Salute to Math

I like  this  game “Salute”.  Not only was entertaining, it taught me to enjoy multiplication. 

Uma and Punitha

Through this game, children will be able to learn multiplication the easy way. They do not have to get stress by memorizing. 

I learnt that for children to understand Maths, we have to develop their Maths Intelligence.

1)   Allow children to visualise images

2) Children see the pattern

3) Understand number sense

4) Met cognition

5) Ability to articulate 

“To find solutions to a Maths problem, there are many methods.”

Like what Dr Yeap quotes:

Maths at work on a Friday Nite

The trips to the museum was very enlightening on a Friday night. It was amazing to see Maths concept in the artworks. It was a good learning experience.

When we were lead to the Problem 18: Make squares. My team mate and I manage to make squares with 1 piece, 2, 3, 4, 5 7 pieces but could not manage to make a square with 6 pieces.

The concept of area, geometry and counting was integrated in this lesson.  It also taught me that “anything you do, if I do it I will never forget it". Bruner, Piaget and Vygotsky seem to be always in our activities.

Bruner Child listening Visual ( Drawing) Touching Writing journal

Vygotsky Social interaction (working in a group)

Piaget Children are making connection to what they know (prior knowledge).

As children experience the process , learning take place

Read my mind...

 We started class with a “mind reading” game. 

         

Think of two numbers

The game was attention-grabbing.  The learning outcome children will be able:

1         ü to practice subtraction 

  ü See the pattern

  ü Communication skill

I agree with Prof Yeap's thought that to teach Maths the teacher’s role is very important.  During my maths era, my teachers taught multiplication not using Bruner Theory  (if they had , I would have done better).  Most of the teachers during my days in school were basically using their previous knowledge to teach us Maths. Even today, I explain Maths to my children using my previous method.

Something new : I would like to say this sentence when I am teaching my child next time. 

¾  / 3 = ¼

3 fourth shared equally among 3 = 1 fourth

The geoboard is a good therapeutic way to end the class as we were getting engrossed in designing a shape but the rule was to leave just one dot.  Reminded me of our kolam (a form of painting that is drawn using rice) 

Maths is making connection. Keep connected

Fractions.. Fractions ... Fractions

I am a FRACTIONS phobic.  But today's  lesson on fraction was mind boggling. As we used the piece of paper to draw it into equal parts,  I was able to have a better understanding of the concept of fractions.  When I was folding the paper into four equal parts it was “easy peasy”. 

As the instruction change to cut into different shapes, the task became more challenging. 

Today I understood fraction better because:

ü Role Model of the teacher

ü Concrete object (paper) was used

ü Instructions was challenging

ü Pictorial

Something interesting I picked up as I am " in love" with fraction now.

Day 2 : 1 ,2 ,3 Counting time

Whenever, I teach my daughter Maths, she keeps making mistakes or not sure.. It's not her fault. My biggest mistake:I have been using the method of EXPLAINING to her L

Explaining is not Good          1)         Model behaviour (I have to start loving Maths)               -I do ! , We do ! , You do !          2)  Scaffolding       3) Let children be independent.

Today’s class we had our brain cells working hard.  I enjoyed the game we played with the beans. 

 First game:  I lost to Punitha because I did not plan my strategy.

Second game: I won as I was careful in  taking the bean. My team mate Punitha & Uma told me the trick in taking away the seed.

 (Rational Counting)

Learning Outcome

Learning subtraction through play

Using concrete object

Social interaction

As I was doing the game it reminded me of the game “Congkak” 

(Malay traditional game)

Happy playing J

My Reflection

Day 1 :   23 September 2013

In our first day of class, I never thought Maths can be “playful” and challenging. I had always been (-) Person to numbers. 

The activities conducted by Dr Yeap were an eye opener. The activity that I enjoyed most was the tangram. When my children got a set of tangram puzzles as a Christmas present, I never thought there so much history behind this puzzle. 

We were give a task was to make a rectangle using the tan gram. As a team we were “cracking” our heads to explore different methods to form a rectangle. 

Base on the activity, I learnt there was social interaction among the team.  Through our discussion we used different methods to complete the task. Being a visual learner, using the concrete materials was helpful.

Interestingly I could teach alphabets and shape using tangram.

Maths Week: “Maths! A real life experience.” (23 Sept – 28 Sept 2013).

Notes to Parents..

We are facilitating Maths Week as children need to experience mathematics as problem solvers, investigators, and communicator by finding out what happens next by using mathematics to find out things for themselves (prior knowledge) to what they do not already know. (Build their new knowledge). Rather than trying to figure out what the teacher wants them to do, children should need to understand that mathematics is about reasoning: making connections about why something is the way it is and then checking out those connections.  

Tips for Parents:  

I would like to the idea of practicing productive struggle to help children learn mathematics. As children have the tools and prior knowledge to solve a problem, they should not be given a problem that is out of reach, they will struggle without being productive. Children should not also be given tasks that are clear-cut and easy, if not they not be struggling with mathematical ideas. When children know that struggle is expected as part of the process of doing mathematics, they embrace the struggle and feel success when they reach a solution.

Maths is everywhere

Children should be provided the environment to understand that mathematics is about daily experiences: counting the biscuits on the plate, using geometry to build their building in their block corners, clarifying their reasoning by talking to their friends, by listening to what they have to say, recording their experiences and their thinking with words and visual aids such as with diagrams and pictures, and with mathematical symbols.

Rather than making the Math curriculum a set of rote learning, mathematics should be used as a guide to make connections, to see the relationships between mathematical ideas and experiencing mathematics everywhere one looks.

“ Happy Maths Week” J