As I was reading through the text this week it reminded me of the way I want to teach Math...anyway I dream that math class can be full of meaningful discussion and learning. I think achieving this could be harder than it sounds, but I am determined to figure out how to make math fun.
One of the ideas that stood out to me was small group discussion and I thought about a teacher that I have been subbing for and helping in his class the last few years. I really like the way he involves students and shows them ways they can see math at a different level. He is always engaging students in learning and if he feels like he is loosing them he asks them a question that has to be answered right then. He has a program that connects to his class via his Inspire calculators and he will throw out a question and give them a time limit to answer the question. The reason I like this is because he shows the students their answers and knows where the class is at and who needs help with the concept he is teaching. I also like how he has his classroom setup...it's in tables. I don't think math is a subject to do by yourself and asking others for help is a great way to learn.
I think oral discussions are very helpful in math and I like the dice idea...it gives students a way to ask meaningful questions and learn from each other. From the van De Weghe text I liked the section on authentic questions. By asking authentic questions students get the idea that you care about their learning. I laughed when I read it because I answer my own children like that sometimes...your right or thanks, but by acknowledging their answer with a real response they know you are listening. A good example...when I ask my 18 year old what he is going to be doing with his friends he says going to the club. Instead of getting upset I just say not until your room is clean. He would never go to the club, but I don't just say you're never going there I just respond to his teasing with a good-natured response. Showing people that you are actually listening to what they say makes their opinions have meaning and they are more likely to respond the way you want them to. I want my class to be a place of learning and lecturing is not a way I feel you can achieve that, but asking questions and letting them discover the answers is a better way. You then have students that feel like what you are teaching them is important.
Here is a paper I found on ways to facilitate discussion in math:
Generating Interest in Mathematics through Discussion
After taking several SCED classes it has given me lots of ideas to think about. One of those ideas is how to handle the diversity that will be in my classroom. My plan for class is to teach them a little bit about the history of mathematics and research different ways that other countries teach math. Learning about math and how it relates to the world will make it more interesting. I know that I have found math more interesting when I know where it comes from. I have found that math is taught differently from other parts of the world.
