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!
Glad you are seeing some connections between the strategies used and the CPD. You might want to discuss the ideas of the chapter a bit more than you do - especially for Alex's benefit. Remember - you are going to have to provide a bit of summary a bit more than is typical in order to ensure that everyone can access the ideas in your text...
ReplyDeletetomorrow you guys should settle on where/how to post as it seemed unclear for people in the first round. Easy enough to fix for next time.
Summary of Chapter 9 Building Meanings Through Language Development:
ReplyDeleteChapter 9 begins by explaining how the vocabulary of mathematics often creates particular difficulties. As teachers it is our job to help students meet the challenges of mathematics language and this chapters gives us many ideas to overcome these challenges. In our daily practices we should use what students know to introduce a new topic and then the terms follow. I agree with the text that we should make our classrooms language intense and help students find way to use mathematics language outside of class. The book shows us how we can use word origins, prefixes, and suffixes in order to relate mathematical terminology to the English language and define these words in a better way. A Venn diagram is an interesting and different way to demonstrate how the same word is used in English and Mathematics. This will hopefully engage the students in vocabulary building and help them form connections with the mathematical terms. Another great way for students for form connections are to make their own symbols for the words words they are learning. This allows them to define the word in their own way which will help them to form a deeper understanding of it.
Thanks for the clarification, Melissa.
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