Final Thoughts...

After all of the experiences that this semester brought, I can't believe that my attitude at the start of this course was a little like this:

But I'm happy to say that now it is more like this:

I now view math as a way to teach children to express themselves. It is amazing to see how through a single open-ended problem you can learn so much about how students think. It really gives you a glimpse into their way of thinking.

I feel like I am now finally able to be enthusiastic about teaching math! I honestly thought that would be the last thing I would want to teach, but after all of the information and skills we have acquired in this course, I find myself excited to just get out there and try to teach some math!

I think I am most excited to teach math because I understand the "fear" that some students have about math, because I have gone through those same feelings (and feel a HUGE step closer to conquering that fear once and for all!).

Too Dramatic?

I feel capable (and obligated) to create a safe and motivating environment for learning math. I want math to be integrated in many other subjects so that instead of feeling like a chore, it will feel like one piece of a bigger puzzle. I am a huge advocate for a student centered classroom where students learn by experimenting and exploring! I would love to have a classroom that is focused around collaboration and creativity which works toward making a very positive and authentic learning environment.

Math shouldn't be something that students HAVE to do, it should be something that students look forward to doing.

SMART Boards

On Tuesday we had a guest from the Eastern School District stop by to give us some tips for using SMART Boards in mathematics classrooms. It's always so exciting to hear about new resources to spice up a math lesson!

Here are some great sites to make note of for using a SMART Board in a mathematics classroom:

http://smarttech.com/
SMART Board program

http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html
The NLVM website for mathematics manipulatives on a SMART Board -- Also great for parents to use with students at home for some fun extra practice!

3.14159265359...

It's that stressful time of the semester when work is piling up in every class...

Here are some corny jokes in celebration of a very 

mathematical day!

***

What do mathematicians eat on Halloween?

Pumpkin Pi

Why do plants hate math?

Because it gives them square roots

What did the acorn say when it grew up? 

Geometry

And finally...

Happy Pi Day, everyone! :)

Sesame Street

We recently had a class where we watched some mathematics themed Sesame Street videos which got me thinking about some of the songs that I remember hearing but didn't realize they were about math...

Here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy!

Counting to 12 at a Ladybug Picnic!

My Triangle by James Blunt

Jack Black finds an octagon!

Elmo's Ducks

Just a quote...

I found this while browsing aimlessly on the internet and thought it fit in with things we have been talking about in class lately, especially our conversation about having more complex worksheets or activities available for students who enjoy an extra challenge. It seemed like a nice little thought to share, so here it is!

This poster is on the site http://zenpencils.com/ which has a bunch of illustrated quotes from inspirational people.

Newfoundland and Labrador Mathematics Resources

During our class on Tuesday, our class was exposed to the many resources available for each grade in the K-6 curriculum. I was pleasantly surprised with what was available!

One of the biggest surprises I found was that the primary math books (especially kindergarten) were focused on learning through stories. In kindergarten, each concept is taught through one of the small books which also match the child's reading level (they are organized by reading level - emergent, early, etc.). In grades one and two, the math books look more like workbooks, but each new topic has a story to start that section of the book. One of the things that I liked most about these books, was that they seemed very student-oriented. All of the small books had either pictures of children at that age level, or had pictures of things that students were used to seeing. They were very relatable! 

I was overwhelmed with the resources available for some of the elementary grades, especially grade 5. I love that there are so many resources available, but for me, I think it would be hard to stay organized if I had so many different books to look through.

One thing I did notice in all of the textbooks was the use of pictures next to long word problems. As I have said in my math autobiography, I used to fear problem solving.  I could never relate how the words in the problem matched with the math I was supposed to be using. In the textbooks available now, there are pictures that are directly related to the word problem right next to the words on the page. One problem in grade six was talking about a bucket with water, and right next to it was a picture of a bucket with water, including measurement lines. I loved this idea! It is so important to be including clues and tools that can facilitate learning through the multiple intelligences.

I think the most important thing to take from all of this is that as teachers, we won't be thrown into a course without anything to help us. There are plenty of tools available to us, but we have to think critically to see which resources are best suited for the students in our class so that we teach meaningful lessons instead of just circling problems in a textbook.

Curriculum Front Matter

We have been discussing the NCTM principles (I have mentioned some of them in my previous post) and the Newfoundland and Labrador curriculum guide front matter for the past few classes. This blog post is a reflection on some of my thoughts while reading the guide.

Can you see the influence of the NCTM principles and standards?

Absolutely! This was taken directly from the curriculum guide:

• "Students are curious, active learners with individual interests, abilities  and needs. They come to classrooms with varying knowledge, life experiences and backgrounds. A key component in successfully developing numeracy is making connections to these backgrounds and experiences."
• "The learning environment should value and respect the diversity  of students’ experiences and ways of thinking, so that students are comfortable taking intellectual risks, asking questions and posing conjectures"
• In Instructional Focus: "By decreasing emphasis on rote calculation, drill and practice, and the size of numbers used in paper and pencil calculations, more time is available for concept development."

Some things that interested me, surprised me, or caught my attention:

• I was pleasantly surprised to read about "suggestions for teaching and learning and suggested assessment strategies". I think that before reading the details in the front matter, I was under the impression that the things listed in curriculum guide were the way that material should be taught.
• In Resources: "Teachers may use any resource or combination of resources to meet the required specific outcomes listed in column one of the curriculum guide."
• I was also surprised that the curriculum guide offered many helpful resources and that the textbook wasn't the one sole resource for teaching. 
• The quote listed above definitely caught my attention. It states right in the Beliefs About Learning that teachers should be making connections to students' experiences in order to successfully teach numeracy.
• In kindergarten especially, it mentions the importance of a positive and active learning environment.
• The many uses of technology caught my attention, especially how it mentions both calculators and computers. Many teachers debate the use of calculators in the classroom, but it's nice to see a list of ways it can benefit students.
• The overall layout of the curriculum guide was very organized and gave suggestions for when to teach each topic, but didn't state that it had to be taught specifically in that order

As a preservice teacher, it's nice to know that there are many different ways to teach the same thing so you can alter lessons to fit your class instead of trying to change your students to fit the curriculum.