In today's class, the importance of teaching math in a fun and active way was discussed. I like how making math meaningful and relatable to real life situations can have such a difference on the way we learn. Having so many of the activities we do in class be hands-on, such as representing numbers in different ways by using objects helps visualize and better understand the problem. I find that for myself, drawing things out and having the recording sheet is a great way as a future teacher to get a better understanding of where your students are and what needs to be revisited and explained in a different way. I was unaware that using worksheets was so frowned upon until this class and it makes perfect sense as to why we shouldn't be using them. I have also been enjoying the fact that it is not always about having the right answer. For me, I feel that in the past, the idea that it has to be right is what I would have been focussing on more so than the actual process and thinking being put toward my work. I also got a better understanding of what each math concept was, such as five-ness, counting collections and subitizing. The day of my practicum, my cooperating teacher used subitizing in her math lesson and I was able to say that I knew and understood how the concept worked and why it was important - which would have never happened before!
"The only way to learn mathematics is to do mathematics" Paul Halmos
Reading: Chapter 9
In the reading, Chapter 9: "Extending a Sense of Quantity with Larger Whole Numbers", I got a better understanding of how the place value system works. From the reading, the examples and visuals of how to use the 100's chart and the 10-frame I found useful to understand how to demonstrate and teach students with these tools. The notion of representing the same number but in a different way has been a common topic and I never truly noticed how difficult or challenging that may be for a student who struggles with math and the concept that just because objects are arranged differently, doesn't mean that there are more or less. I also think that by being aware of this fact, the activities in the chapter are a great way to avoid those common misconceptions with the visual representations and different ways that it can be done. As I read through the chapters, I am finding myself being more interested and surprised by the common misconceptions and the variety of ways things can be done/represented. I like the fact that the chapter also has many visuals, I am understanding the concepts and ideas behind the concepts much more because I am able to visually see the work/activity being presented.
In the reading, Chapter 9: "Extending a Sense of Quantity with Larger Whole Numbers", I got a better understanding of how the place value system works. From the reading, the examples and visuals of how to use the 100's chart and the 10-frame I found useful to understand how to demonstrate and teach students with these tools. The notion of representing the same number but in a different way has been a common topic and I never truly noticed how difficult or challenging that may be for a student who struggles with math and the concept that just because objects are arranged differently, doesn't mean that there are more or less. I also think that by being aware of this fact, the activities in the chapter are a great way to avoid those common misconceptions with the visual representations and different ways that it can be done. As I read through the chapters, I am finding myself being more interested and surprised by the common misconceptions and the variety of ways things can be done/represented. I like the fact that the chapter also has many visuals, I am understanding the concepts and ideas behind the concepts much more because I am able to visually see the work/activity being presented.
The video above made me laugh - It also shows how some kids can have a hard time with the concept of take-aways and how his mind worked when asked what 5 take away 5 was with the response of 5. Just a funny - Enjoy!