Final Week: Math Post Week 6

This week is the final week of first semester. It has gone by very fast as it was compacted into only 6 weeks. This is very different then the first year format as we have attended each subject twice weekly and have been given far more independent learning. It has been a challenging but very valuable experience. In math, we have covered a different theme each week and combined that with online modules that support the topic and allow students to explore further and reflecting using online forum posts. We’ve also been writing weekly blog posts about our experiences and things we’ve taken away from the lessons.

This week in class we discussed assessment in math. Class started with a video called Mr. D which is a short comedy skit which looks at how we assess students. Our professor used this video to give us some important tips.

1) Trim the Fat

2) Skip It

3) Grades Create Anxiety

4) Focus on Comments

Trim the fat means focus on one thing at a time. Overloading students with tests and quizzes that evaluate too much will not benefit the students or the educator so attempt to focus on one standard at a time. Skip it means to focus on things that will further the learning. Sometimes we can get caught up with doing activities just for the sake of it but as educators we have to be constantly asking the question what purpose will this serve? Don’t waste time filling a page but make sure what you are evaluating is relevant. This is also important in time management for a teacher because if we are focusing on what is relevant we will make sure our workload is effective and reasonable. The third point is the fact that grades do create anxiety but inaccurate grades can also create anxiety. This means grade with purpose and ensure you have the time to mark properly. The final tip is focus on comments! Grades are just a number and this will not help students improve their work. Detailed comments on student work will allow students to see what they did well and where they can improve so that their future work can be better. I think these tips are good reminders for teachers about what assessment is supposed to be about and where to focus our energy.

The final thing we did this week was a webinar on reporting. This was an extremely useful webinar as I’ve never written any marks or comments for report cards. The biggest take away for me was to be specific and give examples of student work. It was also mentioned that writing in a clear manner was essential to ensure both student and parent understand what is being written. There were some excellent resources provided and I really valued getting an opportunity to distinguish between an effective comment and an ineffective comment. 

Language Learning Object

This is my language learning object for grade 5 students.

Integrated Learning: Math Post Week 5

©Counton. 2016. 

During class in week 5 we explored online mathematical resources and blended learning. Blended learning is where students learn from in person instruction and digital and online media. We started class by playing an online game called Count On. This game allows students to pick a level of difficulty and attempt to solve math problems using the numbers provided. Playing this game gave me time to explore working with numbers and allowed me to make as many mistakes as I needed to figure out the correct answer. In previous weeks we have talked about allowing students a platform to make mistakes and develop their brains. Online games are an excellent resource where students can actively participate, feel no pressure or embarrassment for their results and try different pathways to an answer.

A really useful teacher resource we learned about was the SAMR Model. SAMR stands for substitution, augmentation, modification and redefinition. This model breaks down the different ways we can integrate technology into our classrooms. Substitution is the idea that technology performs the same task or activity you would do in your classroom without it. This would be like printing a worksheet out and completing it. In this case there is no change in the way the students would learn and the way in which they would display their abilities. Augmentation is described as technology that performs common tasks such as completing a google form instead of a hardcopy quiz. The function of learning and assessment in the same but technology serves a minimal purpose such as saving paper. Modification is where technology is going beyond everyday tasks and actually changes the learning. An example of this would be allowing the students multiple ways to display their learning such as an audio recording or a piece of music. Technology assists the learning and changes the way it can be assessed. Redefinition is when technology allows for tasks that were previously inconceivable such as creating a documentary on a specific topic and Skyping with resources around the world. Without technology something like this would be impossible and we would be confined to resources that we have in our classroom.

©SAMR Model. Edudemic. 2013.

This above wheel is an excellent resource that we were introduced to in class. This is a SAMR wheel which shows which type of technology can be used for the different options. This wheel is a great teacher resource because it provides technology options and how those options fit into the classroom. It’s important that as educators we integrate the right technology for the right reasons. We want to make sure technology is effective and forwarding the learning in the class. It must serve a purpose. This wheel helps teacher establish what technology will be useful for different situations. This week showed me that there are many ways we can integrate technology into math. I would not have previous thought technology served a huge purpose in math class but after experiencing it I can see that it could forward the learning and expand possibilities. 

Webinar Week: Math Post Week 4

©Patricia McEachren 2016. Rich Task. 

