"Math is Everywhere!"

Whether we like to admit or not, math is everywhere! Rather than being afraid, it is best to embrace math for the importance it has in everyday tasks. The following are examples of math being used in everyday scenarios:

1. Cooking or baking: Doubling a recipe to accommodate for the number of guests arriving at a party. Here the mathematical strand focused on is proportions and measurement.
2. Estimating time: Before heading out the door for an important meeting, you have to be aware of both the time and distance in order to estimate an appropriate arrival time. The strand focused on is estimation, time and measurement.
3. Nature: The pattern on a butterfly’s wings, and the formation a snail’s shell both include patterns that can be studied in mathematics.
4. Architecture: The geometric patterns and symmetry found within buildings and structures, alludes to the importance of studying these strands in math.
5. Grocery store: Comparing unit prices to opt for a cheaper buying options, is useful when educators teach the rates and ratios unit.  

Retrieved from YouTube

All these areas require an understanding of mathematics and making connections among the big ideas. If students understand the importance of math, they will be more engaged when learning the various concepts. This idea connects back to first week’s lesson about teaching students to have a growth mindset in math. The way educators can ensure students open their minds towards math is to give them real-life math scenarios that they can relate to.  When students visualize themselves using the learned math concepts in the future such a splitting a bill; they begin to invest their time in being engaged in the mathematical process. They see purpose of figuring out math as it answers their question, “What’s the point of this?”

Assessments:

Assessments are an important factor to consider when teachers are lesson planning daily. A successful assessment allows for adequate feedback which gives students a chance to make adjustments.. This helps them to achieve growth and success in their learning. I found it interesting that teachers do not have to complete questions that were not fully answered on a test or assignment. In the past I always felt it was necessary to provide students with the correct answer to help them understand the question better. However giving them the opportunity to redo those parts is more beneficial and allow for a better learning experience.

Fair assessments, along with purposeful math questions positively fuels a child's natural curiosity and keeps them coming back for more.  

Thanks for reading this week's blog post, and I look forward to reading your comments!             

- Nuha

Transformed Thinking

In-class 
Student thinking can be enhanced and transformed through the proper of use of technology in the classroom. This week in class we learned the importance of blended learning in the 21^st century classroom. The correct integration of technology can allow for increased student engagement and promote higher order thinking. There were four stations that were highlighted this week, and the one I found intriguing was the SAMR model which stands for: (information retrieved from http://bit.ly/2gwQfYZ)

• Substitution: Using technology as a tool to and does not change the functionality of the assignment, (e.g. writing on paper vs. using the computer to write).
• Augmentation: Tools within the technology assist in the functionality of the assigned task, (e.g. using spell check).
• Modification: Technology plays a significant role in the improvement of the task, (e.g. using google docs to share and peer assess).
• Redefinition: Technology plays a major role in the completion of the assignment, (e.g. recording and editing a video).

Redefinition allows for higher-order thinking and allows for the four C’s taking place: collaboration, critical thinking, communication and creation. More information can be found in the video below.

Retrived from: http://bit.ly/2gwQfYZ 

Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2zv2zjI 

Math Mindset
This week’s online module included the math mindset that presented me with a new perspective. I learned that math is not just about teaching students small steps and getting them to memorize and recall those steps. It is about getting students to see the big picture and draw connections between the big ideas. This allows for a deeper understanding and allows for mathematical concepts stick. One way to allow ideas to stick is to allow students to explore math concepts using illustrations when solving math problems. Visuals not only aid in the students thinking, they also make students thinking visible to teachers. Often it is hard to see students' thinking when they are solving math problems. When students use drawings to represent the math problems, teachers are able to scaffold their learning based on the approach used when solving math questions. Students can also use technology to help them see math questions visually and enhances their ability to grasp a math concept. For this reason it is important for educators to integrate as much technology as possible to transform thinking within the 21^st century classroom.

Thanks for reading this week's blog post, and I look forward to reading your comments!              

- Nuha

“How Many Ways?”

This week’s lesson had a wealth of information to add to our teacher toolbox. While watching the online module, we were presented with a multiplication statement 18 x 5. The task required us to solve the problem using mental math and figure out a solution. At first glance I was intimidated to try it, as I felt I could not accomplish this math problem. I felt I was so dependent on the calculator, that I could not complete this task using mental math. However, I decided to take on the challenge and started with what I knew. Which was 20 x 5 = 100, and since I added 2 to the statement (18 + 2) x 5 = 100, I needed to subtract (2 x 5 ) from the answer to give me a product of 90. At first I thought this was probably one of the few ways to come up with a solution. When I continued to watch the video, it was very interesting to see all the different ways individuals used their knowledge to come up with a solution.  There were many “a-ha” moments for me, as I found some methods easier than mine. When I have to solve other problems that require mental math I have more strategies to choose from. It helps to collaborate and discuss with others about their strategies as it deepen our own thinking and helps make mathematical connections as well as build classroom community.

Screenshot retrieved from YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=LHtIBt3ootM 

Classroom Connection:

At my previous placement, students had a ‘Number Talk’ every Wednesday to help strengthen their skills in the Numbers Sense strand. During this time students were provided with opportunities to figure out not only strategies they used, but also share and learn other strategies from their peers. A great resource to use during this time is a book called. “Number Talks: Helping Children Build Mental Math and Computation Strategies, Grades K-5”. Number Talks always included the following criteria in this grade six classroom:

1. Sit away from their desks and face the front of the class
2. Focus their attention on the questions on the board and they individually solve addition, multiplication, subtraction or division statements
3. Respect other student’s strategies and staying quiet ( allow all the students to focus)
4.  Students would indicate with their thumbs to their chest (up, down or sideways) to show their confidence when answering the question
5. Adequate time was allotted to ensure all students had a chance to share the answer
6. Students share their strategies and how they reached their solutions 

Retrieved form Google: http://bit.ly/2w26wew

This week had many lessons learned, and one in particular discussed how to incorporate rich tasks when teaching math. Rich tasks allow students to think critically and creatively while keeping them engaged in the activity as it allows an entry point for all students to try the math problem. This encourages students, and builds positive attitudes towards math, while enabling students to think at a deeper level and make meaningful math connections.  These measures are essential (in building a rich task) and were used to dissect a few math problems to test them for their richness. If a math problem is not rich, it only requires surface level thinking that allowed students to recall memorized math facts. I found this very helpful as it will help me as a future in-service teacher to ensure that my students are engaged in math class!

Thanks for reading this week's blog post, and I look forward to reading your comments!              

- Nuha