What I've Learned.......

Final Math Post

As I reviewed my prior math blogs, I realized how much I’ve learned this quarter.  One of the main things I’ve learned is the importance of letting students “experience” math for themselves.  This lesson was reinforced during every class as we were given different types of manipulatives  and/or spreadsheets to use and explore.   

Another lesson I learned was the importance of giving kids problems they care about.  A great example of this was when we were taught the lesson on probability.   Instead of just introducing the subject and showing us different methods of teaching it, we were shown a dice game where knowing how to figure probability would be useful, when choosing to be player A or B.  When students play a game, they each want an equal chance of winning.  They have a “stake” in whether the game is fair, because they’re playing it (and they want to win)!

Yet another lesson I learned was the importance of integrating math with literature.  This integration helps students make connections as well as help them build higher level thinking skills.  Integrated lessons provide a more balanced learning approach to teaching and they more closely resemble real life, where all subject areas are interconnected.  This, I believe will help students remember a lesson long after it is taught.  One of my greatest finds this quarter was a book about tangram puzzles called Grandfather Tang’s Story.  I’ve always loved solving these puzzles and this book provides a great way to introduce them into a geometry unit. I would definitely use this type of integrated lesson plan in my future classroom.  I believe reading a story about a subject to be covered provides valuable insight into the subject being taught.  It also sparks interest among students. 

One of the biggest challenges I’ll face as a teacher will be to think of new and exciting ways to engage my students in math and this class has given me many ideas on how to do that.  Motivation is such a key part of learning.  My hope is to prevent kids from thinking that they’re, “just not good at math”.  I will make it my goal to look for ways to relate the concepts I’m teaching to the everyday lives of my students.  I want to broaden their views about the nature of math and help them see its value in many different activities and professions.  To do this, I’ll need to present the lessons I’m teaching in a variety of different ways to appeal to students of varying learning styles (which is what we’ve been learning to do in class).

One aspect of our class that I especially liked was the method in which groups were designated, by using cards.  This gave us the opportunity to sit with different members of our cohort because, being creatures of habit, we generally sat at the same table each week.  Using these cards to “call on us” was another good use of them.  It was an effective method of keeping us focused and “on task”   Although it made me feel uncomfortable at times (when I didn’t think I knew the answer and might get called on)  it definitely kept me more attentive (which is something I’d like my future students to be).  

Another aspect of the class that worked especially well was the assignment of specific jobs to individuals within a group when we were assigned specific problems to solve (facilitator, resource monitor, product monitor and equity monitor).   This strategy was also another great way to keep us focused and “on task” throughout the assignment and is another method I plan to adopt in my future classroom.

Robin, thanks for a great class.  I really enjoyed it.  You made math fun! J