Mentally Preparing myself for my first math lesson

So, I feel it is important to note that getting up in front of the class the first 2 times in my placement has been exciting and wonderful.  I taught art and health. Two subject that I know a lot about and am extremely interested in. However, in the back of my mind I can't stop worrying about having to teach math next week.  I also find it interesting that my associate teacher reminds us everyday that we will not have to teach math the first week.  She wants us to get our feet wet in other subjects first.  That is scaring me even more!!!  I walked around the room the first day to help the kids with their questions and I remember the anxiety as I read the question and hoped I knew the answer.  It was very simple and I got it-but can I teach it?? I am anxious to start and see what happens.  I will let you know!  I feel as though the anxiety I get trying to solve math problems (banking, school etc.) may be transferred into the classroom and it will hinder my ability to teach.  Hopefully this will be a positive teaching experience. I will keep you posted.

sitting on the carpet during math is fun!

It's my first week practice teaching and I am still amazed at the methods being used by my associate teacher.  I also realized how important the seating arrangements are during the lesson.  I remember as a child sitting in rows in a very structured seating arrangement.  I also remember daydreaming a lot during our math lessons.  My realization is that it is very important that to get the children engaged they must be comfortable and feel as if they are a part of a group that is excited to learn.  When the teacher does the instructional part of her lesson, she moves the class to the carpet and has them sit facing her.  They love being on the carpet.  They are close to her, they are close to their classmates and I notice they feel more eager and involved in the lesson.  Of course this technique would vary depending on the grade level (I have grade 4), but this can be adjusted according to the grade level.  Doing any sort of activity in groups is enticing for students!  My aha moment this week was that not only is the technique of teaching math important but so is the physical comfort and arrangement of the classroom when conducting the lesson.

First day in the classroom!

Today was my first day in my grade 4 class!  I was pleasantly surprised to observe my associate teacher using blocks for her math lesson.  Her technique was very similar to the one used by Professor Antosz.  She would write a number on the board and asked students to come to the front of the class to show how the number would be arranged in blocks.  The part of the lesson that I found interesting was her use of the blocks to show the numbers as well.  For example, on the board, there would be a number such as 7,631, under each number a student would draw the shape of the blocks used that would correlate.  This was also used to assess the students at the end of the lesson.  It was great to see the interaction and involvement of all the students in the lesson.  It seemed as though the blocks were toys to them.  Math was now a game to be played instead of a tedious memorization of facts.  That was my biggest lesson of the day.  Math was fun!!  If students can carry on this excitement throught the grades, the subject will not be so intimidating as I and many other people find it!

Math and Exchange Rates

 

I realized today that I have be en applying my math skills in a wonderful way! I went on a little shopping spree in the United States this afternoon, and realized half way through that I was figuring out exchange rates all day. Living so close to the border (Detroit) has allowed me to exercise this throughout the years.  I do not travel outside Canada very often, however, I think it is important that children learn how to figure exchange rates, so they do not get confused with the use of various currencies throughout the world.  This could be done through the math curriculum as well.  After all, figuring out how to exchange currency does involve multiplication!  For example, here is an problem:
Pam is going on a trip to Texas and has $250 Canadian Dollars (CND) . If the exchange rate is 1 CND = .6733 USD how much American money will she be able to get?

a) Set up the equation

1 CND = .6733 USD

b) Multiply both sides by $250

1 CND (250) = .6733 USD (250)

$250 CND = $168.325 USD

Pam will have $168.33 American Dollars from her $250 Canadian Dollars

This is definitley a convenient skill to have weather you are travelling, or work in a bank etc.  I know I use it quite often!

Helping Kids Learn Math through Sports

So we are near the end of baseball season once again, and as I was listening (and watching) the Tiger game last night I couldn't help but notice that every once in a while the broadcaster revealed statistics about players, the game etc.  So, I thought in that moment that sports and math are interconnected in a big way.  Not only is statistics a large part of every sport (i.e. batting averages of players) but it is also used in creating strategies of play.  An example of this would be football.  Have you ever seen a picture of a coach's plan on the chalkboard in the locker room?  It looks like an algebra exam!  With this being said, it is important to note that kids love sports and it would be a great way to help them learn math.  Here are just  a couple examples that can be used in a classroom.


1. Jerry hit 32 home runs in one year and 43 the next year, and 54 the next year. If this pattern continues how many home runs will he hit next year?

2.   Casey had 63 baseballs. She gave 16 to her friend. Then she gave 27 to her brother. Then she bought 57. Now how much does she have?



Exercising the Brian through math

Math enhances your logic skills and exercises that part of your brain. So now when you have an issue in your life that doesn't involve numbers, you will understand how to make your own formulas and solve the issues.  I truly believe that the problem solving skills that in every subject area throughout my university career can be related back to trying to figure out how to do math.  It's not just the use of numbers that is important in math.  It does exercise the part of the brain that tries to 'figure things out'.  Just like the other side of the brain is creative and used in art classes.  The same principle applies.   For any students starting in the early stages of math, these skills can be transferred into other subjects.  For example,  problem solving skills can help develop and solve hypotheses in science, and the list goes on.

The connnection between math and music

Math and Music

The above diagram is an example of reading time signatures in music.  In music rhythm and pitch, two of the most important basic elements of music are best described using math concepts.  There is a strong relationship between math and music.  I noticed that the time signature looks a little like a fraction or arithmetic.  Filling up measures feels a little like finding equivalent fractions too.  In "four four time" for example there are four beats in a measure and a quarter note gets one beat.  So, four quarter notes would fill up one measure.  But so would any other combination of notes that equals four quarters: one whole, two halves, one half plus two quarters, and so on. 

So, I still do not have any musical talent, but if I continue to try to relate basic math to reading notes It will eventually become second nature and playing the recorder will be a true joy!!!

learning long division a new way

This week I learned a new way of doing long division.  I am going to be honest.  As the topic of division came up I thought I had all the basics covered as far as my knowledge went.  In my mind, there was only one way to do long division.  I was wrong once again.  Division was also a math subject that was easy to learn using objects (which I am still getting used to).  So, when the professor showed us his version of how to do it, I could not understand and I didn't want to understand.  I thought it was torture trying to figure it the first time and that I was not going to do it again!  Well then, I was told to forget my old way, and I started having chest pain.  I almost left the class without really grasping the concept.  Then another student asked the professor for help and I stayed and learned a lot.  I was impressed with his one-on-one teaching skills.  Honestly, if he wasn't so confident that his way was better I would have left.  I kept the paper the other student was practicing on and went home myself and tried it a few times.  It takes a bit longer but I can see how teaching someone with little math skills this technique would be more efficient.  I am determined to get rid of my old habits from now on!

calculating is constant

After my first math class, I really started to think about how often in a day I used math.  I soon came to realize that from the minute we wake up we are unconsciously using our math skills. It actually starts before we go to bed the night before when we are setting our alarm clock.  I need to calculate what time I need to get up in order to make it class on time for example. Then I have to figure out the order in which I will carry out my daily activities.  For example, if I wake up at 6 a.m. and I have to leave the house by 8a.m. how much time do I have to eat, take a shower, brush my teeth etc.  I basically have to divide my 2 hours accordingly.  And it can be broken down even further into every minuscule detail of my life.  For example, how many calories should be in my breakfast if I'm on a 1300 calorie a day diet? Once again I am using division.  The real-life examples of math in real life is endless. I will probably expand on many of my revelations in the upcoming days and weeks.