Math Education

Hello fellow bloggers and educators,

As my first week at Brock University draws to a close, more technology has seeped its way into the Teacher Education program. It is no surprise that technology is a prime area of focus during this day and age where advancements are so frequent and prevalent. It's almost hard to keep up! However, we must try to align teaching strategies with recent developments, because when one aspect of teaching evolves, the others follow suit. And so do the learning expectations of students.

Originally, I had never considered technology becoming a huge component in math education. When I think of my own experiences in math classes, I envision the traditional textbook-paper approach, with the odd manipulative of a visual demonstration (i.e. blocks, lego, graphs, etc). Today proved otherwise. Our math class was shown a very thought-provoking TED Talk which highlighted quite a contradicting methodology: to abandon the textbook approach and lead a more "hands-on" process of teaching mathematical material. The speaker also proposed to be less helpful and let the students build the problems themselves. I found this the most interesting. Taking away all necessary information to solve a problem (i.e. the measurements of a three dimensional shape in a geometry problem), adds a new element to the challenge. This may work in favour for students who already enjoy the subject, or it may instill fear having "too much freedom" to solve the question for other students. Some may not even know where to begin, while others may show excitement being provided with this sense of autonomy. 

I did agree, however, with the proposal of integrating real-life examples, often understated in the subject of math. How many times does a teacher hear "When will I ever need to use this equation in real life?". Well, the TED Talk video really took the whole "real-life example" to the next level. To physically move a math class outdoors adds a completely different dimension, and reinforces the idea that yes, math is found in situations we may not initially consider, so yes, math is in fact important in the real world. At times it may take visual proof and practical demonstrations to accept this notion. In this sense, I do aspire to make math more fun and engaging while including various multi-media.

In case any of you would like to watch the insightful TED Talk by Dan Meyer, here it is:

http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_meyer_math_curriculum_makeover?language=en

I hope you all can take away something from it just as I did.

Until next time,

Have a beau-tea-ful day!

Miss Capano

Welcome!

Hello friends, and welcome to my blog!

I will start by introducing myself. I am a 24 year old Woodbridge Native who recently moved to Niagara Falls to live with my Nonna (grandmother in Italian), while I attend Brock University. After completing my BA Honours in French Studies at York University, I continue to be passionate about learning languages and education and hope to integrate the two within my own classroom. Pursuing a career in the field of education is the only dream I have ever envisioned. From an earlier age, I believe it stemmed from a love of learning. I have always enjoyed learning new things, even if it meant tirelessly treading through the "mud" and rising to new challenges before arriving at the final destination - the big, fatty, at times indigestible, LESSON. Enriching my life with more wisdom and knowledge is worth being fond of. This is why I refer to myself as an "Eternal Student of Life", as there are simply always new things to discover in this big, beautiful world. 

Fun fact: I survive all challenges and life lessons without a single drop of coffee. That's right. I love tea more than any other hot beverage on planet earth, and quite enjoy a good tea pun every once in a while. (Hence the name of my blog- TEAcher.) I mean, the word tea is within the word 'teacher' itself - it's as if I was meant for this field all along. ;) Tea makes me feel weirdly philosophical each time I drink it...I wouldn't be surprised if I am sipping on tea with each blog post I compose. Currently it is a lavender tulsi tea - yum! Anyways, enough rambling about tea. I am here to create a space where I can share - you got it - what I have learnt and continue to learn during my journey, here in the Teacher Education program at Brock University. 

As a Teacher Candidate, I am just now dipping my toes into the vast ocean of what educating the younger minds entails. I expect to learn valuable things each day while being introduced to new philosophies, innovative ideas, and methodologies from various professionals. Today has been especially eye-opening for me in my Teach Digital Learners in the Digital Age class. I am not the most tech-savvy person in the world, despite owning a Macbook and an iPhone. This happens to be my VERY first blog post. Not bad, huh? An accomplishment of mine for this class already!

Today, we learned about a concept called 'Genius Hour'. This refers to the allotted time (at least 20% of the school day), given to students so that they may have the opportunity to express their passions and deepest desires. David began the class with an interesting video and exercise - creating a drawing in only 10 seconds. We then attempted the same exercise but were given a few extra minutes. The result - both in the video we watched and in our own classroom - was a more detailed, creative approach to the exercise, knowing we had more time. This is the exact concept Genius Hour promotes: allowing more time for students to express creatively and authentically, because that is when the real magic happens. Students then feel more inclined to share ideas with their peers because they have created something on their own terms, about something they feel particularly excited for, as it will derive from their personal interests. Productivity levels will also increase when a student has so much freedom to feel inspired. This self-manifested sense of purpose is definitely a student-centred approach I aspire to implement in my own classroom some day. 

Our instructor, Dave, presented an additional `Genius Hour` inspired activity for us to complete. We were introduced to a digital resource called ``Google Draw``, where we designed a Passion Heart Map. Individualized to what we love, we had fun brainstorming and releasing the energies conjured up during this expression and momentum of freedom. Surrounding the heart (or whatever shape(s) we preferred), were words representing people, places, or things of deep significance to us. It was wonderful to see what every one had created.

This diagram accurately depicts the aspects of Genius Hour that were put into practice today:

I hope this post inspires you all to get out of your comfort zone and expand your digital identity, or your perception on teaching methods, in the same way I was challenged to do so. I am confident in knowing the course Teach Digital Learners in A Digital Age will benefit my future career.

Until next time,

Have a beau-tea-ful evening!

Miss Capano