Where do we go from here?

In researching the EQAO math results and where students have gaps, I found this article from The Globe and Mail  entitled "Ontario unveils $4-million math upgrade plan"
(http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/ontario-unveils-4-million-math-upgrade-plan-amid-demands-for-overhaul/article16242302/)

The article brings up some of the positives that come from EQAO test results, such as recognizing and identifying geographic areas of need and possible solutions to some of the issues those areas face. It discusses Ontario's plan to invest in teachers to upgrade their math skills. Personally, I think that it is awesome that the government is investing in teachers and supporting them in pursuing professional growth and development. We are in the front lines everyday and can truly make a difference in the lives of students.

Nevertheless, is further educating teachers the only answer to improving numeracy? Can investing in us change the face of mathematics and student success?

According to this article, there are many others (including myself) that believe that while investing in teachers is a great first step, there are some fundamental issues with our curriculum that need to be addressed before true change and improvement can happen. Is the answer to change the curriculum? To put the focus "on basic math skills and less on discovery or creative strategies"? This second idea was proposed in petitions in both Alberta and British Columbia - and in my opinion has some issues of its own.

In the end, the question comes back to - where are the gaps? What causes them? If we can truly figure that out, then we can find a way to change things; however, as the article mentions "reform cannot happen overnight."

The Flipped Classroom

There is a new method of teaching that is gaining in popularity over the recent years. This new method is called "Flipped Classroom" or "Flipping the Classroom". The idea behind this is, the students listen or view the teacher's lecture at home (via audio/video...etc), and the in-class time is spent on inquiry based learning, projects, group work, engagement...etc.

The idea of a teacher lecturing to students, and essentially asking "Do you get it? Why don't you get it?!" is losing  its effectiveness. With the Flipped Classroom, students can view lecture material, lessons, and access related resources at home on their own time, and without a teacher breathing down their necks! Students can pause, playback, access additional information...etc. So when they come to class the next day, they can get right into the work or ask for additional help if necessary. The teacher at this point merely acts as a facilitator.

Salman Khan, the creator of the Khan Academy, gives a quick description of what the "Flipped Classroom" is all about.

Now, as with any new concept that is gaining popularity, there are also some cons to this new teaching method. If your interested in hearing some more pros and some cons about "Flipping the Classroom" click here.

In my personal opinion, I think this is a great way to teach a class. Not only math, but any subject. It's refreshing for students and teachers alike. It keeps things interesting. It bestows some independence and responsibility on students; it teaches them to be in control of their own learning.

TOKEN ECONOMY

http://www.academia.edu/2466631/Token_Economy_in_the_Classroom

   Here is another site which explains a concept that I find very interesting. Last year one of my colleagues mentioned this system to me and I did not have a chance to try it fully but I think that it is a great idea. The idea is that you give tokens that are appropriate for the age of the child and they get something for it. It can be used to reinforce some math concepts as well because they can accumulate tokens to get things, just like in the real world. For example if a student does something good he gets a set amount of tokens (like getting paid for a job) then they can buy things like privileges or even things. I think that this is a great way to introduce students to real life finances if developed properly and maintained during the entire school year. 

Thanks again

LouAnn

NET MATHS

https://on.netmaths.net/

   This site is the one that I used this year with my class. As I have mentioned before I do teach for a French school board therefor all of our resources should be in French which is sometimes a challenge. I love this site because it follows the curriculum and is really easy to navigate. There is a section for each strand and each activity has a title that is one of the main topics in the curriculum. What I would do is assign 2-4 activities on Mondays and I could track how much time my students spent on the activities and I could even see which questions were more difficult for them. Being able to track their progress was great because then I could concentrate on the topics that were more difficult for them. Also this site is for grade 4-8 therefore I could assign activities for lower grades to students with IEPs without other students knowing it. 

Thanks

LouAnn

Math in Real Life

I am sure that most of us have seen the picture that bemoans the fact that “Yet another day has passed and I didn’t use algebra once”.  If you haven’t, here’s the link http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/MjAxMy1iOThiNjQ3OWZiYjM5ZmIy

Given the very real challenges of making content relevant for students, I am always looking for ways to allow students so see practical uses for math in real life.  The following is a list of resources that I have found.

http://www.learner.org/interactives/dailymath/

This site includes lessons on financial literacy (buying vs. leasing a car, accruing simple or compound interest in saving accounts, calculating area and perimeter to determine materials needed for home improvements, applying ratios, proportions, and conversions working with recipes.

http://www.realworldmath.org/

This site provides ideas and lessons for integrating Google Earth into the math curriculum.  Activities include finding the volume of solids while viewing the Great Pyramids and other 3D buildings. They can use scientific notation as they "climb" Mt. Everest.

http://www.worldmapper.org/

This site shows distorted world maps to give a quick sense of statistics on world resources and consumption of resources, health, education, income, disease, causes of death, natural disasters, economics, pollution, transportation, and more

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/03/lp298-02.shtml

What Did it Cost 100 Years Ago? In this activity, students are introduced to inflation and the consumer price index as they compare changing prices across a century using online resources.

Math Phobia

Math phobia is a real thing.  I know because for most of my elementary and high school years, I hated math.  I was anxious about math class. I struggled with concepts and often felt stupid.  I could hardly wait until I could be done with math and take courses that I enjoyed like science. I loved science. Chemistry, biology, physics… it didn’t matter.  However, in Grade 11, my love of science and phobia of math collided.  It became apparent that I wouldn’t be able to progress in subjects like chemistry and physics without a better foundation in math.  Fortunately, with the right motivation and considerable support from some great teachers, I was able to improve my math skills and become much more comfortable.

Given my past love/hate relationship with math, I have a keen interest in preventing math phobia.    In scouring the net, I came up with a few good resources that I have found helpful and wanted to share.

This math goodies blog has some great information about easy ways that teachers can help prevent math phobia. http://www.mathgoodies.com/articles/math_anxiety.html

Another great resource is this article on math phobia which describes the causes of math fear and identifies some strategies for overcoming these fears. http://targetstudy.com/articles/the-fear-of-mathematics.html

Last but not least, here is a great article about math anxiety specifically in girls. Today, women hold only 27 percent of all computer science jobs (Forbes.com, 2014).  Given that tremendous underrepresentation, its critical to ensure that all students but particulary female students are encouraged to study supported to be successful in mathematics.

https://www.anxiety.org/research-news/math-anxiety-in-girls

I hope some of this is helpful.

Kelly

Financial Literacy made easy!

So I was searching around the internet looking for something interesting to post here, and low and behold I found it! 

The Inspire Financial Learning website is an amazing resource! 

http://www.inspirefinanciallearning.ca/index.php/teachers/

There is a section for teachers, parents, and students. 

I looked into the teacher section, and there are many interactive videos, games, lesson plans and more! 

What I found very helpful was a chart about the curriculum connections to financial literacy for grades 4 - 12. Check it out: 

Financial Literacy Concept Map

This chart makes it very easy to include real-world situations in your math class. 

What I like most about this site, is that it involves parents, students, and teachers. I feel because its accessible to all parties involved, there is a higher chance of learning engagement for all. 

I really like how this site gets kids to think about their future and what being financially literate can really do for them. 

I highly recommend it!

-Lindsay