Bye..bye..worksheets! (Math 1510)

I think anyone who has an elementary school child can agree with me that they are thankful for local recycling programs that accept paper.  I have three of my four children attending school now and I am dumbfounded each day by the amount of paper I clean out of their backpacks.  Now don't get me wrong I know there is a time and a place for everything, and many times worksheets are essential learning materials.  However, I am excited to be a teacher that commits to using manipulatives.  I myself am a hands-on learner and I feel that children benefit greatly from being able to personally touch, feel and relate in the real-world sense to the lesson they are being taught.  Using items such as blocks, colored chips, m&m's, cards, dice, beads, or any other small trinket give students this opportunity.  I feel that using this teaching approach motivates children to be active thinkers because they are physically "in charge" of moving the items in a manner that produces the desired result.

I found this article "7 Musts For Using Manipulatives" and thought I would share.  This particular teacher has used manipulatives in her classroom for 30 years and, "I'm convinced I can't — and shouldn't — teach without them."

This video is also very simple, but it makes some good points...I laughed when when she made the comment that by using edible manipulatives students, "take their mind off Math."

So, to sum this up....I think the greatest benefit to manipulatives is offering students an alternative learning method.  Manipulatives are very versatile and with the correct planning can be fun and educational to use in many areas of math!

Weeks One and Two...

Math 1510/1512

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Weeks One and Two...

Math 1510: I have learned that it is a must to pay attention to terminology.  I think in my previous years as a math student I simply figured out how to get the answer, but did not pay attention to the details. I have a new mind-set when it comes to Mathematics.

*A Problem is a situation for which the following conditions exist:
     a. It involves a question that represents a challenge for the individual.
     b. The question cannot be answered immediately by some routine procedures known to the individual.
     c. The individual accepts the challenge.

With that said, the problem solving method is essential to being successful.  Even though the approach seems basic I feel it is essential to teach and have students understand this information in order to be successful in math.

(I have a link that goes here...I just cannot figure out how to add it...coming soon :) )

*Sets and Order.....remembering that everything has a proper place that it belongs, in order to              correctly solve the problem.

I was reminded of the basics of mathematics such as what is involved in a set and the relationships that a set may possess.   Also, using the inverse operations of addition and subtraction or multiplication and division to solve the same problems and double-check my answers.
                          -(-)=+
Math 1512: Week one left me frustrated and confused.  I am still looking for the magic little trick to figure out compound interest.  I find myself reciting the formula to solving the problem, yet I fail each time when trying to use it....I will figure this out!  I did find a great compound interest calculator that has walked me through some of the steps.  I do know this is an easy way out, and I really will master the proper way to calculate the interest on my own but it is a great way to double check answers.
Compound Interest Calculator
I was successful with figuring percents, ratios and proportions and loved thinking and solving for real world situations.  I made sure that I pointed out to my oldest daughter that her mothers clearance shopping habits can be easily calculated and proven just how much looking for those little orange tags or red signs can save!

During week two I found myself doing a happy dance on several occasions to celebrate my successes.  I am definitely a visual learner so using charts and graphs to display information is very beneficial for me.  I must admit that while I was thoroughly intimidated at first by variance and standard deviation, I gained a true liking for them.  Again it was proof that one step at a time will prove to be successful!

-Finding variance of the set scores: 
 *step 1: Find the mean of the set of #'s
  *step 2: For each # in the set of numbers, calculate the deviation of that # from the mean
  *step 3: Square all the deviation scores obtained tin step 2
  *step 4: Find the arithmetic mean of the squared deviation scores calculated in step 3


-Standard Deviation:  Square root of the variance

One Step At A Time....

Whew!  Well I must admit that weeks one and two of Math 1510/1512 have proven to be a bit more of a challenge to me than I expected.  I know that in most cases I am making things harder than it needs to be.  I need to remember to work through the problems one step at a time, and not try to skip steps that I feel are unnecessary or overlook any information.  I have been reminding myself a lot that this is all a good lesson learned.  As a teacher I need to know how to TEACH...one step at a time, thoroughly and completely!