Today in class, starting out with the activity trying to build a rectangle with the 12 different shapes was a fun way to get started. I really enjoy starting the class off with a brain teaser activity to get discussion going and hands on trial and error. From today, making the simple list of what we are expected to know and do as mathematics teachers got me thinking of what are the important aspects related to teaching math. I connected with the activity derived from the book, "Bean Thirteen", when we discussed the notion of conservation, counting and how the amount of numbers doesn't change no matter how you displace them. I think that this activity helped put into better perspective for me how the project on teaching math using picture books can work in a classroom. I was surprised by how simple word problems, such as the Curious George bicycle and tricycle example. I completely disregarded the fact that not all wheels needed to be used or that you could use just two tricycles etc. I liked the fact that we were able to share our responses with a classmate and from that, I got to see how another student went about getting the answers and compared the results. Today opened my eyes to the importance of giving students the opportunity to try the same questions in many different ways.
Chapter Problem: P. 139
"Describe four ways that 6 and 8 are alike and three ways that they are different."
Alike:
1. Both even numbers
2. Both are divisible by two and equal a whole number
3. Both share a common multiple of 24
4. Both share the pattern of counting by two's.
Different:
1. They don't look the same
2. They take different numbers to add up to their numbers. Eg: 3+3=6 and 4+4=8
3. They don't share the same highest common multiple
Problem:
The chapter problem this week was difficult for me. I had never given a thought to how numbers differentiate and was surprised by how stumped I was when it came to their similarities and differences. I understand the importance of getting students to think about commonalities between different numbers and this problem can be recreated using a variety of different numbers. Although, I am not confident in my answers that I have listed above and did have some trouble with figuring out what to write.
"Describe four ways that 6 and 8 are alike and three ways that they are different."
Alike:
1. Both even numbers
2. Both are divisible by two and equal a whole number
3. Both share a common multiple of 24
4. Both share the pattern of counting by two's.
Different:
1. They don't look the same
2. They take different numbers to add up to their numbers. Eg: 3+3=6 and 4+4=8
3. They don't share the same highest common multiple
Problem:
The chapter problem this week was difficult for me. I had never given a thought to how numbers differentiate and was surprised by how stumped I was when it came to their similarities and differences. I understand the importance of getting students to think about commonalities between different numbers and this problem can be recreated using a variety of different numbers. Although, I am not confident in my answers that I have listed above and did have some trouble with figuring out what to write.
Reading: Chapter 7
From reading chapter seven and reflecting on this class, I have taken away the importance of representing different ways of doing the same thing. As each child learns at a different pace and in a different way, incorporating as many ways to represent numbers, different forms of counting and making lessons meaningful to previous knowledge are all important aspects to teaching to young learners. Reflecting on my first few days in the Primary classroom for my practicum field experience, I notice these tools used frequently for teaching students counting. Counting using blocks, people and objects definitely help young learners visualize and see the number that is in front of them. I think that this chapter had great visuals that helped me understand certain ideas and examples to use within a classroom related to grouping numbers, expressing the same number in a different way and activities that can be useful to explain while actively engaging the classroom.
From reading chapter seven and reflecting on this class, I have taken away the importance of representing different ways of doing the same thing. As each child learns at a different pace and in a different way, incorporating as many ways to represent numbers, different forms of counting and making lessons meaningful to previous knowledge are all important aspects to teaching to young learners. Reflecting on my first few days in the Primary classroom for my practicum field experience, I notice these tools used frequently for teaching students counting. Counting using blocks, people and objects definitely help young learners visualize and see the number that is in front of them. I think that this chapter had great visuals that helped me understand certain ideas and examples to use within a classroom related to grouping numbers, expressing the same number in a different way and activities that can be useful to explain while actively engaging the classroom.