Math and Science Book Club: February 2012

I thought Chapter 9 was tremendous help to me because it showed a different side to mathematics, which students and teachers normally do not think of. It actually got me thinking a lot about all the different vocabulary and symbols that teachers use without going over in detail beforehand which causes their students to be confused. I completely agree that math is a different language and it is the teacher's duty to help the students learn this new language. In my CPD the first thing I noticed when I walked into the classroom was a word wall of the synonyms of add, subtract, divide and multiply. These words are vital for students to understand in order for them to build on their prior knowledge and work on more complex material.
I liked the idea of having students work in groups to provide opportunities to use mathematical language. Similar to when students learn a foreign language they must practice the correct pronunciation of the words, in math students should also practice using the correct math terms. This reminded me of the performance task I created last semester "My coordinate geometry town" because students not only had to correct apply the formulas they learned to their town but they also had to clearly articulate their proposal in mathematical terms. This is such a daunting task for students because they are not used to using mathematical language, therefore it is important for teachers to allow students to practice on a daily basis.
I thought the venn diagrams to demonstrate how the same word is used in English and in math was such a great idea. I would have never thought to make something like this, but I think it will be successful in for the students to understand the similarities and differences of the words. It's kind of a cross curricular lesson with English class, which is always great!

Math and Science Book Club

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Melissa's Response - Week 1

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Week #1

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