Multiple Ways of Addition and Subtraction

What We Learned

This week in my math class we tackled the challenging issues of addition and subtraction. When I was taught math in elementary school the method of carrying numbers or borrowing was used to help the student with addition and subtraction. This way taught the students what to do, but not why or how they were doing the math. In class I was taught multiple strategies that teach the students addition and subtraction but also allow them to chose what method that they understand the best. The methods learned in class were: partial addition, compensation addition, constant addition, partial subtraction, compensation subtraction and constant subtraction. The students use these methods to understand the math but also remember what they are taught so that it will be of use to them in the future. The education on the addition and subtraction strategies are useful to me as it presents multiple ways in which to teach students. It also opened my mind to the idea that math can be done in a variety of ways while still arriving at the same final result. Having multiple ways to find an answer showed me that students will learn in a variety of ways and to be accepting of all of them.

The Best Part!

            My favourite part of math class this week was student interaction. I did not previously realize the importance that a good math problem can have for the students. Below is a snapshot that was taken in class that describes the different aspects of a good problem that gets students involved. The conversation around what makes a good problem made me realize that if students are not connected to the problem then they are less likely to be engaged with the math that is being taught. The use of good math problems and the interaction of students became more evident to myself when the learning activity presentations were ongoing. All three presenters during class time create good math problems for the class to solve and looking around the room at this time showed me how involved my peers and myself were with the question at hand. The interaction of the class proved to me how important it is to create student interaction in order to teach math.

Improvement

            Through this week I feel the biggest improvement I made was the open mind-set towards the new ways to teach math. When first entering math I believed that there was only one way for it to be taught and that it was uninteresting to me. Through this week as well as the previous I feel I have opened my mind to different approaches to math and the problems that are presented. By having this different mindset, I was able to enjoy the class and learn different techniques of teaching a fun and engaging math lesson. For future classes I hope to continue having an open mind to the new math lessons and learn valuable information that I will be able to take into my teaching career.

Welcome!

Welcome to my weekly math blog! My name is Christian Ferracuti and I am a teacher candidate at Brock University in the first year of the two-year consecutive education program. The title of my blog “J/I Math” represents the grade divisions that I hope to teach in the near future. In this blog you can expect updates on the different teaching techniques that can be used to teach the 21st century learner. Math education has changed rapidly over the past ten years and new teaching methods have been created. Over the next 3 months I will be posting weekly updates to the teaching concepts that will help math students have fun and be successful in math. Throughout this course I hope to learn how to teach math in an inviting way as well as learning math concepts that I will be able to retain. I also hope that this course will show me that math is a fun subject and not only certain students are able to be successful. Throughout my own math education, formulas were taught and expected to be memorized by the students in order to pass the course. With two weeks of the class completed it was very apparent to me that this is not the way math is taught anymore. The use of physical objects to help engage the students as well as help them create their own way of learning is a fascinating concept which I want to learn more of. Below there is a picture of the objects that we used in the previous math class. The use of physical objects/material was able to help me understand the math and will surely help the students. The main goal for this course is to become a strong math educator. The interest that a student has in the subject is related to the abilities of the teacher and the way that they teach. I hope that this course will enable me to become a great educator for math so that the future generation embraces the subject and is not afraid of math. In closing I invite you back to my blog for weekly updates. In the upcoming weeks I hope to document more of my experiences in the math class especially the use of materials to increase learning. I will also update the readers on how the materials were incorporated into the lesson and the other ways that the lesson can be taught. Hopefully through explaining the use of the materials will give myself or other teacher candidates more resources to use in the future when teaching math.