Meaningful Mathematics

Welcome back,

As my journey in teacher’s college is quickly approaching the end, I will admit it feels very bittersweet. I am very excited to take the knowledge and skills I have learned throughout the year in this mathematics course and apply it to my upcoming practicum.

This week the lesson learning activities presented included: Grade 11 Foundations for Collage Mathematics and Mathematics for Work and Everyday Life, Workplace. As I am not extremely familiar with the curriculum for these courses, I was very intrigued by the activities that were presented. One overarching and very important theme I was able to take away from the lessons was the connections being made to a real world context. Not only were all the lessons extremely fun, they also provided students with the opportunity to connect the mathematics to a real scenario.

“Doing mathematics should always mean finding patterns and crafting beautiful and meaningful explanations.” – Paul Lockhart

Personal Finance

During Kyle’s Grade 11 Foundations for Collage presentation, students were provided with information on either a debit card or credit card. In addition, each group was given information such as: interest rate, monthly transaction fees, benefits, etc. Using this information, students had to calculate the total cost of using their card and paying for an expensive TV. As a class, the groups compared their cards and discussed which credit or debit card company offered the most cost efficient solution. I really enjoyed this activity because it stimulated discussion about a real world problem many individuals will encounter. Although it may not seem necessary to teach at such a young age, I believe it is extremely valuable so students gain an understanding about how various methods of payment work. This activity is also very easy to modify. For example, if I were to use this activity, I might give each group a different debit and credit card to compare at their tables, as opposed to waiting for a whole-class discussion.

Remodelling

The next presentation I would like to highlight is Heather’s activity focused on proportional reasoning for Grade 12 Mathematics and Work for Everyday Life. As a group, we were provided with a floor plan, some dimensions and various samples. Our task was to remodel the floors based on the square footage of each room. I thought this activity was very engaging and my group members and myself found became “into” the activity. My group also used our problem solving skills to determine dimensions from rooms where they were not explicitly provided. Again, calculating the square footage and pricing of flooring is a skill many individuals will benefit from when trying to remodel. I can also see myself using this activity in the classroom. Considering how consuming the activity is, the only change I would possibly make is provide students with a few number of samples. 

In conclusion, I really enjoyed how all this weeks activities met the needs of various learning styles (especially tactile learners). I can see myself using these lessons in my classroom and would expect students to enjoy the activities as much as I did! 

Until next week, 

Rachelle