This weeks blog required us to take an in
depth look at the YouCubed website, designed to revolutionize the way we
approach Mathematics in the classroom. I believe this site has the
potential to be a great resource for primary and elementary teachers when it
gets up and running.
While exploring the
site I found a few things that I fond really interesting. One being the
article about unlocking students' math potential. There are some elements
of this article that I completely agree with. For example, students' ideas
about their ability determine their math achievement. It states that some
children have a "fixed mindset" where others have a "growth
mindset", where those with a growth mindset believe that with hard work
anyone has the capability of being smart, and those with a fixed mindset
believe some are just born smart and others are not. I have seen these
two views in just the few days I have spent at schools this year alone.
Some children simply do not try in class, and math especially,
because they have a fixed mindset that no matter how hard they work they
will still be "dumb" or wrong. Therefore, it is extremely
important that teachers teach in a way that encourages both the growth mindset
and the fixed mindset. We must eliminate this fixed thinking by the
elimination of gender differences and the idea of minorities within schools to
ensure that all students are getting the best education possible. Growth
mindsets must be communicated to children!
Secondly, it has been
proved that students learn through their mistakes. These mistakes just
lead children to figure out different strategies or "entry ways" as
explained through the article. Children need to be kept aware that there
are many different ways to get to a certain answer, and that not one of these
strategies are more right than the other.
The last point I
really believe in is dissociating speed from math. When was it ever said
that math needed to be done quickly? yet, students everywhere feel the need to
rush through their math equations in some form of effort to show how smart they
are. As teachers, it is important to show students that math does not
have to be this way. this speedy way is stressful, can cause anxiety, and
makes those who take their time feel inferior. Math needs to be taught as
a thoughtful process, not that the quicker you are the better you are.
By being in classrooms this year I have seen that look of panic when a
teacher says we are moving on and that student is not finished, or if a student
gets called on and does not know the answer right away. For these
students, we must communicate the idea that math is a thoughtful process.
To do so, I feel as though Fast Math and other timed math activities
should not be used in the classroom. It is simply encouraging the myth
that the speedier you are at math, the smarter you are.
While I find the
layout of the site great, I really like the idea of showing different fun
activities that can be done with a class, and the sorts of articles I imagine
they'll be posting, I agree with a fellow classmate when I say that the videos
can be a tad unrealistic. The video of all the students being engaged in
math around the table is nice, and it does show hoe engaged students can be
through math, it is still only a class of seven children who are clearly very
proficient in math. A better idea is to show a more accurate depiction of
a classroom where there are strugglers and students with more of a math based
anxiety. The gifted students matter too of course, but as a teacher you
will never have a class of just seven gifted students, it is just not
realistic. I am hoping when the site gets up and running they will have a
more wide variety of videos taking place in real classrooms, with real
students.
No comments:
Post a Comment