Tools for Success: Calculator Math 1512 Post #6

I plan to continue this blog...although it won't be math anymore.  Instead I will focus on the rest of my schooling and my journey to becoming an educator.

As a final post, I decided I would post about calculators.  After all, we were supposed to post about things that we learned or tools that helped us along the way.  My calculator was my lifeline.  The truth is, it always was and probably always will be!  I was always allowed to use my calculator and I became dependent upon it. 

Is this good?  Is this bad?  Well, in my opinion, application is key.  However, there are many times when I KNOW how to apply something as well as compute the answer in my head.  It's simply faster to use the calculator. 

Here is an essay on whether or not calculators should be permitted in school.Calculators: To Be Or Not To Be?

What does this say about my future as an educator?  As of now I have decided that calculators are OK.  I will be sure to assess every student's knowledge of the application of math.  The calculator will be waiting for them at graduation, and the average household has a few of them in the junk drawer.  I don't care if you use calculators in my class.  (However, could you be so kind as to not use the one on your cell phone?  Thanks!)

Here is a neat video about calculation tricks.  Calculators have always amazed me.

Measurement and Cooking Fun Math 1512 Post #5

Measurement--We see and use it every day!  We measure things in miles, drops, steps, feet, inches, gallons, quarts, milliliters, and the list goes on forever!  How do we keep these all straight?  To be honest, I don't

I keep a magnet on my refrigerator much like the one pictured here.  I refer to it when I'm making some juice or cooking.  My eyes are glued to it when I can vegetables.  You are probably thinking, "Um, so?" 

Here is my point.  Why memorize this?  Let's show our students HOW and WHEN they will use these measurements as well as distance, space, and other types of measurement.  Have fun with it! 

I think cooking activities are perfect for this.  It's simple.  Here is a site to hundreds of EASY cooking ideas for children.  I think the important thing is that the students take their time and pay attention to the measurements.  I don't think it's important to remember how many quarts are in a gallon, but students should know that a gallon is indeed larger than a quart.  Here is an ADORABLE video of a couple of kids cooking.  They are missing the explanation of measurements, but they sure had fun! 

Mean, Median, & Mode Math 1510 Post #6

Simple computation such as mean, mean, and mode is the type of math I enjoy.  I like to add a ton of numbers up and solve equations WITHOUT letters in them.  Growing up, I often found myself in the back seat playing with a calculator trying to spell naughty words <---NO! compute crazy things.  I would type in 556+43 and press the "equal" button hundreds of times until I hit a number with an exponent.  I may have been bored out of my mind slightly bored!  Anyway, I have always loved calculators. 

With that being said, I'm excited to teach my students about things such as mean, median, and mode.  However, I picture myself doing it much differently.  I may even delegate it out to P.E. class.  Who knows, in a couple of years, I may BE the P.E. teacher.  I must be prepared!

Here is an example of how I would teach something as simple as mean, median, and mode!  I would have the class go outside and we would break into groups.  We would complete simple acts such as running a lap or throwing a ball up in the air and catching it ten times.  Every group would have stop watches and would record things.  We would discuss converting seconds/minutes, minutes/seconds, etc.  We could then decide the mean, median, and mode for each group as well as the class.  We could work toward beating our record or we could change the activity up. 

Does it sound like fun?  I guess I always had more fun if we had class outside.  I would have the best of both worlds with this lesson.  We could be outside and exercising, as well as learning the intended information.  However, I think the most important fact is that the students would be engaged.  After all, if all goes well, we will do it again!

Place Value Blocks Math 1510 Post #5

My favorite teacher in elementary was Mrs. E.  She was my first grade teacher.  You may be surprised as to what made me like her class well above the rest.  It wasn't snack time, nap time, or extra play time.  It wasn't stickers or prizes.  OK, you got me...it was the PLACE VALUE BLOCKS.  Yep, I said it.  I loved playing with those place value blocks more than anything.  It was more than the fact that I could get them figured out before anybody else.  I'm sure the sense of pride helped my liking, but I think it was the overall experience of using the blocks to solve math problems that I enjoyed the most.

Place value blocks are an excellent way to differentiate instruction to suit our students' specific types of learning.  For the most part, I'm a visual/spatial learner, so the blocks worked well for me.  However, there are different ways to use the blocks to tailor the instruction to suit the other models as well. 

Here is a video of base ten blocks in action!  The video will also explain how to eplain the blocks to the students as well as what to do when they don't quite understand.

