Creating a Classroom that Revolves Around Students

Classroom Techniques           

        The week in math class was very influential for teaching techniques. Throughout the class session fractions was not the only lesson the teaching candidates and myself were being taught. The use of classroom techniques such as what makes for a good problem for students and classroom congress. These to teaching techniques provided the candidates with ways to ensure the involvement of all students.

What Makes a Good Problem?

            Every week in class we start out working on a problem within our table groups. The table groups are all able to start the problem immediately in a way in which they believe is best suited. The problems that we start with all have multiple aspects in common with each other. As a class we created the list below which describes the aspects that we feel create a good problem. As a teacher candidate I feel that creating these good problems are critical to having an inviting classroom. Questions that allow all students to begin and find answer allow for the students to feel a sense of accomplishment. As a teacher I will strive to make sure that in all subjects that the questions I assign to students will have the aspects of a good problem.

The Classroom Congress

            A classroom congress was a new idea that was presented to me in the previous week. A congress provides the ability for the students to have ownership of the work that they are completing. The congress focuses on student ideas who then explain to other students the way they created their solution. Leaders of the congress take on the role of trying to make sure that any questions have from other students are answered and all members of the congress understand the different solution methods. A congress is a creative way to provide choice and give freedom to the students. This choice that the students have will create better students as they take more interest in the work that they are in charge of. For more information and an example of a math congress go to Math Congress Video to better inform yourself on the use of a congress in the classroom. As a teacher I will hope to use this to provide my students a different way to present the information they have found. Students may feel more comfortable presenting to their peers and can gain a better understanding of the material if they explain it to their peers and feel free to ask questions.

Now for the Math Lesson … Integers

            Not much time was spent on integers but as a teacher I was still able to gain valuable information that will help me teach students. One of the largest problems with integers is applying rules to a problem where they do not apply. As a teacher we can hope to eliminate this mistake by teaching through example. Teaching through example will provide the students concrete material that they can refer to when trying to solve a similar problem. Instead of memorization of specific rules as a teacher I will strive to teach my students through the use of example to ensure that they are able understand what has been taught.

Overall this week showed me that creating an inviting classroom and using examples can positively enhance the education of students.

Red Light! Green Light!

Making Math Fun
I would have never thought to teach fractions through the use of a playground game. This week in math class yet again I was astonished at learning just how fun math can be. To start the day of our class went back to our childhood and played the favourite children’s game, Red Light, Green Light. While we were all laughing and having a good time I was unable to see the connection to fractions until it was simply explained by Patricia. Fractions can be used as a way to describe a distance or far you have gone.  An example of this in the game was 7/16. This fraction symbolizes that the person is a little bit less than half of the way there. The language that one uses also will help students understand how much the fractions symbolizes. Using soft language such as, a little bit or almost all of it, can help students identify how big or small a fraction. Below is a picture of the game that we played in class and the distance that each student got to.

This quick example showed me the importance of two key concepts when teaching math. The first concept is the use of games to help students become engaged can increase their learning. The use of game was able to keep me interested in the subject and therefore made it easier for me to learn about fractions. The second concept was using language that students are able to understand. Using soft language will help the students better understand the concepts it makes it easier for them to complete the tasks.

Common Denominators in Division!

A second activity that we did in class this past week was dividing fractions. As a student in mathematics I was always taught that common denominators are only used for addition or subtraction. My mind was blown when I was told that common denominators can be used in division as well. This method even seemed easier to me and I was better able to understand the concept. Using common denominators could create a three tiered fraction if the top number was a fraction but the bottom tier of the fraction would be 1. We were also taught in class that anything over one is just the anything therefore taking away the three tiered fraction. Common denominators can allow the student to divide the fractions easier and not be worried the flip and multiply method. The following image is an example of how using common denominators to divide is possible.

This week in math class was outstanding! I was able to learn concepts that I can implement to keep my students engaged in the lesson. I was also able to better understand how to divide fractions and that the use of common denominators is helpful when doing so. Math class so far has been an outstanding experience as I am being taught math in way that I could have never imagined. 

Teaching Fractions with Chocolate

The best part of the week

            Teaching fractions is a lot easier when a story is involved. In class this week we were taught fractions through the use of the story called, “the Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Fraction Book.” The book teaches the students the fractions from 1/12 to 13/12 and also a variety of other unit fractions (1 as the numerator). The activity is an interactive story and got the whole class involved as many of us were eager to eat the chocolate that was associated with the activity. This activity made it clear to see the positive outcomes that can be found through the use of children’s literature, provided a resource for future teaching and also gave us a tasty snack.

Pallotta, Jerrry. "The Hershey's Milk Chocolate Fractions Book." 1999. Book cover. Retrieved from: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/hersheys-milk-chocolate-bar-fractions-book-0#cart/cleanup

What I will take away

Memorization of steps of mathematical procedures are not important if students do not understand why they are doing them. This sentence from the previous week is something that I will bring into my future classrooms as a teacher. Countless formulas were taught to me as a student throughout my education. I would memorize the formulas and even the parts of the question from where to get the numbers to put in the equation to get the correct answer but I never fully understood what I was doing.  By forcing students to memorize a formula we are putting them at a disadvantage as we limit the ways that they are able to learn. If the students are able to understand what is asked of them, then they are more likely able to remember how to find the answer to questions such as what is the slope of the line? By allowing students to create their own way to arrive at the solution we are encouraging a growth mindset and helping them understand math better.

Problem Solving Assignment

The problem solving assignment reinforced the notion that students should be allowed to find their own solutions to the questions that are asked. When completing the answers to the questions that I was given, I originally was only able to think of one way that I knew how to find the answer. I was able to remember the substitution method of algebra as that was the way I was taught to find the answer of what the variable represents in the equation. Upon first looking at the problem I was only able to solve the question in one way. It was not until a couple days later that I was able to go back to and understand the problem from a different perspective. By leaving the problem and answering the question in another method I was able to better understand the question. By finding the answer using a different method I was able to realize that there are multiple ways to arrive at the answer and to use the way that you understand the most.