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!

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.