OH MATH!

The math module ends with a game called,"Salute".

This game is for at least 3 people. One person acts as a captain and deals one card to each player. Without looking at the card, players hold the card up to their foreheads and say “salute”. The captain says the sum, difference or product of the two cards. The player to guess the number on their card first wins both cards. The player with the most cards at the end of the session or deck wins. For example, imagine player 1 has a 9 and player 2 has a 4. If the students are practicing addition the captain will say “The sum is 13.” Subtraction: “The difference is 5.” Multiplication: “The product is 36”. The first player to guess the number on their own card wins the cards. For older children, it is possible to practice all three math skills at once. The captain can rotate through each of the phrases throughout game play. This makes game play even more challenging and exciting for the children.

The best take away from the module would be that children learn best with concrete materials. Instead of explaining verbally through modeling, it is better when children get to try it by themselves. Through exploration and experimentation of materials, children learn the concepts more effectively. I felt that the discussions and conversations I had with my group while solving each math problem was enriching. Till the next math problem ...

Trip to S.A.M

The trip to Singapore Art Museum to look at art pieces for our group assignment was interesting! We had to choose an art piece which can be used to create a series of interdisciplinary lessons.

Liberty Lead The Pixel by Terra Bajraghosa

I found this art piece very interesting as it reminded me of many of the centimetre cubes!

Many maths activities can be planned with the use of centimetres cubes.

For example: Counting, Measurement,Patterning

Children can use the cubes as an reinforcement while counting. The centimetre cubes can be used as a non standard measuring object. Children can be engaged in creating various patterns using the different coloured centimetre cube.

"I do, I understand"

“Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.”

Firstly on differentiated Instruction: Meeting Students Where They Are

What Differentiated Instruction Means for Teachers
Teachers DO	Teachers DON'T
provide several learning options, or different paths to learning, which help students take in information and make sense of concepts and skills.	develop a separate lesson plan for each student in a classroom.
provide appropriate levels of challenge for all students, including those who lag behind, those who are advanced, and those right in the middle.	"water down" the curriculum for some students.

Hence, Struggling learners would need more practice while advanced learners would need enrichment.

For more information on differentiated learning, check out the website: http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/subject/di_meeting.phtml

Qualitative Data:

·         Deals with descriptions.

·         Data can be observed but not measured.

·         Colours, textures, smells, tastes, appearance, beauty

VS

Quantitative Data:

·         Deals with numbers.

·         Data which can be measured.

·         Length, height, area, volume, weight, speed, time, temperature, humidity, sound levels, cost, members,    ages, etc.
   

*Do not say, “Show me a big circle”/ “give me a small square”- 

Give collection and say "give me a larger triangle"

When using unfamiliar nouns with children, DO NOT use adjectives as it will confuse the children!

Do not say, "4 times more than!- it is ambiguous,instead, say "4 times as many as or 4 more than"  
            

The activity I liked for today would be: Problem 18-making square with tangrams

Here are some examples:

The day ended with learning all about angles. The most interesting way of creating a 180 degrees straight line was tearing the angles of the triangle and putting them together to form a stragiht line! Who would have thought!

Thank you for reading!:)

Fraction!

Today's lesson taught me that, when you have been taught certain for so long you find it so hard to look at it at another way! I felt confused with the methods taught in class as I have always done sums using the common "formulas". I thought multiplication is just remembering the “times table” and you're good to go! But there are so many other ways to find out the answer to a multiplication sum.

Oh Quizz!

Today was All about Fractions!

Here's a video for an Introduction of fractions for children:

Here's a fraction activity for you to try! ;)

I enjoyed doing Problem 9:

" Without reusing the digit cards, how many ways can you add two digit numbers to two digit numbers and the answer must be two-digit number too?"

There were many more ways!

Two new terms I learned:

Procedural Knowledge

·        Knowledge of formal language or symbolic representations

·        Knowledge of rules, algorithms, and procedures

Conceptual Knowledge

·        Knowledge rich in relationships and understanding

·        It is a connected web of knowledge, a network in which the linking relationships are as prominent as the discrete bits of information.

·        By definition, conceptual knowledge cannot be learned by rote.  It must be learned by thoughtful, reflective learning.

All about COUNTING!

Today's lesson has been an eye-opener! I have always thought that if a child could rote count 1-10, that meant that the child is able to count confidently. But I learned that...

To be able to count, a child will need to be able to

1. Classify

2. Rote count

2. Do one-to one correspondence

3. Have a conceptual understanding of rational counting

There is a difference between rote counting and rational counting.

Rote counting- to count continuously through memorization.

Rational counting– Each number has meaning which is represented when we say “1 horse or 2 dogs” and includes learning cardinality: that the last number in the set is the actual amount in that set.

The activity that I liked the most was on the “Beans"

The activity was meant for 2 players. We were to select any number less than 20 then take turns to subtract either 1 or 2. The winner is the player who gets to zero. We had to think about strategies to win the game. The game was fun and we even tried playing in threes and subtracting different number of beans.

*When we look at a number of objects and quickly say out the number without counting, that is called Subitize-“to perceive at a glance the number of items presented”

Here's a video you can show your children and watch them subitize! ;)

The Mathness!!

CONFUSION seems to be my current state of mind..

The lesson started out with a problem , finding out which column of the letter from my name would the number 99 be at..

My first reaction was to count 1 till 99. I was amused to realize that there were so many methods that could be used to find out the answer. The common trick was to find a pattern among the numbers.

The second problem which looked like a card trick had to do with a pattern/sequence as well. I was fascinated when Dr Ban demonstrated the card activity. Though I had difficulty finding out the sequence of the cards, I managed to figure it out with the help of my group mates.

The third problem had to be the one that I disliked the most cause it took me a while to understand. 

The final problem was the activity I liked the most cause it was with the use on tangram puzzles, something that I am familiar with.

It is true that the more you don't understand, the more you tend to dislike it, just like mathematics. I hope the coming lessons will allow me to like Math even if its just a little bit more :)

An Introduction

One of the most common phrases related to mathematics and children would be, “It is too difficult or I don’t understand.” So why do children hate mathematics? The answer lies in the concept of learning and understanding. Most children have been taught to memorize or in fact follow the exact example of teachers that there is little or no room for children to formulate their own understanding or answers to the questions. What is mathematics? Just numbers? Or a list of formulas to memorize?

Mathematics is in fact an integration of all other disciplines. Mathematics is connected to the real world. Children should see that mathematics plays a significant role in art, science, language, arts and social studies. Children should be given hands on activities then daily quizzes. Exams and quizzes should be included but only as a form of assessment rather than a way of education. 

 So how can we ignite a passion for mathematics? First we can target the interest of 21^st century children, for example, technology. If we can convey mathematical concepts into technology, that would be a wonderful way to invite children into the world of mathematical concepts. Once children are excited, the learning will take place naturally. Of course, one must not only rely on technology as there should be a variety in materials and means of teaching mathematics. The use of symbols,charts,graphs,manipulatives and diagrams are powerful methods of expressing mathematical ideas and relationships. Concrete materials such as, puzzles, number rods, dot grids and dominoes can be used to convey mathematical concepts . Children need to develop the habit of providing a rationale as an integral part of every answer. It is essential for children to learn the value of justifying ideas through logical argument. Learning to communicate in mathematics fosters interaction and exploration of ideas in the classroom as students learn through active discussions of their thinking. By providing them with the opportunities,materials and time, children will learn to love and understand mathematics and its wonders.