I thoroughly enjoyed the segment on teaching through children's literature because it proved how math can be related to other subjects as well as how fun it can be for students. The Hershey's Milk Chocolate Fractions Book provides a fun and engaging way for students to be introduced to important vocabulary with regards to fractions as well as an introduction to the strand. What student wouldn't want to learn math with chocolate? It is crucial that fearless speaking and listening is encouraged in the classroom to maximize student's learning.
A growth mindset is important with regards to teaching math. Providing students with parallel problems gives students with a broad range of learning styles and student readiness to get started on the questions that they want to. It is important to spark up reflection and discussion regarding the problems. Questioning is one of the hardest parts about being a teacher and its important not to give out hints to the student who is asking for help but rather asking questions about connections they have made or getting them to communicate about what they have done so far and what further steps to take.
The Big Ideas from Dr. Small book is a great teacher resource to use. The book looks at the big ideas for every topic taught in school. So often, the specifics of a topic such as math are taught and students tend not to understand the big concepts. The key is to get students to understand the big ideas or larger concepts and have a deep understanding about what they are doing in math and why they are doing it that way rather than just memorizing formulas and applying them without any further reflection.
Hey Carla,
ReplyDeleteGreat summary post of what we covered this week in math class! I particularly liked how you went over the concept of fractions and the different types of fractions students will encounter, such as: part to part, mixed fractions and improper fractions. As well, I liked that you pointed out that fractions are the same as ratio and proportions. I totally forgot about this until I completed the math refresher for this class. It is important for students to understand math terminology and where there are similarities and differences. I also like how you stated this week and last week that students need to work collectively together to improve their learning. Each student is unique and learns in there own way. Therefore, if students are put in groups to solve problems they can learn different techniques from one another. I also agree that the Hershey's chocolate book of fractions is a great introductory tool to the topic of fractionsz Moreover, it introduces students to the terminology of fractions. I think this book is an excellent tool because it mixes literature and math with real world concepts that students can relate to and physically solve with a chocolate bar. I also like how you touched upon the idea that teachers need a growth mindset when teaching math. This is imperative because teachers need to adapt their skills in order to teach a range of students with different abilities. Lastly, I liked how you concluded with the big key ideas in regards to fractions. I think every teacher should go over the key concepts of a unit with their students at multiple times. This will allow the teacher to assess their students and see if they are truly understanding what the lesson is about, instead of just memorizing how to do an equation. If students create their own understanding of the problem they will be far more successful and the teachers experience will be truly enriched.
Great post this week Carla!
Cheers, Courtney
Hey Carla!
ReplyDeleteYour post highlighted some amazing aspects of our last class. Firstly, I would like to say that I liked how you incorporated the actual terminology for fractions as you were explaining the importance of making a good math question. I think that is really important to grasp as you want students to be able to identify and be familiar with mathematical words, and not be confused when they arise or whenever they come across them. I also agree that a good problem is something that every student can get started on regardless of the level they are currently standing at. If they are able to get started on a problem then they will have the confidence required to go further within the lesson because they have that sense of security knowing they can start the opening question given to them. Along with good questions, I agree that its important for students to gain a deeper understanding about math rather than just taking what is said to them as a “rule” or the “right way” of solving a problem but to look past that and understand what is actually happening. It was great that you mentioned The Big Ideas book by Dr. Small because it really does open teachers minds to various concepts!
It's always interesting to read people's thoughts on a class (ie. who focussed on the same or different aspects of the lesson). Like you, I focussed on the idea of interchangeability between fractions, ratios, proportions, etc. I feel as though one of the main points being provided to us in math is the importance of providing multiple ways to understand each topic/unit. I love that the fractions unit encourages students to see the same concept represented in so many different ways.
ReplyDeleteYour blog post this week could definitely serve as a great starting point for new teachers if they are nervous about teaching fractions. It's presented very clearly! It really highlights all the important aspects that could/should be included when teaching this particular unit. I like how you incorporated all of the formal terminology and examples of strategies to demonstrate different concepts.
Hey Carla, I thought a pretty significant thing we learned from this lesson was the importance of the big ideas about a topic. I think that really goes a long way to helping students learn about the topic and not just how to execute operations involving the topic. It puts the topic, fractions for example, into perspective for them and furthers their overall understanding by putting it in some kind of context. I really liked the idea of the graphic organizer too and I think I would use that in my own math teaching. In this class we're not just doing math but expanding our own understanding of the concepts and, for me, discussing the big ideas about fractions helped with that.
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