YouCubed

          Today was my first encounter with the website YouCubed. Reading the website title "YouCubed," I figured it was going to be about some type of approach to teaching mathematics. And after reading the articles and viewing the various videos on the site, I got a great sense of what it was all about. 

          The site gave me a sense of where we as future teachers should be going with mathematics in today's school systems. In the article "12 Steps To Increase Your Child Child's Math Achievement..." it really made some great points. I tutor twice a week so as I was reading through the article I was reflecting about my time spent with those two children. I feel that when you read something and you can apply it to an everyday (well for me, twice every week) situation you are more likely to follow through with it. In this case, I have taken a few pointers from this article that I plan to implement during my tutoring sessions. 

          I found it surprising how many math games were available for to the general public that were FREE. It is not very often that you find legit, useful, and most importantly 'educational' games that could be used inside and outside of the classroom without any cost. This really surprised me because most times you have to sign up or pay for educational resources. However, YouCubed (well so it seems) is completely 100% free. As a future teacher it is important to build a good repertoire of useful websites, such as this one, for future reference. Bringing new and exciting teaching strategies into the classroom will help students enrich their learning experience and allow the teacher to reach out to all types of learners. 

         "YouCubed" is the new movement to revolutionize math teaching and learning. The website is free to the public and stresses the importance of getting on the right path. This means that as future teachers we should embrace these concepts and ideas and reinforce them into our classrooms as well as at home. The many resources (articles, videos, and games) make it a great tool for both teachers and parents to be able to use and connect with.

          I am very curious to see what the site plans on adding within the next few months. It has caught my attention and I am eager to know if I could possibly use any of the games or articles to enrich my tutoring sessions.


- Penney 

What IS mathematics anyways?

What exactly is math?

          I have never really thought of what the definition of mathematics was before this post. As for as long as I can remember math was always one of the main subjects from kindergarten right up through high school and it was never clearly defined.

         So I searched the internet looking for a definition of "what is mathematics?", and "the definition of math". Well, lets just say there are millions of definitions that people have used throughout the years. I came across one definition in particular that I thought that gave a clear and concise explanation of what mathematics really is:
 

- mathematics (ˌmæθəˈmætɪks; ˌmæθˈmæt-)

1. (Mathematics) (functioning as singular) a group of related sciences, including algebra, geometry, and calculus, concerned with the study of number, quantity, shape, and space and their interrelationships by using a specialized notation

2. (Mathematics) (functioning as singular or plural) mathematical operations and processes involved in the solution of a problem or study of some scientific field

(This definition comes from the website: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/mathematics)

          I think this definition when combined together, describes mathematics very well. When I read it for the first time I thought to myself, "did I cover all of these topics when I was in school?", "is there anything missing from the definition that I think should be included?" and "is this how I would describe what math is to someone who had no idea what math really was?" After thinking about these questions, I reflected upon my time in primary and elementary school and the topics that we covered during that time. 

What does it mean to do mathematics?

          In my opinion, I think doing mathematics is when you engage in any type of mathematical problem, in which it requires you to think mathematically. I think that we do mathematics without even realizing it. For example, counting money, looking at a clock and figuring out how much time you have before have to leave for school,  counting out how many potatoes you need to cook for supper, figuring out if your new mattress will fit in the back of your car, measuring the amount of flour you need for your batch of cupcakes, and the list can go on forever! In a way, everything that we do requires us to think in some way, mathematically. 

If you are thinking mathematically, what is going on?

         When you think mathematically you are thinking in a way that requires you to use math. Whether that be counting, multiplying, figuring out an angle, a shape, or subtracting the amount of time you have left before an assignment is due, you are thinking mathematically. Without using any type or form of math you would not be able to figure these things out. Also, it is not always about getting the correct answer, or if you are good with solving a mathematical problem. It is about using the mathematical concepts that you have been taught throughout your life to help you get to where you want to be. Mathematics has never been my favourite subject, or one of my strong areas, but reflecting upon my daily encounters I use it more often than not. 

