Do kids like math? I don’t know, but I think many kids are turned off by math because they find it confusing and not related to real life situations. Math needs to be seen as a way of making sense of things; it needs to extent to other areas of life and not just left in the classroom. Another reason I think kids are turned off by math is that they are afraid of getting the answer wrong. Math isn’t art where anything goes, it’s not language arts with open-ended questions, or science- where it’s okay to predict the wrong outcome. Math has a formula; it isn’t always clear.
There are a number of ways to engage students in math that is motivating, sensible, and extends beyond the classroom. Below are some ideas for parents, and as future teachers, it’s a good way to get parents involved in the classroom. These ideas can also be modified for the classroom.
· When measuring for cooking or baking, have your kids make the measures for you. Once they get used to the whole and fractional measures, limit what they can use so that they have to reason how to get the measure they want. (For example, measure a cup of flour using only the ¼ or 1/3 cup measures.)
Good way to integrate home economics and math
· Use colored candies to teach fractions. Ask how many are a certain color and what fraction of the whole batch that color represents.
· Estimation is a powerful tool in mathematics. The next time you are traveling, have your kids estimate when you have traveled a mile, then verify it with the car's odometer. At the restaurant, challenge them to estimate the total bill.
This can also be done on field trips.
· Talk about the shapes of 'stop' signs, 'yield' signs, 'mileage' markers, designs on buildings or sidewalks, or even the lug nut on car wheels or fire hydrants.
Maybe you can get the bus driver involved.
· Take apart cereal boxes to see how the 3-D shape is made from 2-D shapes.
Ideas taken from: http://www.pbs.org/parents/experts/archive/2005/04/sharing-everyday-math-experien.html
This website has a number of other excellent ideas for extending math to other areas of life. Take a look. :)
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Discovering the Hidden Treasure
It's interesting how my entire outlook on mathematics has transformed over the course of my lifetime. What was once a debilitating fear has slowly become somewhat of a passion. I now have a desire to seek out a greater depth of knowledge so that my inabilities and inhibitions will someday become strong skills and confidence. This new found passion of mine has been born and bred from a desire to help others so that they never experience the mathematical voids that I have faced during my lifetime, and it is my hope that the lessons I have learned thus far will help my future students in their own quest for mathematical understanding.
I have noticed this passion of mine reaching into all aspects of my life. For instance, I now spend my precious free time skimming countless pages in search of exciting mathematical concepts and activities that I can collect in my own treasure chest of mathematical ideas. This cache has quickly become heaped full of exciting resources that will surely be useful for me in the near future. During one of my early morning quests for mathematical treasures, I came across a profound website that is worthy of a peek or two. It is www.livingmath.net and is brimming with wealth.
Julie Brennan, the creator of Living Math and homeschooling mom of 4, bases her instruction on the foundation of natural math. Natural math is about seeing math in every way and every situation. It provides the bridge that spans the gap between "math" and all other areas of life and school. With natural math, concepts are no longer isolated islands in the sapphire sea. Rather, each concept is connected with one's real life and the tangible objects that are all around. Students come to understand mathematics more fully and deeply because the math is naturally a part of their individual lives. Natural math is a wonder to behold: a true treasure buried just under the surface.
Living Math incorporates a vast assortment of ideas into everyday objects and situations. With Living Math, students can see how to uncover the mysteries of geometry, algebra, calculus, arithmetic, and countless other necessary concepts important in daily life. Through the guidance of Living Math, with natural math as its foundation, math shows itself to be something more than abstract formulas and confusing thoughts found within the dusty pages of a hefty textbook. It is a living, breathing entity that lies hidden in nearly every aspect of our lives. Math can easily be found in our home, the store, the toys we play with, the books we read, and even in our other subjects such as art, social studies, music, language arts, and physical education. With the ideas behind Living Math, students will come to understand and appreciate the richness and beauty of mathematics because it can be found in every daily experience.
