Farewell

Farewell to Math class - but not to learning!

This past week I have been able to reflect on all I have learned throughout this 6 weeks in my math course. I am already lesson planning for my grade 8 students in Math, Science and Religion. I am no longer hesitant in jumping in and getting the students excited about mathematics, thankfully to this course.

Math is EVERYWHERE. In what you read, watch, listen to, eat, etc. As a teacher candidate this course has taught me to accept that and to, instead of run from it, embrace it and know that anyone and everyone is a math person. 

I think growth mindset is one of the most important things I have taken away from this course. I have learned that my brain, specifically my math brain, is always working and always one step closer to problem solving. I am no longer afraid of math and intimidated by word problems and equations. I am no longer intimidated by manipulatives, measurement and fractions. Most importantly I am no longer intimidated by group work. It was this course that made me comfortable and open to working with other people, through participating in the webinars both as an attendee and the teacher, in order to get to the end goal.

Every week the mindset modules taught us how important your own mindset is and the role it plays in learning math. Without a positive mindset, without being okay with making mistakes, without acknowledging that every single person is a math person, one will not be able to succeed. 

If you haven't been following my blog, or haven't been able to take part in the weekly online modules feel free to click on the link below to understand that everyone is indeed a math person!

http://www.matific.com/us/en-us/blog/2016/04/21/everyone-is-a-math-person/

If you are one who always believes what they read, read away! (You should believe what these links share with you - because they're true!)

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/15/well/family/trying-to-add-up-girls-and-math.html

https://www.wired.com/2015/05/im-just-not-math-person/

Remember, you are a math person, everyone is. Remember that you are capable of learning math, teaching math and succeeding at math. 

Stay amazing, continue to practice math, make your brain grow, make mistakes, learn from them, and have an amazing rest of the school year!

Emily

Math Games Galore! Strategies and Resources for Keeping Students Engaged in Mathematics

Teaching Strategies

This week my partner Paul and I presented our Webinar on Teaching Strategies to keep students engaged and excited about mathematics. Our main focus, although not our only one, was the use of gamification within math classes. We chose this to be our main focus because of how beneficial it has shown to be in classes when used in math class, on break or as a 'math reward' to students. 

** If the school you are teaching in does not have devices for all students do not worry! I have provided some alternate strategies below that you could bring into your classrooms without the use of devices! :)

What is gamification?

Paul and I felt that using gamification as a strategy in the classroom would benefit students and help them to feel more comfortable with mathematics. Students normally have devices attached to them by the hip and feel confident using them, add math and VOILA! 

Follow the link below to read some more information on why gamification can benefit your children and students! 

https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/learning-at-home/games-skillbuilders/how-games-can-help-kids-who-struggle-with-math

Before getting into the WHY students should use the strategies Paul and I presented on, first we needed to identify the WHY students experience trouble with mathematics. 

Have you experienced any of these? Any additional? What experiences have you had with mathematics and why do you think that happened?

Lack of Focus: Students may have a hard time focusing on a problem  that has more than one step, a large number of pieces of information at once, etc.

No Confidence: A lot of students, my younger self included, have no confidence when it comes to mathematics and believe that they are not a "math person". This all stems from students' experiences and their mindset going into mathematics. As educators, it is our job to show students that every person is able to succeed at mathematics.

Not Relatable: As someone who has been in school for over 20 years, I know that I found it very difficult to work on something that did not interest me or could not be related to my own life. As educators we should try to relate math problems to the students in our classrooms. Change names in problems, change sports teams, relate it to current events, bring math into cooking snacks or baked goods, bring math into their physical education periods, bring math into the arts. By tying mathematics with other subjects across the entire curriculum all students will have a chance at relating to mathematics in their own special way. This will help them to enjoy mathematics, knowing it can be relatable after all.

Educator's Approach: Students look up to teachers, I know I did and I know that my amazing teachers play a crucial role in me wanting to be a teacher. Their approaches can also be passed down in a way. When I learned as a student it was done through notes on the chalkboard, overhead projector or the textbook for that specific subject. Fast forward many years later and I was introduced to new ways of teaching that keeps students engaged and excited to learn. Teachers need to find new ways at teaching their students to keep them excited. Everyone gets tired of the same routine and this will lead to them looking at mathematics negatively when the educators way of teaching is actually the problem.


Feel free to follow the activity below and share in the comments your reflections, thoughts or questions! Have Fun!

Emily

I Like My Math Tasks As Rich As I Like My Chocolate

What is a RICH TASK?

This week in the Mathematics course teacher candidates learned what makes a task rich and what does not. We were taken through a variety of tasks that we had to identify as either rich or not. This activity was eye-opening for me as a teacher candidate because I can now identify what tasks I should be bringing into the classrooms and which ones are better left out.

