Hey readers!
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| brainbashers.com |
Welcome to the new Mathematics
category of my blog! As some of you already know my name is Mr. Moore and I am
a teacher candidate from Brock University! My major is physical education and
my second teachable is mathematics at the intermediate senior levels. This section of my blog is going to explore the experiences that I have had both
in an academic setting, as well as my personal experiences involving math
in the real world.
Today I am going to reflect on an experience I have had in one of my University classes. At the end of the lesson the instructor gave us skyscraper puzzles and snapping cubes. Now if you are like me, you have no idea what a skyscraper puzzle is or how they work. She instructed us to complete the puzzle using the snapping cubes, but was very limited in the amount of rules and directions that she gave. Immediately there was a level of confusion and frustration within the class, as not many of my fellow students knew where to start or how the puzzles worked.
After reflecting on this after class, we realized that she was encouraging us to become problem solvers, to think creatively, and to visually solve the puzzles at hand. She purposely left the instructions incomplete to ensure that we met all of these goals and were not simply following the directions that led us to the final result. It also gave us the opportunity to develop living skills such as teamwork and communication with not only the people at our table, but other tables as well.
Even though this activity was successful in our classroom, it does not mean this type of activity will be as successful in all classrooms. Earlier in the day we discussed all the different options and streams available for high school students once they reach grade eleven. The curriculum suggests that there are strands for university preparation, university/college preparation, college preparation and workplace preparation, but there is also a stream that includes mathematics for life (Ministry of Education, 2007). While completing the skyscrapers activity I could not help but think about the streams of high school education. As a university class completing this activity we were all engaged and interested in solving the problem. We have all taken university level math and have a personal connection with problem solving.
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| Ministry of Education, 2007 |
This personal connection made me
think about the students who do not care about solving the problem or
cannot think critically enough to come up with solutions. These students may
get discouraged and as a result I feel as though we must ensure that our instructions are
sufficient for the variety of students that we are teaching. Streaming students
in high school may group them together by destination, but also results in a
mixture of previous knowledge and interest levels. Some students may only be in
university level mathematics to ensure they can enter a specific program, while
others who are gifted in mathematics may be in the college level courses since
they want to work with hands on problems.
It is critical that with any activity we ensure that our instructions and goals are appropriate for the audience, but still encourages them to become problem solvers, and creative thinkers.
Hi Kyle,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post! You make excellent connections between the skyscraper activity completed in class and how this has implications as future educators. After reading your post, it made me think about my own educational experiences of becoming frustrated when working with open-ended questions. Prior to university, I was a student who relied on clear and concise instructions because I liked the feeling of knowing exactly what was expected of me. However, this perspective changed in University when I recognized the power of open-ended questions, assignments, presentations, etc. In multiple classes throughout my undergraduate program, my professors presented our classes with open-ended assignments, where we, the students, had the opportunity to explore and be innovative. Although at times I was very frustrated and confused, reflecting back, these were very valuable experiences. When educators present students with open-ended questions, they are fostering student communication and engagement, problem solving skills, the opportunity to think “outside the box,” and promoting critical thinking at a deeper level. As we have heard countless times throughout education courses, our classrooms in the twenty-first century should be student-centered. Presenting questions in such a manner causes students to become active agents who are able to take control of their learning process. In my post this week I mentioned Project Based Learning in the classroom, learning that begins with student’s questions and interests. I am excited to further learn about how to specifically implement PBL in a math setting. Overall great post! I look forward to following you through your math journey.
Rachelle
Hey Rachelle,
DeleteThanks for the positive feedback! I agree with you that my attitude towards open ended instructions has changed over the course of my University education. We have been exposed to it in our physical education classes especially, and I have learned to appreciate it. I also wanted to thank you for bringing up project based learning as I think it directly connects to students interest in the class. In my post I mention that students who do not have an interest in solving the problem will get frustrated with these open ended questions, but PBL will ensure that their personal interests are included.
Thanks for replying!
Hi Kyle,
ReplyDeleteI too was confused by the problem because initially I wasn't sure which problem we were supposed to be solving (the problem laid out in the game or the problem of understanding the instructions). I completely agree with you that our students are all coming from very different backgrounds (even in the streamed education system) and we need to be aware of where each of them are coming from. Regarding instructions and goals, I think part of the frustration from our class was that we didn't understand he goals of the activity. It reminded me that it is important to make sure our students understand what we expect of them. I am excited to hear more of your ideas for how to encourage 21st century thinking in your classroom,
KJ
Hi Kyle,
ReplyDeleteYour post was very interesting! I too had difficulties with the skyscraper activity. At first I didn't know what the rules were or how to proceed with the activity. Eventually after problem solving and brainstorming we were able to complete the activity. I agree with what you said about the possibility of some students checking out or not having the motivation to continue once they had difficulty. I also agree that this type of activity should be given to the right group of students. If this activity was given to a group that was not motivated, they would not benefit and gain those problem solving skills.
Jordan Black
Hi Kyle,
ReplyDeleteLoving the title of your blog, very punny! You made a great point about the vagueness of the activity we did in class, and how that helps foster problem solving, communication, and a variety of other skills in students. More importantly I love how you connected the different high school streams to this notion of problem solving and self-learning and how in different classrooms this activity would have been absorbed on two opposite ends of the spectrum. I am sure you remember from previous courses how frustrating a lack of instructions can be in a classroom, and from the skyscraper activity how important it can be for student development. I think what is important here is finding the right balance between the two, and getting to know what type of learners your students are before conducting an activity with vague instructions. Although it is important for students to be able to problem solve, sometimes all that is needed is a little guidance or instruction from the teacher to push them on the right track so they can achieve that goal. Overall, I enjoyed reading your post this week and look forward to your future blogposts!
Well done!
Bevan