Math Technology in the Classroom Week 11

Hi Everyone,

Katic (2015)©. Burlington Festival of Lights.

It's that time of year when I am really getting into the holiday spirit! I seriously can't seem to get enough hot chocolate by the fire, baking holiday treats or attending as many hockey games as possible (being a student and all). More than anything though, I absolutely love snow, and what makes for a better study break then getting outside to enjoy the lights and snow? If you're looking to get into the holiday spirit too, I would highly recommend the Burlington Festival of Lights, it's a great way to spread the holiday joy of this season and spend time with family and friends! The photo to the right is one I had to include from the Festival of Lights, and while the snowflakes didn't really show up in the photo, it really puts me in the holiday spirit!

Bugs and Bunnies, App.

Anyways, before I go on a tangent about the holidays - because believe me I definitely can - I will discuss the topic for this final math blog post. The topic that was discussed this week in class is technology in the classroom. For this week, there is not a specific chapter in the Small textbook that discusses the importance of incorporating math technology in the classroom, however, technology is something that can be included into every single math unit, it just depends how it is used. For example, the app called Bugs and Bunnies is a unique collection of activities and games that are educational and fun. The user can explore a variety of games that focus on a multitude of mathematical learning strategies, including fine motors skills, memory, classification, counting, tracking and geometry.

Jacqui (2015). ProdigyGame.com

Going off of this concept, one of my classmates Katie Morgan did a great presentation on the Prodigy Math Game. This game is amazing, because unlike other math games, there are over 900 Ontario-aligned skills for the Primary, Junior and Intermediate grades. This game ensures that each student is successful at their own pace, it is free for teachers to use and they get online reporting of what their students are performing correctly and which areas they need to have further instruction on. The format of the game is really eye-catching, and the students are so focused on the competition and winning, they forget they're learning new math material. As students are playing Prodigy, depending on their answers, the difficulty of the questions is increased or decreased, and there are manipulatives offered for many lessons if the student is progressing with difficulty. Setting up an account is really straight-forward, and potentially the best feature of this game is that the teacher doesn't have to be an expert on the game, there are very straight forward instructions and helpful tips throughout. The only downfall of the game is that it prompts the players to upgrade to the Premium version, so this is something that will need to be addressed to the students to not go through with, as there is no educational impact on the Premium versus free versions of the game. For me, as an emerging educator, there are so many benefits for using Prodigy in the classroom, and I hope that after exploring this great resource, other emerging educators will feel the same way!

So there is is, eleven weeks of informative, self-reflexive blog posts that have hopefully helped other emerging educators with the ideas, games and concepts I have written about. This Part 1 Mathematics J/I course has been an interesting experience, and after learning so many strategies, I can only hope that everyone else is as excited as I am to start their Block this January. See everyone in the New Year, and have a safe and happy holiday season.

Kreative Eye Blog (2014). Happy Holidays.

References 
Burlington (2015). Burlington Festival of Lights. Retrieved http://burlingtonfestivaloflights.com/ 
Kreative Eye Blog (2014). Happy Holidays. Retrieved http://www.kreativeeyedesign.com/happy-holidays/
Ontario. (2005). The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8. (6th Ed). Toronto: Ontario, Ministry of Education. 
Prodigy (2015). Prodigy Math Game. Retrieved https://www.prodigygame.com/ 
Jacqui (2015). Website Review: ProdigyGame.com. Retrieved http://askatechteacher.com/2015/02/16/website-review-prodigy-game/
Small, M. (2013). Making Math Meaningful to Canadian Students, K-8. (2nd Ed.) Nelson Education. Toronto: Canada. 

Data Management and Probability Week 10

Hello Everyone,

Katic, K. 2015©. Fall Nature Walk with Grade 8s.

Let me begin by saying that this will be the second last blog post on my math blog for this semester, it is quickly coming to a close and I am very excited to begin my practicum placement in a few weeks! My Grade 8 classes have been amazing so far and I am really looking forward to teaching them multiple units and subjects! To the left I have included a photo from a nature walk that my associate teacher, students and I went on a few days ago, and like I have said before, sometimes there is nothing better then getting into nature and becoming inspired.