This link provides examples of rich tasks ranging from elementary up until and including high school years mathematics:

https://nzmaths.co.nz/rich-learning-activities

**Feel free to comment below to let me know how you found these tasks and what your thoughts on them are!

As a future educator it is very important for myself, and my fellow candidates alike, to be able to bring rich tasks into the classroom. Of course students should be taught the basics of math, so they can succeed at rich tasks, but they also should be given tasks that challenge them and at the same time open them up to new ways of thinking. 

Rich tasks are engaging to students and most importantly EVERY STUDENT CAN MAKE A START. Think back to your educational career. Was there any class or anytime where you felt overwhelmed or stuck, before even starting? This is so common for students, especially when it comes to mathematics because of their negative experiences with the subject. Rich tasks provide all students, at every level, to start. Starting is the most important part. It give students confidence that they can continue on with the task.

Please feel free to share in the comments any resources you have found, or ideas of rich tasks that you think could be beneficial to bring into the math classrooms. It is so important to keep students engaged and challenged with math and all other subjects. As educators we are helping their brains grow, develop and succeed. 

Thank you,

Emily

Mathematics Week Three - Half way done ALREADY!

Happy third week friends!!

Three more weeks and we will be in our placements and teaching students all of the strategies we have been learning here! I cannot wait - how about you?

This week our class concentrated on making mistakes and how mistakes are as important, if not more important than getting the solution "right" the first attempt. By making mistakes one is able to reason and grow their mathematics pathway when trying to resolve the problem they are given. 


Why is it good to make mistakes in math?

The idea that mistakes are a bad thing and that if you make mistakes you failed needs to be removed from every classroom. Without mistakes our brains, our students’ brains wont grow. By making mistakes, and struggling to find the solution to a math problem or to any other subject fields our brain grows, as opposed to when we get all the answers right without struggling.

Think of your brain as your bicep muscles. Without working out and engaging those muscles they wont grow and wont be as strong as you want them to be. This goes the same for your brain. Exercise it, work on hard problems, struggle and ask questions and make mistakes. Mistakes are an important step in math. It is not failing, it is growing. 

Watch the short clip below which deals with how success and making mistakes is interrelated: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GoYi3hfiBg&feature=youtu.be

As future educators, it is crucial that we show students how success comes from failing first. Would they rather struggle with a problem, learn how to push through it and succeed or see a question and know the answer. Many students, without knowing the benefits behind failing, would choose the latter of the two. 

Making mistakes + struggling and learning how to find the solution = SUCCESS!

***** It is time for students and their teachers alike to recognize that making mistakes in math is not a negative thing. Instead, making mistakes should be seen as a growing opportunity and a positive thing *****

http://mostfunnyfacebookstatus.blogspot.ca/2012/12/

Mistakes Grow Your Brain

https://www.youcubed.org/evidence/mistakes-grow-brain/ 

https://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard

8 Reasons Making Mistakes in Math is a Good Thing:

https://mathgeekmama.com/8-reasons-making-mistakes-in-math-is-a-good-thing/

In closing, this message is for educators, candidates and students alike:

Do not hold back just because something is challenging. Regardless of what opportunities arise in your life you can choose to take the challenging one and grow or the easy one and remain the same. Take risks and remember that mistakes in life are just as important to growth as they are in math! You’ve got this!

Happy mistake making,

Emily

"Whether you think you can or think you can't - You are right" Henry Ford

What type of mindset do you have?

Have you ever sat down and reflected on what kind of mindset you have? Do you have a growth and positive mindset towards sports but a fixed and closed mindset towards subjects such as Mathematics? All throughout my educational career I had a fixed mindset that I was not good at math, that I would not succeed at it and that I was not a math person. This has changed since I have become a teacher candidate. I have seen both types of mindsets in my classrooms and have seen the difference that your mindset can create. If you are not sure what mindset you have click on the link below and check it out! Feel free to comment and let me know what mindset you have!

FOLLOW THE LINK:

https://mindsetonline.com/testyourmindset/step1.php

http://techymathmaniacs.blogspot.ca/2015/03/httpswww.html

This week's online module session had me understand the importance behind having a growth mindset. Your beliefs about learning and about yourself, if positive, can prove that anyone can do well in math. By having a growth mindset you are creating a "positive upward learning path" (week 2 - video). 