-Penney

Do Schools Kill Creativity?

"Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!"
- Miss Frizzle

          Last Thursday we watched an interesting video that featured Sir Kevin Robinson about his 2006 TED talk. This was my first time watching the video and I feel it made a huge impact on my thinking towards teaching in the primary and elementary grades. Not only did Kevin Robinson talk about things that made SO much sense to me, but it was reality. 

          During the video Robinson stated that no one will know what the world will look like in five years, yet we as teachers are expected to educate students about it. This really stuck with me and got me thinking. In today's society with the new and ever changing technology, nobody really knows what the world will be like in five, even ten years time. Yet, teachers have this role that they must fulfill and use the same methods, techniques, and to some extent, curriculum to teach for decades. The times change but the ways in which we teach do not. And when you really think about it, it does not make any sense. We are a technology rich society and should be taking full advantage of this. 

          Minutes into the video Kevin tells a story about a young girl who is drawing a picture of God. Her teacher approaches her, asks her what she is drawing and tells her "no one knows what God looks like". This upset me a little. Not because I was offended because of my religion, but because the teacher immediately shut down the young girls creativity. In my opinion, I would have let the young girl finish her drawing then ask questions to understand her perspective. This was a prime example of how schools really do "kill creativity". At young ages children are not afraid of being wrong. They take chances! I feel as though when students' enter grade three their creativity starts to diminish. This is when tests, quizzes, and memorizing facts start to appear in the curriculum.  Creativity begins to disappear along with their willingness to make mistakes. 

          Sir Kevin Robinson talks about intelligence and how it is diverse, dynamic, interactive, and distinct. This is important for us future teachers to recognize and realize NOW. Students learn in many different ways and creativity in schools is fading more than ever. It is our job as future teachers to bring these important aspects into our classrooms for the students' of our future to experience. Although mathematics is still viewed as one of the most important subjects in educational institutions today, other subjects such as music, art, and drama should not be pushed to the side. Reaching out to as many different learners as possible is a goal that I am sure all us future teachers want to pursue. However, students' creativity should not have to suffer because of the stigmatized educational programs and curriculum that we have to follow as teachers.

          As I was watching the video (for a second time) and writing this blog a great quote came to mind. "Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!" Being a child of the nineties this will be a familiar quote that many of you readers have heard before. Miss Frizzle, a teacher from the cartoon television show The Magic School Bus, demonstrated how being creative in the classroom can reach out to many types of learners. 

          The video was a great way to get us future teachers thinking about creativity and how we can use it in our own classrooms. Most importantly it made me think about the type of teacher I want to become. 

- Penney

Math Autobiography

         

“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.” 

― Dr. Seuss

          Mathematics is not a subject that a student, especially in the primary and elementary grades, is first to put on their "most favourite subject" list. I know that it was definitely not mine. I believe that as future educators we must take time to reflect upon our experiences in school and make it more positive and interesting for our students. We also need to think about what we found effective and meaningful, while trying to create a motivating, intriguing environment for students to learn.

          In my primary years I remember all of my classrooms having number charts, tables, and posters that showed various operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. I remember using colourful, small sized manipulatives, especially in grade two. Counters that had two sides (yellow and red) and connector cubes that could be stuck together were often used when learning about addition and subtraction. When the topic about place value (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands) came up I remember specifically learning through play. My teacher had set up a ring toss, labeled each stick on the board (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands), and then wrote a number on the board. A student would have to place the rings on the correct sticks showing the place value for each number. For example, if the number was 521 then five rings would have to placed on the hundredths place, two rings would have to be placed on the tenths place and finally one ring would be placed in the ones place. Learning this way, involved students to get up out of their seats, move around the classroom, and physically place rings on specific sticks. This was a very effective teaching strategy for the teacher but most importantly it engaged all of the students in the class. I also remember this teacher expanding on this topic by placing the rings on the sticks herself and having a student tell her the answer by writing it on the board. When she did this I remember being very nervous. She was now in more control and we had to write our answer on the chalkboard, allowing everyone to see our answer. This pressure to get the correct answer caused me to feel very uncomfortable. 