With that being said, I'm going to go right into what we have discussed in math class this week; Data Display and Analysis, Collecting and Describing Data, and Probability. From my own personal experience, I am a huge fan of probability, mostly due to the perceived randomness and the outcome of chance. The Small textbook it does an absolutely fantastic job with layout these chapters with great teaching strategies. For example, I am a huge fan with all of the probability games that teachers can show their students to explore the outcome of chance, such as spinners and card games (Small, 2013: 589). In regards to the Ontario Curriculum, students become introduced and begin to explore these topics in Grade 4, however as with anything in math, it is something they learn to explore from a very early age. When I am applying this to my Grade 8 classes, I am particularly fond of the Overall Expectation for them to be able to use probability models to make predictions about real-life events (Ontario Curriculum, 2005: 118) because I am a huge advocate for making math applicable to the real world in order for students to be interested and engage.

Speaking of engagement, here is what I consider to be the fun part of learning and expanding on mathematical processes: games!

Probably a Favourite,(2015). Introduction Game

I am only going to talk about one probability game because I think it is just that good, especially for Junior grades. This game, Probably a Favourite, combines auditory instruction with interaction from the user. This game is amazing because it beings with students having to identify the different representations of a whole in a card memory and matching game. Once students have this skill adequately understood they can move onto the game. The game is told almost like a movie, with interaction from the user as well as auditory instruction from the game.

Probably a Favourite (2015).

The user is instructed to determine the probability of selecting a type of candy out of the group of candies in this virtual candy shop. This not only makes the user understand that this is an applicable, real world problem, but it also gets them to think about probability, fractions and understanding proportional and ratio thinking. This game would probably not be enjoyed by the Intermediate grades as it reinforces basics about the above mathematical processes they should be familiar with, but it does provide that solid foundation for students. Should I teach Junior level math, I would definitely utilize this game in the classroom.

I hope that the above information has been helpful to everyone, feel free to comment below if you have any suggestions or questions! Stay warm during the upcoming holiday season!

References 
Mrs. MacIntosh's Website (2015). Probability Online Games. http://www.tvdsb.ca/webpages/cmacintosh/mathematics.cfm?subpage=193944 
Ontario. (2005). The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8. (6th Ed). Toronto: Ontario, Ministry of Education. 
Small, M. (2013). Chapters 19, 20 and 21: Integers. In Making Math Meaningful to Canadian Students, K-8. (2nd Ed.) Nelson Education. Toronto: Canada. 

Length and Area, Capacity, Volume, Mass, Time and Angles, Week 9

Hello Everyone,

Katic, K (2015)©. Bluffers Park.

Welcome back to my math blog! I know that these past few weeks my posts have taken on a redundant pattern, Background from the Small Textbook, Curriculum Expectations and Fun Games, however I feel that this pattern is important to stick with for the fact of cohesiveness.

So here we go! As I have always said, it is important to get breaks from studying in order to clear your head. I did just that this week. My lovely sister and I went to one of my favourite spots in the whole world, and needless to say, it helped inspire my math photo word problem and clear my mind.

Katic, K (2015)©. Math Photo Word Problem.

This week, we have been involved in a discussion regarding length and area, and perimeter. The math activities taught in class were great! They really gave us some great activities to try with our own students. For example, my instructor wanted to get us up and moving, so we needed to all participate in a long jump activity in order to understand measurement and distance travelled. This is reaffirmed by the Small textbook, as it states that teachers generally move through three stages of measurement, in this order, Definition/Comparison, Nonstandard Units and Standard Units (Small, 2013: 414). Remember, we do live in Canada so anything discussed in measurement uses the metric system! Additionally, capacity, volume and mass are all measurements that are attached to 3D objects (see my Week 8 blog), so it is critical to understand 3D objects completely before moving onto this unit.