From being a student and witnessing the benefits that comes from having a growth mindset, I hope that as an educator, I will be able to relay the importance of a growth mindset to them. I feel that as teachers in the future we have the potential to change so many children's lives. Starting with a growth mindset in mathematics will give them the tools in other areas of their lives to not give up just because a challenge presents itself and that their intelligence can grow. I have attached a great video that goes through how we can help every child reach their full potential by having them change from fixed to a growth mindset! Hope you enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl9TVbAal5s

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Image by Katie Wright, University of San Diego

Image by Katie Wright, University of San Diego

Here is an image that was created on AnswerGarden. This is a great website that can be used, even with the students in your classroom, given that they have a device, to create a bubble of words and phrases that relate to one overall topic. The one above is about growth mindset. You can see words such as positive, growth, better, learn and phrases like "I can do it", "keep on trying", etc. With all the positive words and phrases there is still words like challenge included. This AnswerGarden does not leave out the fact that there may be challenges but regardless one needs to keep on going and grow. Check out the site! https://answergarden.ch

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https://www.mathsisfun.com/index.htm

I found a great website https://www.mathsisfun.com/index.htm that includes activities for students and educators!!! This website has games, worksheets, quizzes for students and resources for teachers that can help show students how fun math can be! Many students automatically associate math with boring and hard. By showing them the fun that can be had throughout their mathematics classes, they can learn to love math and work hard to succeed instead of just saying they're not a math person and giving up! Let me know how you like the resource and if you have any others you would like to share with me! :)

Thanks for checking in this week! I look forward to reading your comments about your results and experiences with figuring out your mindset! Have a fabulous week and remember that YOU CAN DO IT!

Emily

Junior/ Intermediate Mathematics Blog Year 2

Math is EVERYWHERE!

Last first day of being a student.. but not the last first day of math class!

Welcome back to all my teacher candidates and our teachers! I cannot believe we are back to school already and how fast the summer flew by! No better way to start the week back to school with MATH on the first day back. 

I found myself excited for Mathematics in first year, learning the strategies to teach students math and how to enjoy teaching it myself because of bad experiences with mathematics as a student. Unfortunately, today I found myself going right back into that "I hate math" mindset and "math is frustrating and difficult" that I had had during my educational career. It was not until the class participated in a word garden that I was able to see all the other perspectives of my fellow teacher candidates, mostly positive. It made me recognize that I need to get back into the growth mindset for both my learning experience and my future students'. It is easy to fall away from the growth mindset having had the summer off but I am ready to dive into school, learning, and teaching!

http://easytrickmagic.com/card-tricks-101/

After introductions and catching up with our peers, the class began with a card trick! It was easy to see that I was MIND BLOWN and very happy to learn that I can perform this card game in-front of my students and create the same questions, thoughts and connections that the teacher candidates experienced. Mina had all the teacher candidates gather around her and observe her shuffle and perform the trick. The end goal of the game was, although there was shuffling, subtracting and adding to the piles, to end up with all Queens on the top of the piles.

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mind-blown

When divided into groups and trying the game on our own, we were able to manipulate the cards to see how many we could add and subtract and still have the same end goal! Mina did it with Queens on the top, but it can be done with any of the suits! Below is a link that you can follow to check out the game and learn for yourself!! Fun game/ trick, will engage your students and will create further questioning and inquiry for all participants!

https://www.thespruce.com/cut-to-four-aces-magic-card-trick-2266982

After the opening activity the class all contributed to a word garden, reflecting back on words that reminded them of math, or their experiences surrounding math. Some of the words were:

• frustrating
• everywhere
• fun
• challenging

It was not long before teacher candidates could see that everyone has their own feelings and experiences with math but it was our jobs, as future educators, to make every student's experience a positive and fun one!

Live Streaming For Dummies

Courtney, Daniella and I testing out my webinar/ live stream account!

As one of our major assignments, our groups have to perform a thirty minute live stream/ webinar. In our first class we learned how to set up a live streaming account and signed up for our presentation day, topic and time! 

My partner Paul and I are presenting our Webinar on September 29th on Teaching Strategies. 

We also determined, with our unit plan group, what unit we wanted to concentrate on! I am excited to see what this term has in store and to learn lots more about making math fun and meaningful to the students. 

My group and I are creating our unit on Fractions - we have not decided what grade but are leaning towards grade 7 and 8.

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In closing, a question posed by the "Wrapping it up" reflection slideshow was: What is something done this week that you will remember and use in your classroom?

I think that one thing I will remember and use in my classroom would be what I learned from this week's online module as a whole. Mistakes should be praised when a student makes one. Not only does it provide room for the students to grow, reflect and learn further but it also makes them comfortable to make them without fear of being ridiculed. Mistakes are a good thing. I think this is very important for us future educators to know so our students can have a safe space to make mistakes, grow and learn in an accepting environment.

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Although today was my last first day of being a student, I cannot wait for all the first days as a teacher I have.

Thanks for reading, 

Emily.