When am I ever going to use this?

It seems that

students who do not value math, or perhaps do not fully understand the nature of how math is a vital part of their lives, do not take their learning seriously (or have doubts that such concepts they are studying ARE in the real world, despite all the "real-world" exercise problems they have been given. (I say that sarcastically, but that will have to be expanded on in another issue).

The problem lies in getting students to actually make connections to what they are learning. Several times they practice the concept, but fail to make a translation of how it can be used in their own lives. --Much like the monitor I took a picture of. It can be useful, and by now it seems ridiculous to not use one almost every day. Do you see a problem with it?

IF you said, "Well duh, it's unplugged," then you are right. It may have value, but if there's no connection to the wall, you can't turn it on. So unless you are Infamous (Cole) there's no way power is going to make it work without plugging into an outlet. In this analogy the brain is the source of power, and the application is the monitor. Sometimes in math, we need to generate the "electricity" behind the concept before "plugging in" the applications.

Of course, in this instant gratification age (wait, I thought that was my age, except now instant oatmeal takes too LONG to cook for our illustrious 13-18 year olds), they just want "the answer." My response is usually "I don't care about the answer, it only means you did the PROCESS right. If you want credit for an incorrect answer, show me the work."

For all answers, "there's an app for that." For everything else, we need to train the 3 pound computer between the ears to power up and process.

Til net time, Mr. Shel

Comments

Times of Transition

I used to DESIRE to dig into research and to experiment and try a hypothesis in my classroom. Since COVID I have felt complacent and unsupported to try anything. This is the danger of not just the pandemic, but ANY major situation. Then I also became involved with MCTM and worked with people whose desire was to make math more connected again. There were several feeling the same way as I did, and for once that gave some comfort. I've discovered through personal study and investment in my thinking habits, (as mentioned in previous posts) that I am an Architect. Not by trade, but by mindful construction of the "Big Picture" and commanding the tools, resources, and assets I am connected to make it happen. Not to brag, far from it, for Architects also are behind the scenes people, and some have the opposite of superiority complex; that is to say, an inferiority complex. This is a dangerous feeling to have, especially if one is in a competitive environment. If you

Hope for the next standards....

Though the picture represents a different reason for my mug smile (taken in May 2022), it makes me feel the same way to try to continue to hope for the future of math standards. Currently we are working underneath the 2007 Minnesota Math Standards, and version III of the new standards have been out for comment by the public. Before, there were general ideas what was supposed to be presented to Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, upper standards (advanced data and statistics), but yet did not account for the College Now or other preparatory math many schools have implemented to be competitive. Here's a case example of hope for improvement. Currently I teach Algebra 1 to the eighth graders in our district. The curriculum we have is very rigorous (that is to say, the book focuses on rational exponents), and gives students little practice with integer exponents to build their confidence. This gap, paired with a low numeracy and low fraction exposure from their previous school exper

New Stress-old story

Photo by Kristine Lewis via Flickr This year marks my first in long time of having a struggle class be THE struggle class. Normally I like to do an activity with them I got from NCTM in the first month called “A Matter of Survival,” and the students usually play it out prettty well. This class could not focus for more than 2 minutes! It took me at least 20 minutes to tally their data. (October). Now they have been struggling to focus enough to understand the concepts...it almost borderlines dyscalculia. Dyscalculia, according to Wikipedia, is " is difficulty in learning or comprehending arithmetic, such as difficulty in understanding numbers, learning how to manipulate numbers, and learning facts in mathematics. It is generally seen as a specific developmental disorder." Wikipedia reference They've been a distraction to themselves for so long, they missed capstone learning moments to solidify their number theory from the 6th grade before coming to the high

Blackboard Notes

Search This Blog