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!
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
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