Math Centres

I spent today at a workshop investigating Math Centres #PeelMathCentres I'll spend the next few days writing about this great experience.

To start, I need to point out that there is nothing new about using centres in math. Most students have experienced them in their Kindergarten and early elementary years. Many students have also experienced them in later grades. I've been teaching for some time, and I remember my OISE Math Professor, Don Fraser (@DonFraser9) instructing us on how to make learning math more engaging. Much of what we discussed today can be connected to ideas he was teaching us then.

The question then becomes, "if the idea is not new, and it is a good idea, than why hasn't it become more commonplace?" My blog posts will review today's workshop from this point of view. Each day, I will look at the issue from a different point of view, according to how today's workshop was organized.



#PeelMathCentres
 

 

scratch.mit.edu

Today, I want to share my thoughts about the website scratch.mit.edu. Scratch is an open source programing language designed for students ( https://scratch.mit.edu/about/ ). It allows children to stack commands like Lego blocks. This makes it simple to understand and easy to learn.

I use Scratch to;
1. reinforce math concepts by connecting them to computer games that students code themselves,
2. integrate interest in creating "apps" into other subject areas,
3. create "Minds On" activities that peak student's interest at the beginning of a lesson.

Reinforcing Math Concepts

Here is a simple project that I use when teaching Transformations in Geometry. In it, a car translates across the screen. There is an option to make the car change colours. The car is controlled by a "start" and "stop" button.

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/44597258/#fullscreen

I then have students "look inside" the project to see how it works. Their task is to continue the idea by adding buttons to demonstrate "reflections" and "rotations."

Cross Curricular Integration

In this project, students "look inside" my example and then build on to it to create an interactive map of Canada. Note: The only province that you will get a response from clicking on is Ontario.

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/98432853/#fullscreen

Minds On

Finally, this is an example of how I get the attention of my students. They interact with my "app" to create different geometric patterns. It gets them thinking about what patterns are and how they can change. First, I have my class investigate making different patterns. Then, I have them create Tables of Values to show me how they think my pattern is changing.

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/85619700/#fullscreen

There are two aspects of Scratch that I really like. For one, it is free. Setting up an account is simple and student's don't have to share information about themselves other than what year they were born in. Secondly, it allows students to see what I've done and to share their ideas with each other. Seeing what I've done gives students the chance to figure out for themselves how the coding works. Sharing with each other promotes students to scaffold their work with the help of peers and to extend their learning by building on what each other has done.

Users will quickly note that Scratch does not work in iPads.

First Post

Today was a snow day in the Peel District School Board. In reality, it was more of an ice day. All the same, I had the day off from the classroom (I did bring plenty of work home with me). While cleaning up after breakfast, with my wife, I started talking about some ideas I had for my unit on fractions. My wife rolled her eyes, and with a smile, asked, "this is what you want to talk about at 7:30 in the morning?" I can be difficult to live with. I'm a bit of an "idea guy" and I just can't stop from talking about what's on my mind. So, I decided to do what any "21st Century Teacher" who needs to communicate about his thoughts and opinions ends up doing. I started a blog.

So, welcome to my blog and my first post. Over the years, I have come up with many simple and inexpensive ways of getting students to build, experiment and investigate in the classroom. I want to share these ideas with other teachers. Of course, I'll also be sharing my opinions and thoughts on all sorts of aspects of education. I hope you enjoy what I have to offer.