This week is our last mathematics class and we refreshed our memories on the topic of Blended Learning.          

http://www.basictutorialonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Blended-learning.webm.jpg

What is blended learning?  Blended learning is a program that combines both online digital media with traditional classroom methods. It requires the physical presence of both teacher and student, with some element of student control over time, place, path, or pace.

As we were going through different articles that explained the topic more in depth, I found myself asking these essential questions:
We worked in groups this week to go through four different topics that included Blended Learning which you can find below with links attached if you're interested in reading more in depth: 

The Basics of Blended Instruction
Technology Integration vs Blended Learning 
4 Models for Blended Learning
SAMR Model


One presentation that stood out to me was the SAMR model which is an acronym for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition. Technology in the classroom is becoming more important for students and educators and we have a duty to consider how it might impact our teaching and students learning. This model is designed to help introduce learning that uses technology. Dr. Ruben Puentedura's theory suggest that substitution and augmentation elevate student learning while modification and redefinition transform the students learning. I look forward to doing more research on the SAMR Model and incorporating this into my classroom. 

My Group Presenting Technology Integration vs. Blended Learning

via GIPHY

   

The video above highlights a mathematicans understanding and their way of thinking and problem solving. These skills are transferable to any subjects. Thrun states intutition empowers an indivudual while eliminating the fear that comes along with many students learning math. Before these modules, I never connected the ability to use intution to have a positive effect on mathematics, but I do believe now that this has the potential for students to be  successful in mathematics while embracing a positive attitude. 

http://bit.ly/2gr4r9k

     

Dr. Boaler also suggested that the most effective way for students to learn math is to understand the big ideas and not the intricate details. I agree with Dr. Boaler with the idea that its beneficial to organize content around a main idea. 

"Rich tasks have a range of characteristics that together offer opportunities to meet the different needs of learners. On its own a task is not rich, it is how the task is used in the classroom that may make it rich." - Source


This week we explored rich tasks in mathematics. You might be asking yourself, what is a rich task and how the heck do I introduce them in my class? Well, you came to the right place.

Rich tasks are those that are accessible to a wide range of learners, draw your students in with an intriguing starting point, offer opportunities for success, offer collaboration, discussion and more importantly offer the students to think for themselves.



via GIPHY


Take a look at this handy chart below to determine if your activity in math is considered a rich task:


Another great resource we were given this week is a website called: Which One Doesnt Belong? This is a great resource to have when you would like to initiate a conversation with students or even just to fill in some spare time you might have.

What I really enjoyed about this game was that it gets students talking and comfortable in a safe enviornment where they have an opportunity to explain their thinking to which one doesnt belong. Students have the ability to look outside of the box and explore their creativity. Most importantly, all learners can particiate AND without even asking, students will be using math language from all different strands without even prompting them.

Link: Which One Doesn't Belong

Try this one out and see what what you come up with:

http://wodb.ca/images/shape20.jpg

Tests vs Rich Tasks? 

Rich tasks have the ability to reveal student thinking in a different way than a test could ever do. It helps students focus on the problem solving method versus just stating the final anwser. It also gives students multiple ways to approach a problem.

To explore Rich Tasks further, we got into groups and tried the Finger Counting Challenge. Want to try it out? Link for the video can be found here.



What else do you need to use rich tasks effectively?

During our class, we discussed many other things that need to be put in place in order to have students excell while completing rich tasks.

These included:

-  Establishing a safe classroom environment
-  Having different tools available such as: chrome books/chart paper, calculators, manipulatives, technology
- Tasks that will encourage growth mindset from both the teacher and the students
- Realistic
- Options for extension for students who are finished early
- Appropriate amount of think time


"There was a day when people thought that the only way a kid could understand something is when we show it to them. Now teachers know that, if we give kids a little space, they can figure it out for themselves."  - Marian Small

Until next week :)

During our math modules this week, we explored the lesson that you can't have success without making mistakes along the way. When you make mistakes in math your brain grows. This made me think of having challenges in my own math class.  If I can embrace the mistakes and struggle, it will help change my mindset so I believe I will figure it out. 


This week in our math class, we started with an icebreaker called "I have, Who Has?" This game included everyone in the class and created engagement for all. The game is made to challenge students and their mental math skills. This game also give teachers a diagnostic assessment of the class. This game is designed to ensure each participant is actively listening all while keeping you interested to see if your answer is next. I would definitely use this game as a refresher or as a review before quizzes or to make sure we can move on to the next concept. While playing the game, I thought about the learners who might be stressed or anxious playing the game so quickly, so you can definitely modify the same to put student in smaller same ability groups so they feel more comfortable. 


If you're interested in a copy of the game to use for your class, you can find it here

We also completed different quizzed today to determine what kind of learner we most identified with.
The quizzes we completed can be found here.

I believe it is important that we encourage students to understand for themselves their own learning style, either auditory, visual, or kinaesthetic. However we did discuss today as a class that educators shouldn't give their students the idea to label themselves to one learning style specifically. If students are labelling themselves as a certain learner, they might unknowingly be limiting themselves to the possibilities that each learning style offers them.  Educators need to be constantly encouraging their students to different experiences of learning.


via GIPHY


Learning styles have the potential to reach all learners. It fosters positive growth mindsets and differentiates using content (various delivery methods), process (understanding content) and product (learning artifacts/evidence)

Until next week! :)

Every week for our online component of our mathematics class, we are required to watch a module on a designated topic and post our ideas and thoughts afterwards about it. This weeks topic was about Math Mindset and the ideas we create when we have negative feelings towards a subject, in this case Mathematics.

Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2wqtxfp

I feel as if the math gods above knew I needed to watch these videos, because I learned an important lesson this week.

This week in class, our professor showed us another card trick and had placed us in groups to work together to solve the trick. The card trick brought us into a discussion about factoring which in a simple term is finding what to multiply together to get an expression.

I am a visual learner, but as our teacher was attempting to go through the algebraic expression, I became very frustrated and confused.  I was getting overwhelmed with the numbers and letters that needed to work together in order to solve the equation and I gave up.

My teacher must have sensed that I was upset, because she looked at me and asked me if I understood and you know what I said?

"NO, I don't understand. I am not a math person!!"


via GIPHY


I couldn't believe that sentence came out of my mouth after we just had a wonderful discussion the week before about how we are all capable math learners and no one is born "being/not being a math person."
I felt like a chump. I knew I disappointed my professor and I instantly felt awful.

That night, I went home to complete my module and I decided to pick this video to watch:


via GIPHY

via GIPHY

This week in mathematics, we started the class playing a card game.

Our teacher had a student cut a deck of cards in half, and then again two more times so there were four equal piles. In each pile she had the student take three cards from the top and place them at the bottom of the deck. Next, she had the student take three more cards from the same pile and place one card on each of the 3 remaining piles that weren't touched yet.

This same process happened for the 3 remaining piles of cards. When finished, our teacher lifted up the top card from each pile revealing that each pile had the same card on top!

Crazy right!?


Giphy


After being placed in groups, we had a chance to try this card trick. During the process of trying to figure out how she did it, our teacher made a comment stating that it was "easy". Many of us overlooked this comment which in the end taught us an important lesson on we should be speaking to our students in a mathematics class.

As we were figuring out the card trick, I personally found myself getting frustrated when other groups were figuring out the process faster than I was. This got me thinking of when I have the opportunity to teach my own class and the negative impact a student would have if I told them something was "easy" when in reality it might not be for them.

This lesson helped me understand that as an educator, I need to choose my words carefully especially with children and the concept of mathematics. When students come to me with a math question or concern, I need to remember not to say "oh, this is easy", but instead focus the conversation towards " I see how this is difficult, lets work through it together and come to an understanding of this problem."




The Power of 'Yet'


We also played a game called: A game about squares that you can find by clicking this link.
This game had no instructions so you had to use trial and error to move onto the next level. The ability to visualize your steps in the game also really helped because it took out the guessing game that could really frustrate students and stop them from moving forward and continuing the game. The ability to make mistakes is accepted in this game and not feared, which is a key factor when introducing anything new to students.

We also watched some videos regarding math mindsets and I found myself gravitating towards one in particular that you can watch here:





Until next week! :)

This has been a longggg semester with a lot of (almost) mental breakdowns and enough coffee and tears to fill up Niagara Falls. 

Retrieved from Giphy

I can say that this math course wasn't as bad as I had originally assumed in the summer. When I came into the course, I expected the worst. I was convinced that this class would be how I failed out of the program. All these years of the anxiety I had and the fear that I couldn't do math changed in one class with Rebecca. What I really enjoyed was that Rebecca really helped us focus on the concepts of how to teach rather then drilling us with math problems. She provided us with a lot of strategies and resources to make children feel less anxious in a math class which I really appreciated because I was that student convinced I couldn't do math and now I know how to make those students in my class comfortable and confident math learners. 



As a future teacher I really want my students to feel confident with their math skills. I recently just got to observe my first placement (YAY!) and the students seemed like they understood their math lesson fairly well. My associate teacher really understands that differentiation should be a requirement for all math classes because everyone learns material and information differently, especially in math so he uses a lot of examples,  real life scenarios and manipulatives. I am really excited to try and teach a lesson and have students give me input as I go along. Students are the main focus so if they can tell me how to improve, I am ready to listen.

Retrieved from Google

I cannot wait to use all the resources that Rebecca has provided to us in order to help students understand a tough concept in an easier form. 


I just wanted to take a minute to thank our teacher, Miss. Bunz on a really informative, fun and anxious-free math class. No one in my family can believe that I haven't cried once in your class, because they all know from many years of school how many times I would come home frustrated over a math problem or concept. Thank you for showing not only me, but the rest of the class that math is fun and that there are different strategies to use before you look at a problem and immediately say: "I don't get it!" I will be a better math teacher because of you so I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thanks! 

Retrieved from Giphy

Retrieved from Google

Retrieved from Google

As we are quickly approaching the end of our first semester in teachers college, I'm realizing how much needs to get done before our two week internship in December. We are all starting to see the finish line with a much needed break!

Retrieved from Giphy

Retrieved from Google

Retrieved from Flickr

Picture taken by me.

Retrieved from Giphy

Retrieved from: http://gph.is/1ZDWQOw

My attempt with the Coordination Sheet!

A picture I took from the presentation activity

Rebecca also asked us to reflect on the hardest part about planning a lesson. The past two weeks we have been introduced on lesson planning and it seems a bit daunting trying to fit everything you want to do in a couple pages. I found my biggest goal is trying to create a lesson that is learner centred and constantly keeping students in the back of my head while planning, implementing and assessing. Sharing the power with them gives them more confidence in their learning and they will become better students because of it. If we allow students to be apart of the decision making, they can help us collaborate in how they want their learning to take shape. Children need for curriculum to be presented in a context that's engaging and meaningful to them. They need to understand how they can apply the skills in a meaningful way to their lives outside of school. The best learning takes place when teachers include real-world relationships whenever possible in lessons.

Retrieved from giphy.com

A manipulative used by our classmate during her lesson!