Many students ask, "When are we going to use this?" whenever they are confronted with a difficult math problem, or whenever they feel like challenging the teacher. Dan Meyer has created ways to involve students more in their math learning by connecting math problems to everyday items, such as a water tank, then asking students what they would like to know about the water tank. This relates mathematical formula to an object that they are familiar with. I believe that if teachers utilize this method in their classrooms, students might become more interested in and engaged in what they're learning. Additionally we can expand this concept to accompanying math problems with student's drawings, instead of just relying on the numbers and formula. If students make pictures to illustrate what the problem is asking it might help them realize that the problem is not just a math problem with numbers and symbols, but it connects to the wider world. An example of this could involve the measurements of a picture frame. When students draw out the frame, they might realize that it is simpler than they thought and it is relatable. Yes, it still involves math, but now it is also relevant to students' everyday lives.
I like this point. There's a bit more you'd have to do to make this an exemplar.
ReplyDeleteclear: separate into paragraph structure
complete: you want each post to show 1-2 hours of work. This could be in thinking through the problem with current typical teaching in your eyes, with an example, or finding specific Dan Meyer tasks, or teasing out the ideas about student activity.
consolidated: once you have more substance, figure out a way to tie it up. Summarize or synthesize, for example.