Connections to Real Life

 
  As an educator it is important to remember that we must make connections with students every day lives. These connections will keep them engaged in the course material and will also make the subject more interesting for them. If they realize that they can use the knowledge outside of the classroom it will give them an insight to learn and will encourage them to expand their knowledge. These connections can also include examples from the media and popular culture. These examples will allow students to make current connections and will encourage them to stay engaged. 

     During peer mini-lessons we were presented with a great example of an example of bringing popular culture into the classroom. The instructor engaged us in a version of the game show "Deal or No Deal". This classroom version was designed to focus on expectations from the grade 12 Data Management course. The expectations included probability and allowed students to learn through participation. We were given a game board, an instruction sheet and a set of bankers offers. It was not until I looked at the back of the instruction sheet that I noticed we were directly working on probability concepts. This sheet directly asked 'what is the probability' of specific events and encouraged students to make statements about what is the most likely outcome of their case. 

     While playing the game I began to realize how creative we can be as teachers. I have used games in the classroom, but have yet to use a game like this. This game was taken directly from a TV series and fits the expectations of the curriculum. The instructor took the time to set the game up and then allowed us to play and explore our learning. I immediately made connections to real life and began to think about how else this type of probability appears. 

     

     In my future classroom I would love to use games like this, with some modifications. I feel it may be beneficial to play a game as a class first. One large game would demonstrate how the game looks and may decrease the time that students spend reading instruction. This would also allow technology to be utilized. I can see myself using the Smart Board in order to create a similar board, while allowing students to take turns coming up to pick cases. In general, I am excited to make personal connections with student's lives and encourage them to explore their learning outside the classroom, becoming life long learners. 

Mr. Moore