathematics now as an adult?
>I never really thought much about that experience until Mary said in class that some well known mathematicians can't do computations off the top of their head. That made me feel better because up until this point I thought that I wasn't as competent because I couldn't rime off every multiplication.
Were you good or not good at math? How did you know this?
>I thought I was pretty good at math because it seemed to come pretty natural for me and I always got good grades on tests.
What was the role of the teacher in your math classes?How do you think they felt about mathematics?
>I can't really remember much about math in the elementary grades only that the teacher would assign us work from our text book then s/he would circulate around the classroom to see if we were working or had any problems. The best teacher I had for math was in grade 12, she did a lot of math courses in university and truly enjoyed math. She would teach us math through examples on the board and if anyone didn't understand it she would do it another way in hope they would be able to learn it, if not she was always available to help and encouraged her students to work hard and keep trying. I believe this teacher was one of the only teachers I had that truly loved math and loved to teach it.
What did assessment look like?
>Most of the assessment for math throughout my schooling was done through assignments and tests.
Tell briefly about math in high school.
>Math in high school was really bad until grade 12, up until that point the "main" teacher who was hired to teach the class was never there. This was his last year of teaching and he must of had all of his sick days saved up and used them during his last year. Everyday we would have a new subsitute and to make things worst we were beginning the new math program and it seemed no one knew how to do it, not alone teach it. Math started to really get on my nerves and was more of a head ache then enjoyable (like it use to be).
What math courses did you take in university?
>The math courses that I took in mun were 1090, 1000 and 1051.
Did you take any math electives?
>Not sure I guess 1051 was an elective but I basically did it to try and 'up' my marks.
Do you / did you engage with mathematics in your life in major ways?
>I don't really know....
How do you feel about mathematics now?
>I love math....I enjoy working on math. I tutor math to my sister-in-law and I really enjoy seeing someone who finds math difficult succeed in math....it is very rewarding to know you have helped someone understand math.
Welcome
Hi, My name is Elaine Pretty. This is my fourth year here at mun, I have always wanted to be a teacher and can't wait to get into the classroom and teach. I have always enjoyed math and seemed to do well in it. I hope this course gives me the information and tools I need to motivate my students to do well in math, enjoy it, and to realize math is a part of everyday life....not just something the teacher gets you to do to fill in time.
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