In regards to the Ontario Curriculum, Geometry and Spatial sense is particularly important for students to understand as it requires students to holistically understand the world around them. As such, by having a strong foundation of understanding spatial relations, it allows students to have a deeper understanding of number sense and numeration. The best way for students to develop spatial sense is through practice of visualizing, drawing, and comparing shapes and figures in various positions (Ontario Curriculum, p.9).

En Garde Math Game (2015).

Design a Party Math Game (2015).

The first math game that I found to be particularly amusing is called En Garde Geometry: Surface Areas, Perimeters. The objective of this game is rather simple, as it asks the player a question related to the topic and if the student gets the answer right, they get to attack their opponent! I like the theme and purpose of this game as students get a "reward" for choosing the correct answer. This math game supports Grade 4 level within the Math Curriculum.

The second math game Design a Party also supports Grade 4 level within the Math Curriculum. Students must understand the concept of perimeter and area completely for this game. The objective is to represent a variety of squares according to the math word problem at the side. If the student gets three "check it"'s wrong, then they will automatically have to start a new game. If students get the answer right they're prompted with a cheer, then they move onto the next puzzle.

I hope that this post has been useful for the readers, next week I'll be discussing some more interesting math topics so be sure to leave your questions or comments below. Keep warm, the weather has been very unpredictable...but it makes for some amazing photos!

References 
Katic, K (2015). Math Photo Word Problem 
math4children (2015). En Garde Geometry: Surface Area, Perimeters. Retrieved from http://www.math4children.com/Grade4/games/Geometry/geometry/ 
Math Play Ground (2015). Design a Party. Retrieved from http://www.mathplayground.com/PartyDesigner/PartyDesigner.html 
Ontario. (2005). The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8. (6th Ed). Toronto: Ontario, Ministry of Education. 
Small, M. (2013). Chapter 16 and 17 In Making Math Meaningful to Canadian Students, K-8. (2nd Ed.) Nelson Education. Toronto: Canada. 

2D and 3D Shapes, Location and Movement, Week 8

Hello Everyone!

Katic, K © (2015). In Class Nov. 2.

This past week, we were involved with a discussion about 2D and 3D Shapes, Location and Movement. In the Small textbook, Chapter 15 discusses 2D and 3D shapes while Chapter 16 discusses location and movement. Both of these chapters are extensive and offer great classroom based application of math

 In particular, I am a huge advocate for visually understanding math through images, and Geometry and Spatial sense is a great math strand for incorporating those all important math manipulatives.

The various presentation activities were great, I especially enjoyed the various hands-on activities. I have included an image of one of the activities the class did, which involved very simply plasticine and toothpicks. Following some requirements listed on a worksheet, students are expected to model a 3D shape. It's a great way to get students interacting with math and to think about math more visually.

Geometry and Spatial sense is particularly important for students to understand. It requires students to really understand the world around them, and by having a strong foundation of understanding spatial relations, it allows students to have a deeper understanding of number sense and numeration. The best way for students to develop spatial sense is through practice of visualizing, drawing, and comparing shapes and figures in various positions (Ontario Curriculum, p.9).

Topmarks (2015). Quadrilateral Quest.

There are two really fun games that I discovered this week that students can use to learn more about Shape, Location and Movement. The first game is called Quadrilateral Quest: Do You Know Their Properties? This game is a much slower paced game as it allows students to really think about the questions that are asked before they submit their answers, so if any student has math anxiety that is especially induced by higher paced games, this one would be a great alternative for them. This game meets the core curriculum expectations for Geometry and Spatial Sense for Grades 5 and 6 but can serve as a review for older students, or even as a starting point for younger, more mathematically inclined students.

Topmarks (2015). Coordinate Plane Jeopardy.

