Setting the Stage
I had attended a professional development earlier in the year where we utilized pattern blocks to represent forms in a music lesson. We diagrammed the structure of a song using the pattern blocks and it was such a useful strategy for visual learners (like myself). Although, I hadn't fully made the connection to the fact that musical form and patterning are SO similar. Which is why I probably like patterns, I like figuring out how something is working and it's exciting when that structure can be physically represented! I also enjoyed doing this in English class, when we would deconstruct a poem and represent the form to better understand what was happening.
By creating a pattern to represent our equations in colour I found it easier to visualize how you could potentially develop an equation that would represent a linear graph. This was a better reference than the cards we received for the lesson because they lacked colour.
Minds on
I love the minds on activities at the beginning of each class as we are immediately engaged in solving a problem and the collaborative nature of solving it makes the process far less intimidating!! I volunteered to "lead" the task, and try to make sure our group was understanding everything... but I was so intimidated to lead this as it was the equations I was struggling to understand. Even though I was connecting the T charts to the appropriate graph, pattern group, and equation... understanding how that equation actually worked and what it meant was such a challenge! Seeing the actual blocks represented colour was my ah-ha! celebration dance moment! It was so clear what was the constant and what was variable using that representation!
It was also refreshing to see how we each had solved the problem so we could further our understanding of the concept and be exposed to different strategies or techniques!
Providing Meaningful Context
Connecting to real life should really be a fundamental aspect of a good math question. I found this comparison to be valuable because it is something the majority of us have been exposed to. I have a parking app on my phone for my treks to Toronto that helps me find the best bang for my buck every time I go based on how long I'm going for an time of day. *yay math!*
I had never been taught how to formulate an equation based on a linear relationship by simply referring to the right hand column. I used a trial an error process in my head whenever I looked at these T-charts or sequences of numbers, but I didn't realize you could determine what a number was going up by so efficiently!
For a long time I've felt that we need greater financial literacy in schools and I think discussing investing and interest rates would be something I would want to tackle in relation to algebra. The challenge is making it engaging and using soft language! Most of us have made financial goals for ourselves even when we were small children and so students could relate to making personal goals (ie. buying a new video game or CD). One possible scenario is if our class could research the best short term investment that would give us a reasonable gain in order to save up for a new gaming system or computer! I am bookmarking some resources here that I want to explore further in the future. Both sites offer varying lesson plans which is why I decided to include both.
Practical money skills US
Practical money skills Canada
Sarah! I love that your post this week incorporated placing our classroom experience within the three part lesson plan as illustrated from the videos this week. Sometimes, it's easiest to understand these things we're reading when you put them in the context of tasks we've actually completed. I completely agree with your comments on financial literacy: in my grade 5 class on Wednesday we were trying to make change for something, and many of the students looked at my associate teacher as though she had sprouted another head! In understanding that increased financial literacy is necessary, we also need to continue to make sure to keep it relevant. After this experience in my classroom, I started thinking: when is the last time I even carried cash to pay for something? Are my students using cash? How can I create scenarios for my students that make sense to them, while still teaching them the important concepts of finances? Awesome blog post this week!
ReplyDeleteHey Sarah,
ReplyDeleteGreat post this week! I love how you want to take mathematical concepts and relate them to real-world concepts like interest rates and financials. This approach clearly goes beyond the elementary school grades into high school, so I would argue it can be an effective way to teach virtually any math concepts. I also liked the visuals used in this post as it helps me visualize what your are writing about and helps me to navigate through your post. The personal aspect behind your writing helps me relate to your blog, I always like readings with emotion and personal experience behind it. Great job!
Sarah, Hang onto these financial literacy resources. Perhaps next year in JI math, you can choose the webinar topic-Adding Financial Literacy to our math programs.
ReplyDeleteSarah, I am enjoying your clear and engaging style in your weekly blog posts. You at times link the assigned readings and classmate's activity presentations with the class work and show good insight into how these create a better math learning experience for our students. You have thought deeply about your experiences in this course and relate them to your personal experiences. I can see your philosophy of math teaching developing each week.
ReplyDeleteI should mention that some of the things you have linked into your posts do not show up for all readers.