Technology and Real World Data Help Teach Math!

I have never taught in a classroom with computers/ iPads before. I am reading a lot of the blog posts and see a lot of talk about iPads in the classroom.  I would probably freak out if my teacher handed me an iPad and said, “Play the Math Busters game for 20 minutes!” I think games have so much more of a motivational pull than any other form of instruction… even hands on experiments.  When I was teaching the 4^th grade at CHIME Charter School in Woodland Hills, my students would froth at any hint of an up-coming game.  I would create renditions of common games like battleship, connect-4, chutes and ladders, and memory!  Most direct instruction lessons would follow with a game and the levels of enthusiasm in students, even those who “hate math,” is what always motivated me to keep things fresh, creative, and fun! I couldn’t even imagine the excitement in students using an iPad or a computer for learning new concepts.  I think it would really help the visual/spatial, interpersonal, logical, and even intrapersonal students! Being a teacher means that you need to target all learning types because every student is different. Learning through the use of technology opens the mind to a different type of learning that might be exactly what some students need to make everything “click.”

I loved watching the YouTube video “Adding Rigor to the Classroom.” I thought that everything Mrs. Weigle said made perfect sense.  Kids really can do more if you give them the opportunity and open window to do so. On most worksheets, I would pose a tricky challenge question at the end that students could work out if they finished early and if they wanted to exude a little extra brainpower.  This would always impress me because students would come up with the most magnificent procedures to solving these challenging questions.  

I also think that the short video on teaching students math through real world data just confirmed what I already believe.  When someone is trying to teach me something and I can relate it directly to something I already know a little bit about and an familiar with, comprehending that topic or concept is that much easier.  I think using money is such an effective way to teach students math concepts because it is something they will be dealing with for the rest of their lives.  Most concepts can be taught with money.  Coins and fake dollars make for such excellent math manipulatives/ artifacts for students to play with. Everything from addition to division to fractions to algebraic variables can be taught with money!