The second game is Coordinate Plane Jeopardy. If you read one of my previous posts, you know that I'm a fan of jeopardy games, they're a really fun way to get students working together to try to determine the correct answer. There are 3 different categories of questions and students can work indepedently versing the computer or they can work in small or large groups. It's a really great way to get students to think about the math involved while competing to try to get the right answer.

I hope that the above post will help pre and in-service teachers alike! If you have any questions or comments feel free to post them below. Stay warm this week, the cooler weather is quickly approaching!

References 
Ontario. (2005). The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8. (6th Ed). Toronto: Ontario, Ministry of Education. 
Small, M. (2013). Chapter 15 and 16 In Making Math Meaningful to Canadian Students, K-8. (2nd Ed.) Nelson Education. Toronto: Canada. 
Topmarks (2015). Math Games for 11-14 Year Olds; Quadrilateral Quest and Coordinate Plane Jeopardy. http://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/11-14-years/shape-position-and-movement

Patterning and Algebraic Thinking, Week 7

Hello Everyone,

Katic, K (2015) ©. Patterning Worksheet.

This past week was the week that I was looking forward to since the beginning of the term...that's right presentation week! Every week throughout this course, a select few students are responsible for presenting a 10-minute lesson based off of one of the chapters in the Small textbook. It's great as it allows everyone to teach the class about a topic they have become an expert in, and it's so interesting to see what kind of creative solutions my peers come up with when presenting math. The section I was responsible for was the patterning strand for Grades 5s and 6s; it was actually a lot of fun seeing as this week was Halloween and I was able to create an engaging, fun presentation and worksheet using Halloween graphics!

Within the textbook, it gave quite a good background on patterning and algebra. Small discussed the importance of teaching students about patterns and pattern rules before students can be able to expand and create their own. As stated in the textbook, "A pattern rule is an unambiguous, unarguable description of the pattern; every element, including the first element in the pattern, must be described" (Small, 2013: 610). This is a critical element to understand with patterning as this is the foundation upon which students build and expand their mathematical knowledge off of. As such, this directly relates to pages 77 and 87 within the Ontario curriculum, where problem solving, reasoning and proving, reflecting, selecting tools and computational strategies, and representing and communicating are all key processes and expectations that students are expected to utilize.

Teaching Treasures (2014). Triangles Puzzle 1. 

After doing extensive research about this topic to ensure my lesson went off without a hitch, I began to realize that, given more time during my presentation, I would have discussed tools and useful games that teachers can use to engage their kids. While it is admittedly difficult to make algebra fun, I found this great online resource that can aid kids with thinking algebraically. It's called Triangles Puzzle 1 located on the gamequarium website. This game meets the patterning and algebra expectations for Grade 6s (specifically on p. 95 under the variables, expressions and equations specific expectations). It is not as action packed as some of the other math games I have discovered, but it certainly contributes to algebraic understanding. Very simply, students are expected to find a pattern illustrated in the top two triangles (it is the same pattern rule), and then apply it to the bottom triangle. The answer is inputted into an answer box at the bottom, answer correctly and another puzzle will be generated.

Teaching Treasures (2014). Triangles Puzzle 2.

Expanding off of this game is Triangles Puzzle 2 located on the same website! It meets the exact same curriculum expectations as the Triangles Puzzle 1, however instead of trying to compete the bottom right triangle within the larger triangle, in this game students are expected to answer the middle portion of the triangle. In this game, it's great that there's a help button available for students if they really are stuck with trying to solve the pattern and determine the pattern rule. I believe that both of these puzzles are great resources for students to access in order to get them thinking about patterns and algebra.  By utilizing all of the above resources, I am hoping that I will become an effective math teacher one day who will be able to show my students that in fact, yes, math can be fun! I hope these expectations and games I have discussed above will help all of those who read my post. Feel free to post any questions or comments below! Have a safe and happy Halloween.