This week in class we discussed differentiated instruction. This was the perfect topic for class as it was my week to do my webinar. The resources from class were very beneficial as we were able to use them in our presentation. In our webinar we discussed the importance to knowing student readiness through assessment for learning with diagnostic and formative assessment. Then, we explained that once we knew student readiness we could determine which tasks to use in our classroom based on student’s needs. We wanted to make sure that our group members understood that there are many different learning preferences and using activities based on the types of learners in your classroom was very important. On our handout we listed a variety of options for differentiating learning such as group work, use of technology, varied directions, modelling among many others. We also gave lists on how to differentiate the product, content and environment. 

The three major ways we demonstrated differentiation in math specifically were parallel tasks, open-ended questions and rich tasks. We made sure to discuss the characteristics of each activity and how they were inclusive of all students. I think the examples we used were very helpful and after each example we made sure to discuss it with the group and identify the different strategies that were used. To close our webinar we provided the group a simple question and asked them to make it into a rich task. This gave us a chance to see if our group members were able to apply what we had just taught them and we seemed to be successful. We also had them do a google form as an exit ticket. We wanted to get feedback from the group and the exit ticket acted as that feedback. Finally, we provided them resources we felt were really informative so they could reference them in the future. 

This week we also watched the above video which talked about collaboration in math. The video talks about a study that showed students in Berkley math were failing when they worked alone. The students that were successful were students who went to study groups, discussed math and collaborated on their homework. Creating a support network in class is very important. We encourage collaboration in so many other subjects and I think it should be encouraged more in math. Often, the perception is that math is a solo subject when in fact students do better when they have each other to work with. Talking about math also means students will share their ideas and discuss their reasoning for choosing a specific pathway. Reasoning was also discussed in a video this week as an important skill for students to have. 

Slow & Steady Can Win The Race: Math Post Week 3

©Arbor Investment Planner. 2016. Slow and Steady.

This week we started with an in class game called “I have... who has”. Each student is given a card with a number and then a math problem for another unknown person in the class. Every round students are having to read their card out while other students are doing the math problem to see if the answer matches the number they have on their card. This game got every student involved and could be a fun way to start a class. Something that I thought about during and after the game was, “would this work for all students?”. Personally, I felt very anxious during the game because I was scared to make a mistake in front of my classmates and look stupid. I would rather not be put on the spot with a math question because it makes me uncomfortable. I think that other students could feel the same way and so finding a way to alter the game so that students were not put on the spot could be a good idea.

This connects with the theme of making mistakes in math. How do we get students comfortable with making mistakes and getting them to understand it is part of brain growth? I am learning all about it in my class and yet I still struggle to overcome the fear and want to avoid being embarrassed. The video below explains the science behind how struggling creates brain growth and so making mistakes is critical to getting better. This could be a good video to show students so that they can understand the value of mistakes in math!

Another really important thing I learned this week is that speed is unrelated to being good at math. Doing something slowly doesn’t mean you’re not doing something well or right. In math, I always associated the kids who were finishing problems faster as the ones who were the smartest. However, in the video about Math & Speed it is explained that some of the best math mathematicians in the world have an extremely slow process in completely math problems because they are focused on deeper thinking. This is a relief because I am very slow at completely math problems which contributed to my belief that I was bad at math. When I watched the video I started thinking about other subjects and how I wouldn’t reward a student in Language who could write an essay the fastest. I would want to promote deeper thinking and ensure that a good process was followed. I need to make sure to do the same thing in math so that all students have an opportunity to demonstrate that they can complete a problem!

This takes me back to the game we did at the start of class. I don’t complete math problems quickly and that game relies on students thinking of the answer in their head and continuing the next round. For me, it doesn’t set me up for success because I need more time so although I see some value in the game at the start of class I’m not sure it would be one that I use in my classroom based on what I learned this week. It’s good to learn about different options in class and get to experience them as a student would. Those opportunities give me the chance to decide what I think would work best in my classroom and that will only make me a better teacher!

