Make Math Great Again

Hello mathletes,

One thing we are regularly reminded that educators need to do is work on changing attitudes towards math, and including chocolate is a good place to start.  Our most recent class focused on fractions and I became considerably more engaged when the Hershey's bars were placed on our tables.  The Hershey's book and chocolate bar activity would be a great introduction to fractions for students since it was engaging and memorable. I thought the coloured plates were another great idea from one of our presenters for including manipulatives. 

1 half + 1 half = chocolatey goodness 

Fraction Plates

Another thing we touched on in class was that it is important to teach kids about the big ideas around a topic in addition to just the topic itself.  I personally think this makes sense because, for me,  knowing about what I'm doing makes it more relevant to me and therefore more interested in doing it.  Imagine if you were given a shovel and just told to just dig  without being told anything about the hole you're digging or why you're digging it.  If you were told that the hole you're digging is for the purpose of laying the foundation of a house and that your hole is going to be the start of what will become the basement of the house, you'd understand the purpose of why you're digging and likely be more willing to keep going.  Knowing more about something in general makes it more relevant to me and automatically I become more interested in it.  If i can relate to that thing in some way, my interest increases.  We've talked about it before but I feel like this is so important to do with math, especially because it isn't something that comes easily to everyone.  For those who it doesn't come easy to and have a hard time with it, helping them to understand not just how to add or subtract fractions but also things about fractions - what they are, what they're not, how they are relevant to the students and how they can be applicable in the real world - are ways to engage students more than they would be engaged learning math the traditional way where we all sat in our seats and learned 'the rules' and formulas of math.

A graphic organizer for fractions

One of the ways to teach kids about a topic is the graphic organizer.  In the middle is the topic, fractions in this case.  At the top left is where a usable definition can be determined.  At the top right, characteristics of fractions are identified.  The bottom left is for examples so students can see what a fraction looks like and the different types.  The bottom right is for non-examples.  I think knowing what something is not is just as important as knowing what it is.  This graphic organizer is a good jumping off point for students to become familiar with the math topic they will be learning.

These strategies are a departure from the traditional methods of learning math and I think would be effective to make math more fun, engaging, doable and sensible to students. They help communicate what's important about fractions in different ways and allow students to experience the same principles from different vantage points in an attempt to develop for them a more rounded and full understanding of the topic at hand. 

Good start, math, at trying to become great again.