References 
Ontario. (2005). The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8. (6th Ed). Toronto: Ontario, Ministry of Education. 
Small, M. (2013). Chapter 22 In Making Math Meaningful to Canadian Students, K-8. (2nd Ed.) Nelson Education. Toronto: Canada. 
Teaching Treasures (2014). Triangles Puzzle 1 and Triangles Puzzle 2. Retrieved from http://www.teachingtreasures.com.au/maths/yr7-puzzle1.htm 

Ratio, Rate and Percent, Week 6

Hi Everyone,

This week was dedicated to exploring and discussing ratio, rate and percent. As you will begin to see, many weekly topics covered in this mathematics course have real-world application. This one is no different. This topic can be extremely fun once it is fully understood!

Within the Small textbook, there are many useful activities for teaching ratio, rate, and percent to students. This chapter emphasizes the importance of reading symbols meaningfully when teaching this topic to your students. A mix of grid and non grid examples should be utilized so students get a sense of how percents, ratios and rates are all associated with various fractions of amounts (Small, 2013: 314).  It is also important to keep in mind that there are not always the best approach to solving certain solutions; it is important to give students the freedom to set up the solution strategy in whatever way makes the most sense to them.

That being stated, in the Junior and Intermediate level of math, students are expected to be able to build off of their preexisting knowledge, create and expand. The ratio, rate and percent topic falls within the number sense and numeration sections of the Curriculum, where students will be expected to represent, compare, and order numbers including integers by the time they are in Grade 7. They will also need to demonstrate an understanding of proportional relationships using percent, ratio and rate, expanding off of the preexisting knowledge of math in the Junior math level.

Every week, I try to continue building math game knowledge as a way to increase student's level of engagement. This week I discovered two really fun math games on the Math Playground Website. The first game is Math at the Mall. In this game, you select a player and have to walk around a virtual mall to complete math tasks. Upon successful completion of the math tasks at each store in the mall, the player receives a gold coin. The object of the game is to receive a total of four gold coins. While this game is not a high-paced game that involves competing with other players, I find this to work to its advantage. Students are able to take all the time they need to successfully and correctly complete the math problems posed, and when they are finished they are rewarded with gold coins. This game incorporates ratio and percent and successfully supports Grades 5 and 6 levels of the Math Curriculum. 

The second game is Ratio Stadium. In this game, it gives you a rate which you need to convert to the correct fraction in order to win against the other players. This game is great and supports Grades 6 and 7 levels of the Math Curriculum, specifically in regards to ratios and proportional relationships.

I hope these expectations and games I have listed in this post help all of those who read it! If you have any questions or comments feel free to post them below.

References 
Ontario. (2005). The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8. (6th Ed). Toronto: Ontario, Ministry of Education. 
Small, M. (2013). Chapter 13: Ratio, Rate, and Percent. In Making Math Meaningful to Canadian Students, K-8. (2nd Ed.) Nelson Education. Toronto: Canada. 

Integers, Week 5

Hi Everyone!

This week was dedicated to exploring and discussing integers. As with many topics discussed so far in this course, this topic is interesting because it has real-world application. As such, this topic is one that I find easy to understand and communicate to others.

Integer Contexts are hugely important to discuss with students to help them understand the larger idea. Some useful contexts Small (2013) addresses are temperatures, floors above or below a main level, being below or above sea or ground level, golf scores below or above par, and being in debt or not. For myself, I have always been able to understand integers through the context of temperature, however all of the above examples are all useful.

Katic, K. (2015). Orbit Integers Screenshot.

Within the Math Curriculum, integers become a focus in grades 7 and 8 within the Number Sense and Numeration strands. In grade 7, students are expected to represent, compare and order numbers including integers, demonstrate an understanding of adding and subtracting fractions and integers, and demonstrate an understanding of proportional relationships (Ontario Curriculum, p.99). In grade 8, students are expected to represent, compare, and order equivalent representations of numbers including positive exponents, solve problems involving whole numbers, decimals, fractions and integers, and solve problems by using proportional reasoning in a variety of contexts (Ontario Curriculum, p. 111). Understandably, each increasing grade gains a more complex understanding of mathematical processes, and integers are no exception, however, there will be students who genuinely need extra help in mathematics. This is why I believe that a variety of tools need to be used in order to enhance student learning, such as math games.

