What I have learned about math and blogs

Well bloggers my college math class is nearing the end, which means that this blog is nearing its end as well. I must say that I have learned quit a bit about math and different strategies for teaching it. I have learned that no child learns exactly the same way so there for I will need to have many tools in my tool box to make sure that as a math teacher I am able to reach out and teach every child. I have realized that it is going to be crucial for me to keep myself educationed on all the new strategies and techniques that are available so that I can continue to keep my students educated as well.
Another thing that I have learned throughout this course is how to use a blog. I was a little nervous and confused about blogging and to tell you the truth I still am. I have come to the conclusion though that learning how to create and read blogs may be essential when becoming a teacher. At first I really didn't know what the point of creating a blog was, but after a few weeks and hours of thought I think I have figured it out. I believe that technology and knowing how to use it is very essential for teachers. Many of the things that teachers do these days are on a computer and I will have to learn as much as I can. I know that there is a very good chance that blogging will be part of a daily routine as a teacher and so the more that I can learn about it know the better off I will be. I truley believe that that is the reason why I was assigned to create a blog. To learn and understand just one more aspect of teaching and learning alike.

Hands on Learning

I believe that is is very important to keep learning math fun and hands on for all students, but even more important for the younger students. Math can get very complicated very quickly and if students are starting to fall behind it is important that you do not move on to the next thing until all aspects of what is being taught are taught. I read an article titled "Mr. Poppers Penguin" and learned a lot about math and how to teach it. I learned that it is important to try to keep abstractions to a minimum when teaching younger children algebra. For example do not introduce variables like x and y. This has a tendency to throw many students off. I also learned that using key words like "left over" and "total" can really help children identify with the problem that they are working on.
After reading this article I really got to thinking about what I could do to make sure that I am doing everything that I can to reach out to all of my students. So I tried to think more like an Elementary math student. I realized that perhaps if students where asked to bring small objects from home like pencils, erasers, jelly beans, marbles, etc. that that may help them engage more in what they are learning. It may put a more personal tough on the problem at hand. It may also inspire them to do more hands on work at home.
Another thing that I thought of was integrating math and reading. Many students have a tendency to strive in one subject but not in another. If there is a way to integrate both math and reading into your classroom maybe it will reach out to more students and make more students feel successful, regardless of what subject they may be working on.

Critial Thinking and Problem Solving

Hello Blogger,
I just finished watching a few videos about how children use critical thinking in math. The videos that I watched where very interesting and actually I can say that I was fascinated watching the  kids in these videos. These kids where put into groups and amongst them they need to correct there math papers without the teacher giving them the answers. That meant that if one of the students had a different answer than another student they had to try to work that problem out again until they all came up with the same answer. Now a skill like this is very hard to do especially if you are 10 years old.
I realized that from this video that children teaching and learning from each other is very important. The kids in the video where learning more than just math skills, they where learning how to communicate and listen to what others thought. I consider that more than just a math skill, but a life skill. I also seemed to make learning more hands on and fun for the children.

So Much to Learn

Hello Everyone,
Well I just finished watching hours of videos and reading material on how to teach Elem. Math to young children. Who would have thought that there would be so much to teaching this stuff. I realized that knowing the information that you are teaching is only a small step in teaching it. If you are going to be a successful teacher you need to have many tools in your tool box. Every child learns in a different way and in order to reach out and teach every child you need to know many different ways of teaching the same material.
Not only do you have to do this because you care about children and you want them to get the most out of their education, but because it is the law. There are law that that say that every child must become sufficient in math and show progress every year. The way that the state knows if a teacher is doing a good job and reaching out to every child is by giving the children many tests, that in the end will show that specific child's progress over the year.
I believe that being a teacher is more than just teaching children the material that they need to know, but to teach every child the same material in a different. In a way that reaches every child so that the information stick with them throughout their year.

My first Blog

Hello Bloggers, well I actually did it. I figured out how to create my own blog and to my surprise it wasn't even that difficult. This is where I am going to talk about what I have learned and what I hope to learn about Math for Elem. Ed. So far I have found out that there is a lot to learn and understand, so stay tuned this may be interesting. Gina