Natural math requires an appreciation for the hidden concepts all around us along with a nugget or two of creativity. As teachers and parents, we must first understand and acknowledge the presence of mathematics that envelopes us. We can uncover it just about anywhere if we know where to dig. It's in our paintings, our classical music that streams from the radio, the storybooks on the shelves of our library, and in the activities we choose to do in our free time. Stop and look all around. Investigate the surroundings. Where can we find the hidden treasures of mathematical concepts that await us? They are there if we only step back and use some imagination in our quest.
On www.livingmath.net, Julie explains the idea of "Strewing", which is to inundate an environment with objects, materials, and resources that are rich in mathematical concepts. Some valuable suggestions include puzzles, art supplies, activity books, video and audio tapes, such as the Schoolhouse Rock series, measuring cups and spoons, recipe books, tape measures, board games, Legos and dominoes, and mathematically rich textbooks and storybooks. Providing these resources within easy reach for children will ensure that they are wholly involved with mathematics and outfitted for personal discovery and investigation.
The ideas behind natural math and the work of Julie Brennan in Living Math are exciting for me as I seek jewels to add to my own mathematics treasure chest. When children are shown the math in their real life in very tangible ways, they will uncover the gems of mathematical enlightenment that are buried just under the surface. They will become confident and appreciative of the beauty that surrounds them everyday, and that, I believe, is truly a priceless treasure to seize.
I have noticed this passion of mine reaching into all aspects of my life. For instance, I now spend my precious free time skimming countless pages in search of exciting mathematical concepts and activities that I can collect in my own treasure chest of mathematical ideas. This cache has quickly become heaped full of exciting resources that will surely be useful for me in the near future. During one of my early morning quests for mathematical treasures, I came across a profound website that is worthy of a peek or two. It is www.livingmath.net and is brimming with wealth.
Julie Brennan, the creator of Living Math and homeschooling mom of 4, bases her instruction on the foundation of natural math. Natural math is about seeing math in every way and every situation. It provides the bridge that spans the gap between "math" and all other areas of life and school. With natural math, concepts are no longer isolated islands in the sapphire sea. Rather, each concept is connected with one's real life and the tangible objects that are all around. Students come to understand mathematics more fully and deeply because the math is naturally a part of their individual lives. Natural math is a wonder to behold: a true treasure buried just under the surface.
Living Math incorporates a vast assortment of ideas into everyday objects and situations. With Living Math, students can see how to uncover the mysteries of geometry, algebra, calculus, arithmetic, and countless other necessary concepts important in daily life. Through the guidance of Living Math, with natural math as its foundation, math shows itself to be something more than abstract formulas and confusing thoughts found within the dusty pages of a hefty textbook. It is a living, breathing entity that lies hidden in nearly every aspect of our lives. Math can easily be found in our home, the store, the toys we play with, the books we read, and even in our other subjects such as art, social studies, music, language arts, and physical education. With the ideas behind Living Math, students will come to understand and appreciate the richness and beauty of mathematics because it can be found in every daily experience.
Natural math requires an appreciation for the hidden concepts all around us along with a nugget or two of creativity. As teachers and parents, we must first understand and acknowledge the presence of mathematics that envelopes us. We can uncover it just about anywhere if we know where to dig. It's in our paintings, our classical music that streams from the radio, the storybooks on the shelves of our library, and in the activities we choose to do in our free time. Stop and look all around. Investigate the surroundings. Where can we find the hidden treasures of mathematical concepts that await us? They are there if we only step back and use some imagination in our quest.
On www.livingmath.net, Julie explains the idea of "Strewing", which is to inundate an environment with objects, materials, and resources that are rich in mathematical concepts. Some valuable suggestions include puzzles, art supplies, activity books, video and audio tapes, such as the Schoolhouse Rock series, measuring cups and spoons, recipe books, tape measures, board games, Legos and dominoes, and mathematically rich textbooks and storybooks. Providing these resources within easy reach for children will ensure that they are wholly involved with mathematics and outfitted for personal discovery and investigation.
The ideas behind natural math and the work of Julie Brennan in Living Math are exciting for me as I seek jewels to add to my own mathematics treasure chest. When children are shown the math in their real life in very tangible ways, they will uncover the gems of mathematical enlightenment that are buried just under the surface. They will become confident and appreciative of the beauty that surrounds them everyday, and that, I believe, is truly a priceless treasure to seize.
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