Katic, K. (2015). Spider Match Screenshot.

I have recently discovered two really fun games that students can access in order to further increase their knowledge of integers. These two games are specifically related to the grade 7 curriculum expectations, however students in grade 8 can also benefit from these games, and students in grade 6 who are demonstrating a thorough mathematical understanding. The first game above, the Orbit Integers Game, is a high paced, energetic game that brings out the competitive side in its players. Students compete against each other, or the computer, to answer the most mathematical questions correctly to try to finish first. This is a good beginner game for students as it only involves the addition operation.

The second game is the Spider Match Integer Game. Like the Orbit Integers game, it involves the competitive side of students, where they can play against each other or the computer. They must try to answer as many pairs as possible to equate to the number in the middle. The spiders eat the flies, where the flies represent either a positive or negative number. This game is one I would consider to be for students who have a more thorough understanding of integers, as opposed to the Orbit Integers game.

My next steps as an emerging educator will be to try to increase my teaching tool box, where I can access a variety of resources for my students to gain a more holistic understanding of the subjects I am teaching them.

References 
Ontario. (2005). The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8. (6th Ed). Toronto: Ontario, Ministry of Education. 
Small, M. (2013). Chapter 14: Integers. In Making Math Meaningful to Canadian Students, K-8. (2nd Ed.) Nelson Education. Toronto: Canada. 

Fractions and Decimals, Week 4

Hi Everyone,

This week was dedicated to exploring and discussing fractions and decimals. This particular topic I find extremely interesting because it has real-world application. This is not to say that other areas of math do not, however, I personally find myself using fractions and decimals very frequently throughout the day, and because I find it so applicable, it is easy for me to understand and communicate to others.

Small, M. (2013). 277

Within the math curriculum, it states that students must have a deep and thorough understanding of number sense and numeration, which is the category that fractions and decimals fall into. Understandably, with each increasing grade the complexity of the problems increase, and the textbook that we utilize in class is a great example of how this occurs. Additionally, the textbook demonstrates many useful student assessment examples to try to demonstrate where the student is in understanding the mathematical processes and what needs to be improved upon. To the right I have included an example straight out of the textbook within Chapter 11: Fractions. We are to determine where the student understands the question and the areas that need improvement. It is great that this student is trying to use visual representations to demonstrate their knowledge of fractions, however, the future focus for this student needs to be understanding equivalent fractions, and one strategy that can be utilized is by using manipulatives. Through the use of manipulatives, this student will be able to get a more thorough understanding of equivalent fractions, and the next step would be to try to use mental, conceptual math for understanding equivalent fractions. If this student had manipulatives available, they may more clearly understand that 6/9 is equivalent to 2/3 (see below for manipulative examples)

Katic, K©. 2015. Math Manipulatives, Polygons.

Katic, K©. 2015. Math Manipulatives, Circles.

Through this discussion, I have discovered that these manipulatives will be extremely useful within my own educational activities. I find that through personal experiences and conversations I have had with a variety of individuals (as well as textbook examples) that visual representations of mathematical problems make the question and solution more tangible. For example, a student once told me that by having manipulatives readily available in class, it makes math more fun because they understand the problem better! Isn't that what we want as educators, for math to be more fun for students through active engagement? When I was taking the two photos to the side, I forgot how much fun and useful manipulatives are to try to figure out fraction and decimal problems. This methodology for solving problems is going to be readily available to my students, along with helpful instruction and applicable, real world math questions. They allow students to explore their understanding of math deeper, which will be extremely beneficial to them in their adult lives. As an educator, that is the ultimate goal, for my students to be able to take their math skills they learn in the classroom with them into their adult lives.

My next steps will be to further discover resources that my students can access in order to gain a more holistic, deeper understanding of math, as well as gaining insightful feedback from experienced teachers and what they believe are successful strategies for teaching math effectively.