          During my elementary school years I remember math being centred on memorization, problem solving worksheets, multiplication facts and fraction pies. Much of this work, from what I can remember was done on worksheets and sent home that night for homework. Problem solving was always a topic that made me feel anxious. I recall having a duo-tang folder that contained one problem solving question per week. I always hated doing them and became very frustrated when I could not solve the problem right away. This caused me to become very negative towards "problem solving" as I felt very frustrated with this area of math.

          As a student in the primary grades I would not of considered myself to be "good" at mathematics. I remember as a child crying before bed because I would not want to go to school because I hated it. I did not like the main subjects in school and only enjoyed "fun" courses such as gym, art, and music. However, as I grew older I believe that I developed a more confident and positive attitude towards mathematics. Grade four was the first time that I can remember actually enjoying math and thinking that I was indeed "good" at it. For many of my friends’ multiplication facts were boring and waste of time. However, I really enjoyed memorizing, writing out, and having my mom or dad ask me my multiplication facts. In fact, I liked them that much that my mom bought me home a cassette from her classroom with all the multiplication facts from 1-10 on it. The cassette used a really up beat, catchy song to help you memorize each multiplication group and I listened to it every night before bed. My teacher would use a timer when she gave us quizzes and  we would have to fill in as many correct answers as possible in a set time. Because I had memorized all of my facts and became quite "good" at them I enjoyed being timed to see how many I could get right. However, I have learned that this type of practice/strategy is very frustrating for most children and creates immense amounts of stress and anxiety, which causes them to perform at a very low level. I found this to be fun yet challenging but I can now see that it can be very difficult and sometimes detrimental for children. 

          Personally, I think that the role of my teacher in math class was the same throughout each subject that he/she taught in the course of a day. I do not remember if he/she showed more interest in one subject over another and I think that time was equally distributed to each course throughout the day. From my experience I think all of my teachers in the primary and elementary grades did a fantastic job teaching math and did so in the best way they thought possible. As I advanced through school I grew as a learner and this led me to be able to understand and grasp concepts in a mathematical way. 

          I have no recollection of assessment in mathematics for primary grades.  However, I do remember getting tested and quizzed on certain concepts in grade four. The only reason I do recall some types of assessment in this grade is because we would have to separate our tables and put a book up around us so people could not see our paper.

          In high school I chose to do an “AP” advanced placement program. This meant that I would take all the second level science and math courses during my first year in school, allowing me to finish my course requirements early and take some university courses. During this time I enjoyed all of the courses I was completing, including math. However, high school soon became a time in my life where math was not a priority and friends, boyfriends, parties, and sports, became more important to me. 

          Entering university was a big step for me from high school. I took four courses my first semester that included Math 1090. Being out of school less than four months, and not knowing what I want to do in university was very frustrating. I soon came to realize that I was not at all interested in being in a lecture hall with 300 people doing math on an overhead projector from a professor who seemed to be very “dated”. I ended up failing that course and then proceeded to take Math 1050 and Math 1051 a couple of semesters later.

          I began tutoring math to a young boy in grade five three years ago. I feel that this engagement with teaching as well as mathematics has impacted my life in major ways. It has influenced my decision to become a teacher and my desire to want to help children learn to the best of their abilities. I feel that since I have been tutoring mathematics I am more confident in my abilities as a future teacher as well. I want to help students realize their potential and want them to have positive, engaging experiences in mathematics. 

          My feelings towards mathematics are very different from when I first entered school. I think that tutoring has contributed to a great deal of my confidence in being able to do, teach, and explain math. I am really looking forward to learning new ways to teach mathematics and becoming that inspirational teacher that each of us strives to be.

- Penney

Hello!

Welcome to my blog! I will be using this site for my primary/elementary education course, Math 3940. I am a first time user of blogspot.ca and look forward to exploring and creating many blogs!

- Penney