FIRST PART: The New York State Standards repeatedly mention making connections between mathematics and real world applications that depend on them. However, it does not give you any examples of how this could be accomplished. Chapter 9: Building Meaning through Language Development, really did a nice job answering a lot of those HOW? Questions I constantly asked myself as I read the NYS standards. Chapter 9 gave me a better understanding of how literacy and mathematics intertwined and how this benefits students in making meaning of mathematical words. Mathematics is a language, and making meaning of this language is fundamental for students’ success. As teachers, we use language to educate students and students use language to help us access their understanding and learning of concepts. We need to be more creative with it when intertwining English and mathematics. After reading the bullet list of what makes mathematical words confusing for students on page 107, I was very surprised to see the reasons to why mathematical words are confusing for student. I have always been a very strong math student and almost never had difficulty understanding mathematical words. But after reading , I have to agree with the reasons, I remember when I was learning my second language, I faced a lot of these difficulties, for example some words were different in Spanish and English (lime is green which in Spanish is limon, and lemon is yellow which in Spanish is a lima) confusing because the meanings are switched. Mathematics is the language of numbers with word names and meaning. No wonder so many students dislike math because is a total new language they have to learn; different than the language they practice daily. I really liked how the chapter embraced the idea that mathematicians did not come up with mathematical words and definitions that easily, they instead had to first look for connections and relationships about different ideas and topics to derive the definitions. This is what we as teachers need to do for our students. Instead of just feeding them with definitions we have to come up with creative ways to help them derive the meaning of these words just like it was done centuries ago.
SECOND PART: The daily practice strategy is extremely important when introducing new terminology. I strongly agree with the author that as teachers we pronounce mathematical words clearly, spell it, write it, use the word in a sentence, and to also have students do the same. This will help avoid confusions, as students hear it correctly, read it and see the use of it in a sentence and practice pronouncing it themselves. This strategy helped me make a connection to learning styles. It really tackles down the diverse learners in the classroom, as they hear it (auditory), see it (visuals), write and read it (tactual).
The bulletin wall for word or sentence is a strategy I have seen done in two different ways in my CPD experience. One of the teachers asked students to browse pictures off the internet that represented the words: fraction, denominator, numerator, mixed fraction, and improper fraction. This is a good strategy for students to make meaning of words using a visual aid that will help them remember and understand the word better. I wished my CPD teacher premeditate this activity better because as I walked around the classroom students were copying and pasting pictures of just fractions for example 3/7, others were drawing arrows to the top number and labeling numerator and the bottom number as the denominator. As I went around I asked the students to look up cartoon representations of it, for example a big person sitting on top of a small person to represent improper fractions. My other CPD teacher has a bulleting word next to the white board of newly introduce terms; it serves as a constant reminder of the words. To better support students to learn the words she has an every other day word game, using word cards, she raises a card up in the air for example with the word “ratio” and students have to say the definition and use it in a sentence. The other strategy in the chapter that I really liked was the Venn diagram approach. I have never seen it done before and I find it to be very useful for students to compare and contrast mathematical and English word meaning. It helps them draw a distinctions and similarities of these words in the English and Mathematical language. I would like to incorporate drawing pictures on the diagram to help enhance the students understanding even more.
Excellent reflections here, Leslie. Both very specific, detailed...I like how you not only reflect on the strategies here but you try to pull out the deeper meanings. I'm wondering if this book is helping you "re-see" some of our earlier readings in a new light...I know the context of the subject area is really important in "getting it" about this connection and am happy that this book is serving in that way for you.
Don't worry about where to post...tomorrow -your group should decide where everyone should post.
FIRST PART: The New York State Standards repeatedly mention making connections between mathematics and real world applications that depend on them. However, it does not give you any examples of how this could be accomplished. Chapter 9: Building Meaning through Language Development, really did a nice job answering a lot of those HOW? Questions I constantly asked myself as I read the NYS standards. Chapter 9 gave me a better understanding of how literacy and mathematics intertwined and how this benefits students in making meaning of mathematical words. Mathematics is a language, and making meaning of this language is fundamental for students’ success. As teachers, we use language to educate students and students use language to help us access their understanding and learning of concepts. We need to be more creative with it when intertwining English and mathematics.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the bullet list of what makes mathematical words confusing for students on page 107, I was very surprised to see the reasons to why mathematical words are confusing for student. I have always been a very strong math student and almost never had difficulty understanding mathematical words. But after reading , I have to agree with the reasons, I remember when I was learning my second language, I faced a lot of these difficulties, for example some words were different in Spanish and English (lime is green which in Spanish is limon, and lemon is yellow which in Spanish is a lima) confusing because the meanings are switched. Mathematics is the language of numbers with word names and meaning. No wonder so many students dislike math because is a total new language they have to learn; different than the language they practice daily.
I really liked how the chapter embraced the idea that mathematicians did not come up with mathematical words and definitions that easily, they instead had to first look for connections and relationships about different ideas and topics to derive the definitions. This is what we as teachers need to do for our students. Instead of just feeding them with definitions we have to come up with creative ways to help them derive the meaning of these words just like it was done centuries ago.
SECOND PART: The daily practice strategy is extremely important when introducing new terminology. I strongly agree with the author that as teachers we pronounce mathematical words clearly, spell it, write it, use the word in a sentence, and to also have students do the same. This will help avoid confusions, as students hear it correctly, read it and see the use of it in a sentence and practice pronouncing it themselves. This strategy helped me make a connection to learning styles. It really tackles down the diverse learners in the classroom, as they hear it (auditory), see it (visuals), write and read it (tactual).
ReplyDeleteThe bulletin wall for word or sentence is a strategy I have seen done in two different ways in my CPD experience. One of the teachers asked students to browse pictures off the internet that represented the words: fraction, denominator, numerator, mixed fraction, and improper fraction. This is a good strategy for students to make meaning of words using a visual aid that will help them remember and understand the word better. I wished my CPD teacher premeditate this activity better because as I walked around the classroom students were copying and pasting pictures of just fractions for example 3/7, others were drawing arrows to the top number and labeling numerator and the bottom number as the denominator. As I went around I asked the students to look up cartoon representations of it, for example a big person sitting on top of a small person to represent improper fractions. My other CPD teacher has a bulleting word next to the white board of newly introduce terms; it serves as a constant reminder of the words. To better support students to learn the words she has an every other day word game, using word cards, she raises a card up in the air for example with the word “ratio” and students have to say the definition and use it in a sentence.
The other strategy in the chapter that I really liked was the Venn diagram approach. I have never seen it done before and I find it to be very useful for students to compare and contrast mathematical and English word meaning. It helps them draw a distinctions and similarities of these words in the English and Mathematical language. I would like to incorporate drawing pictures on the diagram to help enhance the students understanding even more.
I hope I posted my blog in the right place. I had a hard time trying to post.
ReplyDeleteExcellent reflections here, Leslie. Both very specific, detailed...I like how you not only reflect on the strategies here but you try to pull out the deeper meanings. I'm wondering if this book is helping you "re-see" some of our earlier readings in a new light...I know the context of the subject area is really important in "getting it" about this connection and am happy that this book is serving in that way for you.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about where to post...tomorrow -your group should decide where everyone should post.