Math Game
Upon arrival to Tuesday’s class, I was
surprised to learn that my classmates and I were to play a game that would
allow our classmates to learn more about our learning styles. For example, I’m
a hands on and visual learner, these were also two of the choices on our paper.
The activity was excellent, because we were able to have a short meet and greet
with our classmates. This was helpful, because, I’m still learning names. By
doing this activity we also had to think about our own learning styles. In the
classroom as an elementary teacher it is important that we know as much about
our student’s learning needs as possible.
As a teacher, I may consider doing an activity such as this one in my
class, because it can also help the students learn more about themselves.
Shifts in Learning Math
The shift that has occurred in the way
that Math is being taught in the classroom makes Math more meaningful for
students. Manipulatives and games create a classroom that is invokes creative
learning. I feel that the way that Math is being taught in these classrooms
makes it compelling and fun for young learners.
As a child, my teachers at school used
to review the multiplication table with us. I also remember my parents doing
the same. Although, I’m not fully convinced that removing the tables has been necessary;
I do believe that some of the changes that have taken place will lead to
children having much more positive experiences in their learning.
I still recall doing Math sheets
throughout elementary school. One day, my second-grade teacher even rapped my
fingers with her pencil; I had been speaking with a friend when we were supposed
to be doing our math sheets! I never forgot getting in trouble, but do not
recall enjoying Math in Elementary. It would have been much more meaningful to
be able learn Math in a much more creative way. For teachers, surely this also
makes their teaching much more compelling.
When I was a child, the teacher would
sometimes mark my answer incorrect even if the answer were correct. We were
often taught that there was only one way to solve a problem as opposed to there
being multiple solutions. Allowing for
children to explore different ways of doing Math strengthens creativity. I believe this also may lead children to
embrace both Math and Sciences. As long as the child can provide their answer
and explain how he or she came up with the solution different pathways should
be encouraged rather than stifled.
Gradual Release of
Responsibility
Jill also reviewed the four parts of
the gradual release of responsibility with us.
As teachers we will need to
follow these steps:
1. Model it
2. Teacher works with
children
3. Children work in a group
4. Children work on their
own.
During my practicum, last
spring, my cooperating teacher taught me these steps. The hard part is stepping
back, because I always want to be able to help the students. However, I also realize
that by allowing for gradual release students are learning through working with
one another. They also develop a sense of pride in their work along with
independence.
How Many Feet In The Bed:
Lesson Plan
Our group spoke about the book, “How Many
Feet In The Bed.” We used manipulatives
to represent how many feet were in the bed. The group work made me think of the
importance of integrating Math related stories into one’s classroom.
This is our representation
for the pattern – how many feet?
I also took several photos of
work done by other groups.
Lessons involving stories
that include Math are important. They allow a teacher to include more than one
subject. Different cross-curricular outcomes can be met. For the students
creative and critical thinking is involved. They must as a group come up with
their own way to represent story. Therefore, problem solving is also being
taught at an early age that a child will build on throughout his or her
schooling.
Taking Inventory …
This task involved all of our group
members to imagine how the keys can be represented.
Since there is a small
number, a pictorial representation may work. However, Jill warned me that this
would not work when it came to representing larger numbers of objects. At our
table, the group brainstormed about multiple ways of representing the keys. Someone
also suggested counting by ones and twos. Since time was limited it was
difficult to think clearly on the spot. Counters and craft bundles could have been
used, because they also represent small and large samples.
Skip Counting
Skip counting is something that I do
recall from school. It can be an interesting Math activity for children. They
are learning to use numbers other than one to move backwards or forwards. I
believe this kind of Math activity can appeal to many students. They may
perceive skip counting as a game, plus they are learning to count more quickly.
Math Language: Comparative
Language
Tuesday’s class brought home the
importance of being clear in our language. Otherwise miscommunication can be
the result. I had not realized that the term “more” could lead to confusion
among young students. It was surprising that word choice can make such a
difference. Instead of using the word “more” we were taught that “greater”
should be used. Until the children are older, and using greater and less than
symbols, we can for example state: 3 is greater than 2. This will certainly be
helpful for me to recall when doing my teaching practicum.
A Sense of Number
The number charts appear to be easy to
follow. It surprised me that I did not find this exercise to be as easy as I
thought that it would be. When teaching number lines to children we need to be
just as patient with them or more so than we are with ourselves.
Video: Good Morning Ms
Toliver
(Full Video)
The take home message from watching
Ms.Toliver teach was to have a sense of confidence in our abilities in a
teacher. She is amazing teaching, because Ms.Toliver is carries an abundance
of enthusiasm both for her students and also for her subject area. She believes
in the children. By believing in them, she is teaching them to believe in
themselves. I had never seen Math addressed in such creative and fun ways! She teaches children, not only is Math fun to
learn, but also really all learning can be interesting, as well as challenging.
Although, Ms.Toliver is a Math teacher she incorporates some writing into her
course. Thereby, her teaching incorporated Language Arts. I also thought it was
fantastic that she took her students outside the classroom for them to study,
and she that Math is everywhere from buildings, to bridge designs, and even how
many kids can sit on a bench.
How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin
by Margaret McNamara
This book would be helpful in teaching
skip counting and estimation to children. When reading the book to a class a
teacher can also stop at various parts and ask for the child to predict how
many seeds they think the smaller and larger pumpkins will contain. There is also a lesson about smallest to
largest. Children learn that being the smallest is not always so bad.
It would a good book to introduce in the
fall close to Thanksgiving to provide integration of Language Arts and Math.
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