References 
Ontario. (2005). The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8. (6th Ed). Toronto: Ontario, Ministry of Education. 
Small, M. (2013). Chapter 11: Fractions and Chapter 12: Decimals. In Making Math Meaningful to Canadian Students, K-8. (2nd Ed.) Nelson Education. Toronto: Canada.

Operations with Whole Numbers, Week 3

Hi Everyone!

To me, being an effective math teacher means holistically reflecting on what you have learned, what you are in the process of learning, and what there is to learn in the future. I believe it is important to reflect on what I have learned so far about becoming an effective, engaging math teacher, and connecting this to the class readings (Small, 2013) and to my personal experiences.

This past week in class, we were discussing computational strategies in regards to operations with whole numbers. A common theme discussed within readings and in class discussion, is that no matter what mathematical concept is being discussed, it is important that students completely understand the concepts and be able to effectively communicate (see Small, 2013: 219, 241). To me, this concept is important in any aspect of life, whether it be within the workforce, at home or in school, if you are not able to understand basic concepts and communicate effectively, that needs to be revisited and relearned.

Fletcher, A. 2015. Amanda Fletcher's Electronic Teaching Portfolio.

In addition to this basic fundamental of math, a common theme within this topic is that students are more likely to engage with math if they are able to use manipulatives and understand the language used. To the right is an image displaying grade 1 students interacting with manipulatives and communicating with their teacher. It demonstrates the importance for students to use manipulatives within the classroom in order to fully understand mathematical concepts. Money as a manipulative is also effective as students understand the basic concepts of money, are able to work with it and further apply it to real world concepts (Small, 2013: 236). In addition to manipulatives, there are other visual aids that math teachers can call upon for reinforcing concepts, such as images, diagrams, or technological resources. For me, I am a very visual learner so these types of strategies are ones that reinforce my learning style and I will call upon them during my teaching practice.

To further assess and reflect if the teaching methods are effective, it is important for the teacher and students to communicate about the concepts at hand. As Small states, "Students should be encouraged to record in whatever way is most meaningful to them, but that is understandable by someone who reads it" (Small, 2013: 225). This principle encourages engagement with the math material and further solidifies the skill set needed to communicate about the problem. For my teaching practice, I will utilize such skills to ensure my students are able to understand concepts holistically and further apply them to large scale ideas.

I believe it is important for students to engage with new material and be encouraged to work with the concepts, even if they are discouraged or intimidated. As a teacher, it is so important to offer support to students because should they be encouraged to continue with challenging tasks, they will more likely be successful with the problem at hand, later on in the academic year with school related tasks, and even further into their adult lives. Encouragement, effective communication, and engaging with material holistically are my ultimate goals of teaching math to my students successfully.

References 
Fletcher, A. (2015). Amanda Fletcher's Electronic Teaching Portfolio. Retrieved from http://sitemaker.umich.edu/amandafletcher/my_classroom_management_plan
Small, M. (2013). Chapter 10: Computational Strategies: Operations with Whole Numbers. In Making Math Meaningful to Canadian Students, K-8. (2nd Ed.) Nelson Education. Toronto: Canada.

The Importance of Being an Effective Math Teacher, Week 2

Hi Everyone!

Today I will be posting a brief reflection regarding mathematics education at the Junior/Intermediate level and the approach that I will have to take in the classroom as a student teacher teaching math.

Generally, through my own experiences and conversing with others, math does carry a negative connotation as the subject that a lot of students are not interested in learning about. I have personally experienced many ineffective math teachers, and this allowed me to give math a terrible reputation as I simply did not understand what was being presented and 'sold' to me. As a student teacher, I will do everything I can to prevent this from happening with my own students.