Place value blocks, also known as base ten blocks, can be used for so many different things!  Here is a link to a site that has ideas for learning place value as well as basic algorithms.  We have to teach the basics before we can go wild, right?  Why not make it fun?Base Ten Blocks

ToonDoo Math 1512: Post #4

For my Math 1512 class, we made something called a ToonDoo.  We used a free online software called ToonDoo.  It's a site where ordinary people can create cartoons/comic strips.  At first, I was super frustrated with the program.  When I started playing around with it a bit more, it was a lot of fun!  I'll share one of my ToonDoos with you here. 

This ToonDoo was about rounding.  I think that students will remember more of the concepts we teach them if we give them a reason to remember.  During the middle of a breakdown on a standardized test, I hope my students will remember my our high-energy discussion about rounding, or my cartoon.  What is better than cartoons?
This is sort of random, but I work as a waitress at Famous Dave's of America.  The secret to getting a large tip from a table is to butter up personalize and relate to them on the same level.  I think the same applies to teaching.  If we can relate to our students and give them the tools they need to succeed (which is perhaps a bit more difficult than a few butter packets or an extra napkin) they will indeed go far. 
We get so tied up with testing and meeting the standards that we forget about about the 5 W's + H of teaching.  I'm not sure there is such a thing, but I think about it all the time!
W-Who is our audience
W-What are we teaching? What do we want them to remember?
W-When will they use this?
W-Where might they use this?
W-Why are we learning this?
H-How are we going to remember this?  (Give them a reason to remember!) 
I think things such as ToonDoos are a great way to get our students interested in the tough subjects like English and math!  
WE DON'T WANT THIS!  HERE IS TO QUALITY TEACHING!

Math 1512 How do I solve that? Post #3

I was always so terrified of geometry.  I really thought about why--until this course.  The reason I disliked geometry was because I was afraid of forgetting formulas. 

Whenever my teachers prepped us for state testing, they told us that the formulas wouldn't be on the test.  Similarly, when we had chapter tests, the formulas were nowhere to be found. 

What is my point?  This only brings me back full circle to my last post!  Instead of being shown the real-world application of these formulas, I was worried sick about memorizing the formula for finding the volume of a cylinder. 

I've linked these nifty websites featuring the Area of Shapes as well as the Surface Area of 3D Figures.  They helped me with my homework for this class.  Instead of rummaging through the book for my homework problems, I was able to have these up in another window. I'm not going to lie!  At first glance, when I was asked to find the volume of an ice cream cone, I thought "Oh crap no!"  After I realized it was simply a half sphere and a cone I was able to refer back to my handy websites and compute the answer rather quickly.  I hope my students see the image as a half sphere and a cone...and not an ice cream cone.

These sites would assist me during a direct instruction or classroom discussion activity.  We would have these sites to quickly refer to.  I also think it's appropriate to have posters  with the formulas for surface area and volume posted in the classroom.  I don't care if my students can/can't memorize the formulas.  I just want them to be able to apply them. 

I thought this would be a fun way to find perimeter and area.  This is a video about using Google Earth to find the perimeter and area of various things.  I think it would be fun because they could find the area of their house or neighborhood and then compare it to larger things such as the Mall of America or Target Field.  Google Earth is so much fun and could be used for so many different activities!

Making Math Fun-Math 1510 Post #4

I think part of the reason students dislike math is because of the way things are worded.  As I was creating my MindMap for the Math 1510 class, I thought, "If I was a student trying to learn the basics of estimation and computation, what would keep me engaged?"  After I looked through a few websites, I found my answer. 
I was able to find games that have recognizable characters in them.  For example, in this link to Multiplication Games, students are able to play a game with "Ben 10."  If we used real-world objects in the classroom, I think our students would be much more interested in what is going on.  We could even tailor the material to certain students.  For example if a certain group of young men enjoy cars, why not find the circumference of one of the tires?  I assure you this is much more interesting than finding the circumference of a stupid circle.
Although I think students in the younger grades would benefit from physical examples (actually bringing in real toys or food) I think that using interesting language would be just as helpful.
For example, "I have one hundred marbles.  I will go to the store tomorrow and purchase 25 marbles.  The next day, I will give 23 marbles to my cousin Ted." OR "I have one hundred Yu-Gi-Oh cards.  I will go to the video game store tomorrow and purchase 25 more Yu-Gi-Oh cards.  The next day, I will give 23 Yu-Gi-Oh cards to my cousin Ted." 

If you were an eight-year-old boy, which problem would you prefer to solve?

Real world application and targeting what students are interested are key in retention of information.  This is video about real-world application and how one school keeps their students engaged.