Blending Teaching
Hello again and welcome back to my math blog!
This week in math class we dove into blended teaching. But what exactly is blended teaching? this is how it is described in the short video, "blended learning units for JI math";
Blended learning engages students in math. As 21st century teachers, it is imperative to implement technology in the classroom. Students use mobile apps on a daily basis and it makes sense for them to use it academically as well. As is stated in the monograph, 'Making Math Children will Love', from this weeks readings, "if kids are not having fun, they’re not going to commit themselves. They’re not going to practice or learn. Fun generates achievement and focus.” In order for students to be more engaged, interested and attentive in math, technology is key in promoting this. I had the opportunity to use a few mobile apps during my last practicum. I mainly used apps for review and as formative assessment. The students were focused and participating more so than when it was face-to-face instruction. Moreover, test results increased after the use of these apps. Blended learning also allowed for differentiation as students controlled the pace and content of their own instruction.
This weeks mindset modules were about making sense of math and using our intuition in order to solve problems. Rather than memorizing formulas, as I did in elementary and secondary school, students are encouraged to be more creative and logically think how the math concept makes sense. They are able to do this using representations such as manipulatives and drawings to help them make sense of the problem. This is so important because in life, when problems come up, and they do, students are more prepared to solve them. I found that when you memorize formulas or methods, it is much easier to forget them and harder to understand when to even use them in real life. It is important to let students understand that there are also many ways to solve problems. I remember in math class that I was to solve problems by following the teachers example. Using one way to come up with one answer. All students can benefit from using visual representations. Visual representations are a powerful way for students to access abstract math ideas. Drawing a situation, graphing lists of data, or placing numbers on a number line all help to make abstract concepts more concrete, whether done online or offline. Developing this strategy early will give students tools and ways of thinking that they can use as they advance in their learning of more abstract concepts. It is great to see that these changes are taking place in todays classrooms.
One interesting concept that I was introduced to in math class this week was the pedagogy wheel. It is a great tool for educators to use when looking for mobile apps to use in the classroom. It lists the five actions- create, analyze, evaluate, apply, and understand. The wheel suggests apps that can be used with regards to the chosen action. However, the underlying principle of the Pedagogy Wheel is that it is the pedagogy that should determine our educational use of apps. It’s all very well to come across an exciting new app and to think to yourself, ‘That’s really cool, now how can I use it in the classroom?’, but what teachers need to do at the same time is to think about how that app might contribute to their set of educational aims for the program they are teaching.
This reference tool will definitely be one to turn to during my next placement and my future classes as a teacher.
Lastly, I want to leave you with a quote from John Dewey, as I think that now more than ever this rings true. By 2020, and that's 3 years away, it's estimated there will be 1.5 million new digitized
jobs across the globe. It is so important that we teach 21st century skills to our students in order for them to thrive in their future.
This week in math class we dove into blended teaching. But what exactly is blended teaching? this is how it is described in the short video, "blended learning units for JI math";
Blended learning engages students in math. As 21st century teachers, it is imperative to implement technology in the classroom. Students use mobile apps on a daily basis and it makes sense for them to use it academically as well. As is stated in the monograph, 'Making Math Children will Love', from this weeks readings, "if kids are not having fun, they’re not going to commit themselves. They’re not going to practice or learn. Fun generates achievement and focus.” In order for students to be more engaged, interested and attentive in math, technology is key in promoting this. I had the opportunity to use a few mobile apps during my last practicum. I mainly used apps for review and as formative assessment. The students were focused and participating more so than when it was face-to-face instruction. Moreover, test results increased after the use of these apps. Blended learning also allowed for differentiation as students controlled the pace and content of their own instruction.
This weeks mindset modules were about making sense of math and using our intuition in order to solve problems. Rather than memorizing formulas, as I did in elementary and secondary school, students are encouraged to be more creative and logically think how the math concept makes sense. They are able to do this using representations such as manipulatives and drawings to help them make sense of the problem. This is so important because in life, when problems come up, and they do, students are more prepared to solve them. I found that when you memorize formulas or methods, it is much easier to forget them and harder to understand when to even use them in real life. It is important to let students understand that there are also many ways to solve problems. I remember in math class that I was to solve problems by following the teachers example. Using one way to come up with one answer. All students can benefit from using visual representations. Visual representations are a powerful way for students to access abstract math ideas. Drawing a situation, graphing lists of data, or placing numbers on a number line all help to make abstract concepts more concrete, whether done online or offline. Developing this strategy early will give students tools and ways of thinking that they can use as they advance in their learning of more abstract concepts. It is great to see that these changes are taking place in todays classrooms.
 |
| Retrieved from http://www.mathcoachscorner.com/ |
One interesting concept that I was introduced to in math class this week was the pedagogy wheel. It is a great tool for educators to use when looking for mobile apps to use in the classroom. It lists the five actions- create, analyze, evaluate, apply, and understand. The wheel suggests apps that can be used with regards to the chosen action. However, the underlying principle of the Pedagogy Wheel is that it is the pedagogy that should determine our educational use of apps. It’s all very well to come across an exciting new app and to think to yourself, ‘That’s really cool, now how can I use it in the classroom?’, but what teachers need to do at the same time is to think about how that app might contribute to their set of educational aims for the program they are teaching.
This reference tool will definitely be one to turn to during my next placement and my future classes as a teacher.
 |
| Retrieved from https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YdUfv92Uoyg/maxresdefault.jpg |
jobs across the globe. It is so important that we teach 21st century skills to our students in order for them to thrive in their future.
 |
| Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/DEWEY-Rob-the-future-1024.jpg |
Nice job, very good !
ReplyDeleteHi Adriana,
ReplyDeleteI love that you included that quote from John Dewey in your blog as it really emphasizes the importance of embracing technology in our classrooms so that we can help our students to develop the knowledge and skills to become responsible, informed, and engaged citizens in the 21st century. I think the Pedagogy Wheel is a great illustration of how many opportunities we have to integrate technology into our classrooms in fun, rich, and meaningful ways so that our students will be engaged and excited to learn about math. As you said, it is important though to think critically about how we can use these technologies effectively in our lessons to truly enhance our students' learning experiences and to help them to develop a deeper understanding of math.