I believe in order for me to become a good math teacher, there are many different approaches to take; the article 5 Important Characteristics to Become a Good Math Teacher is a great article to consult. Based on this article cited, a successful math teacher has:

1. Care and Concern: Sometimes the focus will have to be on the way students are learning as opposed to the content being taught. 
2. Approach: Encourage the students to continue with the math at hand even if they get it wrong. After all, sometimes the best way to learn is to make mistakes then try again!
3. Teaching Strategies: Learn a variety of ways to teach the subject to the students as no one learns the same way. 
4. Leadership: Be a good role model for the students, demonstrate a positive attitude and respect for everyone. 



Katic, K. © September 15, 2015.
Having Fun in Math Class.

5. Knowledge of Math: This allows for confident explanation of math, and students have the ability to trust the teacher if they are having any problems. 

Finally, I believe that any math teacher can make math fun! To the right I have included a photo taken during my own Teacher Education Math J/I Level Course. We were presented with a word problem and had to think of as many solutions to the problem as we could. Upon being slightly stumped, the instructor demonstrated many fun ways of finding solutions to the problem by using manipulatives. Then it dawned on me that, yes, math can be made fun, it just takes a good teacher and good strategies to make it happen. These strategies are ones that I will be able to implement in my classroom, as well as providing students with math problems attached to real photos. Sometimes, all it takes is seeing a photo of something interesting to get students motivated to solve the associated math problem. However, I am looking forward to learning more effective strategies for teaching math well.

Over the next few weeks of this course, my focus will involve expanding my mathematical knowledge within mathematical assessment, evaluation, and strategies in lesson planning based on the math curriculum. Additionally, there are many useful assessment guides within the assigned readings that I will be able to consult. The most important emphasis placed on mathematical evaluation is to remember that each student will learn differently and at their own pace, so it is critical to evaluate them in comparison to the curriculum and not in comparison to their peers.

References 

Small, M. (2013). Making Math Meaningful to Canadian Students, K-8. (2nd Ed.) Nelson Education. Toronto: Canada.
Zeiger, S. (2015). 5 Important Characteristics to Become a Good Math Teacher. Retrieved from http://work.chron.com/5-important-characteristics-become-good-math-teacher-8926.html 

Introduction Post

Swire, B. © Spring 2015.

Hi Everyone! Welcome to my Mathematics Education Page! My name is Kathlene, I graduated this year from McMaster University with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, Minor in Geography. Currently, I am a teacher candidate at Brock University. Throughout my education, I have discovered that I love to help others learn and reach their full potential, and for this reason, amongst many others, is why I want to become a teacher within the Junior/Intermediate age divisions.

My first time wake surfing.
Katic, K. © 2015.

Aside from my passion to help others, I am generally a very happy, enthusiastic person who loves life! I am an avid gym-goer, and I thoroughly enjoy active participation in sports such as waterskiing and wake surfing (yes, actual surfing is on my list of things to do!). My favourite way to unwind is to attend MokshaYoga classes as I have found that being in a peaceful, encouraging environment is an excellent way to strengthen the body and calm the mind. If you’re interested in Hot Yoga, be sure to check out Kino MacGregor’s website - she is a well renowned yogi and I can only hope to achieve some of her poses...one day! In addition to being physically active, I am an avid cook and baker, I love to spend time with my family and friends (especially at the cottage: see below), and I am a total country girl at heart. 

My happy place: the sunrise view from my cottage.
Katic, K. © 2015.

As you can see, I am an extremely active, creative person, and I hope to incorporate some of these strategies into my teaching methods in order to help students engage with material, understand theories and apply concepts.

In this introductory mathematics class, I hope to learn simple, effective strategies for teaching math to my students, whether that be through appealing visual aids, real world applications, and the like. Too often in my own elementary school career I was left feeling as though I did not understand mathematical concepts, and the teacher would move forward from the topic with students trailing behind. I am aiming to figure out strategies that teach every student to engage, understand and apply mathematical concepts, and not feel as though they are being left behind if a concept is unclear. I also hope to encourage a positive, proactive learning environment by teaching students it is ok to make mistakes, just take a step back, relax, regroup and move forward, after all mistakes can be the best way to learn!