Hello All,
I just started my
second year at Teachers College which means that I am returning to this Math
blog and adding new resources! This week we watched a video called "Ever
Wonder What They'd Notice" (shown below) which was centred on allowing
students to find answers for themselves rather than being given the answers.
This particular video really struck me because throughout my Mathematical career
I have never really been given the opportunity to reflect and understand a Math
problem or concept because I have always been provided with a particular route
to follow.
This way of thinking
really made me dislike Math because it made me believe that in Math there was
no room for individual thought or creativity. The scaffolding technique that
this video suggests is very important to create a classroom environment that
fosters growth and understanding. That is, the speaker suggested that before
providing the students with the answer, a teacher should ask "What do you
think it is?" or "What do you notice and wonder about the
question?" I think that these are questions that will truly help students
to acquire a meaningful understanding of Math. This week we also got an
opportunity to participate in an online module which focused on myths and
stereotypes that motivate an individual's negative attitude towards Math. This
was really meaningful to me because I was able to recall many of these
stereotypes from my days of learning Math. In fact, often times it was these
myths that got in the way of my learning and understanding.
As such, I
think it is imperative that in a Math classroom these myths be addressed and
squashed. Even though this module was very important in terms of drawing my
attention to these myths and stereotypes; I found myself questioning what
teaching techniques or strategies I can use to squash these myths. One strategy
that I have been thinking about is introducing female mathematicians from
different backgrounds— so that students are aware that women are just as much
part of the mathematical community. Another way, I believe a teacher can squash
these myths is through the use of literacy, more specifically picture books.
Picture books are effective for students because it can provide real-life
contexts for Math and also can serve as a great low-stress introduction to a
unit. A picture book I recently picked up at the library for my nephew is
called "How Big is it?: A Big Book All about Bigness" by Ben Hillman
(picture below). This is such an effective book for squashing stereotypes
because it allows everyone the same entry point into Math, it also provides a
more real life context for Math problem. This book can also be a source of inspiration
for a teacher as they can create their own "How Big is it?" book by
going around the school or neighbourhood and taking pictures of different
buildings and objects—objective being for students to find out the height or
size.
This week has
already been such an eye opener for me in terms of being a Math educator
because it has allowed me to acknowledge the reason behind my own personal
attitudes towards Math, but as well societies negative attitude. I think that
recognizing and discovering these myths is essential for an educator to move
forward and create a more meaningful learning experience for students.
Fetter, A. (Performer). (2015,
June 8). Ever Wonder What They'd Notice. The Math Forum at NCTM,
Indianapolis, IN, US.
Hillman, B. (2007, October 3). How Big Is It? A Big
Book All About Brigness. (Scholastic Reference, Producer) Retrieved from
Book Wizard: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/how-big-it#cart/cleanup
Hey Erlisa!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! The"Ever Wonder What They'd Notice" video was inspiring! I too share a similar background experience with math. When I was in school math was very textbook, very skill and drill. You were assigned questions out of a textbook, the teacher would show you how to solve a question on the board and then they assigned more questions out of the textbook. It was very monotonous and repetitive! This "Ever Wonder What They'd Notice" gives a refreshing view on how to spark curiosity and in turn learning by just changing how we speak to our students. Ask them what they see before you tell them what they should see.
Hi Erlisa!
ReplyDeleteGreat insight on the scaffolding technique suggested by the video “Ever Wonder What They’d Notice.” I think that its really important as math teachers to be guiding our students with the right questions to make math as meaningful as possible. I really like the idea of asking students open ended questions to see how they are thinking and to see their creativity when explaining their thinking a solving a problem.
I also really enjoyed your idea to incorporate picture books in the classroom to provide real life contexts of math. It is a great way for young students to spark an interest towards math that they will hopefully carry for their schooling career and in real life. Thanks for sharing this picture book!
Hi Erlisa!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I can completely agree that I also, was grown up with a mindset that we couldn't wonder but were expected to know how to get to the answer. I would also have to agree with Morgan that this video was very inspiring. It is, like Colleen stated, very important to scaffold and have these open ended questions to get students to think about what they are learning. It also shows students that there is no such thing as the wrong answer or question, leaving their minds open-ended.
Thanks for sharing this week!
Hi Erlisa!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the video "Ever Wonder What They'd Notice?" as well. It really opened my eyes to the questions we should be asking students. By asking "What do you think it is?" or "What do you notice and wonder about the question?" we as teachers are really promoting students to consider all aspects of a question. What do they know and what do they need to know is very important. It becomes important for students to become these kind of thinkers.
Erlisa,
ReplyDeleteThank you for suggesting some strategies for squashing some of the math myths that were brought up this week. I agree and suggested in my post, that teachers need to be selective when choosing their examples and materials, to ensure all students are being represented.This includes having equal representation between the sexes, but also racially, and nationally. I wish I would have learned more about Canadians contributions to the world of mathematics being showcased and celebrated in the classroom.
Also, I think incorporating literacy in math is a fantastic idea. I think it provides another entry point for students to connect with the material. I recently came across a website that incorporated mathematics with art, yet another entry point. Check out the site here: goo.gl/ZzDszd. Great post!
Hi Erlisa,
ReplyDeleteGreat connections! i love the idea of introducing female mathematicians to the students. you can even extend the subject to female scientists, or engineers. most jobs that require a focus on math or physics tend to be male dominated because young girls associate these jobs to the male gender. of course this is false and young girls need to see that women can do any occupation they set their mind to!
i also love the idea you have about teaching kids with a picture book. you definitely hit the mark that a picture book would be an excellent resource to use to allow everyone the same entry point. not only is using a picture book a great idea, but using this as a spring board to an activity that will help the students be engaging learners. this can become an ongoing idea through a unit by using what the students have found around the school to teach them measurement. students can spend a period measuring our their found object so they are connected and interested in the task. then, students can compare their objects, and see who has the biggest object and who has the smallest. what a fun unit this can turn out to be!
Hey Erlisa,
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything that you said. It's important as teachers to squash myths, so we can increase confidence and motivation to learning math. No girl should feel reluctant to excel in math simply because of that face that she is a girl, that's just silly. I really like the strategy that you suggested about introducing female mathematicians. When you ask students to name well-known mathematicians, the first people that come to mind may be: Newton, Einstein, Alan Turing, etc. I don't even know if they would know any female mathematicians. Great job!