Creating Understanding: Math Post Week 2

©LonerWolfe 2016. True Colours. Retrieved from
 http://lonerwolf.com/true-colors-personality-test/

©LonerWolfe 2016. True Colours. Retrieved from
http://lonerwolf.com/true-colors-personality-test/

One of the first things we did in class this week was discuss a personality test called true colours. I had done this test this past summer at my job. I went back and did the test online once more to see if my results were the same and they were very similar. I was perfectly split between gold and green with a good amount of blue mixed in. Gold suggests I am committed, responsible, sensible and efficient while green says that I am powerful, rational, intellectual and objective. These all sound like attributes that would make a good math brain. Now I know that I needed to develop my brain to be better at math through practice. Personality tests don’t tell us the full story on someone but I do think it is a good place to start. I think it helps yourself and others understand reasons for why you are the way you are. The True Colours test also tells you what your roles are in a community and I think it really shows that everyone plays an important role in a group setting by bringing different strengths to the table. This is something I would like to do with my students. 

We also watched a video in class which I think really brings to light some of the challenges in math.

How Old Is The Shepherd is a video which shows a teacher giving students a math problem and asking them to find the answer. The trick here is that the math problem does not have the information that the students need to find the answer. Some students are able to establish that the necessary information is not provided therefore they cannot solve for the answer. Those students are demonstrating that they understand both the question and that they’re math strategies cannot be applied in this instance. Only a few students came to this conclusion while other students used math to find any number without considering what they were trying to solve for. Some students said the shepherd was 120 years old. If you critically thought about what the question was asking you would know that 120 is not a very realistic answer. It was clear that students felt the need to do a math equation regardless of what was being asked and what information was being provided. There was a lack of critical thinking skills and beyond that a true lack of understanding.

This video shows students doing math for the sake of doing math and not really considering what they are being asked to do. As an educator, this tells me I would need to work hard to ensure that my students are taking what we’re learning and applying it in real life. If students see the value in something they can adopt it beyond math class. The video was a perfect example of how students are using math to think more deeply. They are simply trying to put numbers together whether they make sense or not. This is yet another moment when I realize that my job as an educator is going to be very important and the way I approach certain subjects, such as math, will determine how successful my students can be!

Busting Math Myths: Math Post Week 1

©Iantresman. Common mathematical operators. 2012.

This week in Math the theme was myths and stereotypes that exist in the subject. As you can imagine, there was plenty of material to cover on this topic and the list of math myths is long but, one in particular stands out to me. I can notoriously be heard saying “I am not a math person!”. I would say it to excuse my poor math grades, my inability to solve certain problems and my tendency to shy away from anything math related. It has become easy to say math just isn’t my thing and that there are some people just born to be good at math. I could be heard joking that my parents failed to pass me any math genes but then I watched several videos this week on this common belief. Unfortunately for me, there is not such thing as a “math person”. There is no genetics involved and in fact, anybody can be good at math. My excuses is no longer valid because their is no science to support it. 

On one hand, this is a disappointing because I’ve been blaming my below average math marks on genetics but on the other hand, this means that I don’t have to stay bad at math! Math is challenging, and for many students, it can be intimidating. There is a right and a wrong answer which is different then a subject like English where you can prove your point using evidence that you shape. Getting a wrong answer can be a deflating feeling, especially when mistakes feel like failures. In the video The Brain Science on Growth Mindset we learn that mistakes are critical for developing the brain in math and that often students lack confidence in math. There is a direct correlation between building confidence in math with increasing success in the subject. When I listened to Jo Boaler speak about building confidence in math learners it made complete sense to me. I was a student who lacked confidence. Instead of working harder, making mistakes and getting better I shied away from the subject relying on my excuse.

The video You’re Not Bad At Math, You’re Just Lazy dives into the excuse of being bad at math and concludes that more exposure to math and more practice can make you better. The video addresses the fact that many people don’t like math because it can be a difficult subject but that doesn’t mean you have to be bad, it might just mean you’re too lazy to get better. This was definitely me as a student. I was content with staying average because making mistakes and admitting I was intimidated did not feel like an option. 

This week acted as a learning opportunity for me as a teacher. I can’t bring my negative attitude towards math into my classroom. I am going to have to work hard at feeling more confident in math. For my students, I am going to have to make it fun, interesting and discover a variety of strategies that students can use to solve math problems. My goal is to be the math teacher I wish I’d had as a student. I want my classroom to be a safe place for making mistakes, to bring the real world into the math class and to have an inquiry based approach so that my students are invested and interested.  There are so many opportunities to bridge the gap for those who don’t think they like math. Using my personal experience as a student who struggles will hopefully allow me to relate to my students and help them past the barriers they feel are in front of them in math.