Engaging Students in Math
Brigette Southern
Webinar Reflection
Take-Aways
- Let kids play around with numbers
- We send kids the wrong messages about equal signs. For example: If we ask them to make 5 and they say 2 + 3, we write 2+3=5. The student really said 5=2+3. We are sending them the message that that isn't the write way to write it.
- As you are instructing, you should be giving formative assessments. Assessments are not just at the end of instruction.
Secondary Resources
This resource gives some examples of problems where students may misinterpret the equal sign. It also gives some activity ideas for how you can correct students' misunderstandings of the equal sign. This is a good resource and with the start of the school year coming, we can use this as a starting block for student understanding in math.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpOmC248psQ
This video discusses the 8 standards of mathematical practice mentioned in the video. It provides a good explanation of the difference between content standards and the mathematical practice standards. It is important to understand that teachers are not only teacher students the content that is particular to their grade level but that they are also required to teach a set of standards of mathematical practice that are the same across grade levels.
https://pumas.gsfc.nasa.gov/examples/index.php
This site is a great resource for real world math examples. This provides examples of how math is used in the real world. It is for upper elementary grades and above. For example, one activity is to create your own number puzzle. This is a great way to get students engaged in the math.