Stage 6 Reflection

Retrieved October 22nd From: SandraRief.com

As teachers and past students ourselves, I think we all know one of the biggest challenges teachers face in math is the dreaded "I'm never going to use/need this". This is one of the most common struggles, I personally believe, that we face as teachers. Students become disengaged when they can't see or understand how they might use something in life.

This week, we had the opportunity to look into some applications of mathematics in real life. I believe that it is our responsibility to instil a growth mindset in our students, and to help them understand that they may not need to know a specific formula at any particular point in their life, however that math intuition is extremely important.

If you can take a minute to watch this video, it is one of the many I watched this week regarding mathematical applications in real life.  I don't personally know much about the Fibonacci Spiral, however by watching this video, I was able to expand my knowledge. I also had the opportunity to watch a video about Dolphins using math to communicate amongst themselves, how neat, right?

I believe by showing students that math is used in many different ways, it will help them go beyond their comfort zone, especially if we can relate it to animals, because it proves that mathematics are used in all aspects of living.

Thanks for reading!

Stage 5 Reflection: Memorization vs. Big Ideas

Memorizing vs. Understanding

Retrieved October 16th 2017 from: The Peak Performance Center 

We are back to the grind this week after our reading week...I have spent quite a bit of time this week getting caught up and trying to get myself prepared in advance for the weeks to come . I spent a bit of time this week doing my online modules, which included watching a video regarding the differences between memorization versus actually retaining/learning information. You can find the video here if you'd like to watch it. 

After watching this, I took it upon myself to do some additional research to see if there was more benefit to one than the other. I came across a blog on The Peak Performance Center's page that breaks down memorization vs. understanding . I came to the conclusion based on my findings, that learning and understanding a concept is more beneficial than simply memorizing steps. Now how could the be implied in a mathematics class? Many students spend a lot of time believing that if they memorize a formula or the steps required to answer a question, they will pass their test or get all the right answer, etc. However, when you memorize something, your brain will only allow you to retain the information for a certain length of time. Once you no longer "need" this information, it will be purged, and this is not an effective way to make your way through mathematics. If we are able to learn the big ideas of a concept, we will have better chances of being able to come to an answer, even if it is not the right one, being able to justify logically what you think the answer might be, is a quality known to having learned a concept. 

As a student, I personally preferred the memorization method, as I figured that if I could memorize the strategy or formula needed, I would be able to find answers. However, I believe this is why I ultimately struggled with math, as I could not always find the answers, and rarely was able to justify a logical answer. 

As a future teacher, I look forward to having the opportunity to coax and encourage my students into having conversations to learn from each other, instead of simply providing them with material and information. I believe that it is necessary for students to communicate with one another and beneficial for them to see their teachers model certain ways of learning. By encouraging this type of learning, I believe that ultimately, it will also help me strengthen my math skills in the future as well. 

Thanks for reading! 

Week 4 Reflection

Let's talk about rich tasks! 

As we finish off week four, I know right, WEEK 4! How is that possible already!? I've had the opportunity this past week to consider quite a few elements in the classroom that I previously would not have considered. For example, what is the difference between a rich, and non-rich task? This is something we spent some time investigating this week and I thought I would share some of my personal observations with you. We observed a few ways that a task can be considered "rich" these things include elements such as, rich tasks should require students to deepen their thinking and students should be able to have an open discussion about potential answers. 

I created a survey this week for some of my peers to complete with regards to their feelings towards math, if you have a second, please check it out, there are some interesting questions on there and I am curious to see the different answers that it evokes. You can find the survey here. 

Another element that I've spent quite a bit of time investigating this week  is differentiation in the classroom. What is differentiation you might ask? Essentially, it is "reaching every learner" and adapting teaching and learning so that every student benefits equally. I've personally benefited from doing this research because it has provided me with many different tips and tricks to differentiate my teaching in my future classroom. 

Here is a small list of a few ways you can differentiate in your classroom:

• Providing Choice Boards  
• Cubing
•  Learning Centers/Stations
• Learning Contracts (one of my personal favourites)
•  RAFT
• Tiering  

Many of these strategies are easy ways that a teacher can be sure they are teaching to reach all of their students. 

 

Thanks for reading again this week!