This week in our
mathematics course we carried on our conversation in regards to different
shapes however we focused more on the concept of discovering the area,
perimeter and volume of an object. Measurement in particular, area and
perimeter are concepts which I hypothesize students would gain the most adoration
and appreciation for as these units can be applied to multiple strands in their
everyday lives. As I have discussed in
previous blog posts one of the more important things an educator can do for
their students is make math relatable. We must demonstrate to students that
what we are teaching them will largely impact their overall development in
society and academically.
To continue our lesson we were introduced to the concept
of the guided inquiry process and provided with an example of such activity. The
guided inquiry process emphasizes student learning through investigation and exploration
of activities which aim to challenge individuals understanding and
promote a higher level of thinking. The guided inquiry process challenges a student’s
level of evaluation and allows for a more analytical thought process. When educators
introduce the inquiry process into their classroom they promote learning
through investigation and questioning which works to expand knowledge. I thoroughly enjoyed
participating in this inquiry based activity as I felt it expanded my
understanding of the utilization of measurement within contemporary society. As
a future educator I foresee myself incorporating different inquiry based
activities, such as the one provided, in my classroom for I feel students will
benefit significantly. For a student to thrive educators must undergo constant
assessment of their skills by providing a multitude of skill based activities
such as the inquiry based ones. For this week I enjoyed the games provided however I wanted to continue searching for different resources. While conducting my search I came across the website “Adapted Mind Math” which provides users with a multitude of activities for different units of study. To begin you select the grade level you wish to explore, I selected grade 6, then you pick the lesson you want to participate in, I choose geometry and selected the activity “area of a square.” In this activity users begin by selecting their character then are given the instructions for the game. The goal for the activity is to complete each level by answering a multitude of questions, dealing with area and perimeter. What I enjoyed most about this game is that users were not timed they had the ability to thoroughly think out what was being asked of them and the questions increased in difficulty after the completion of each level. As well, when a question was answered incorrectly users were informed were they had gone wrong. I definitely see myself introducing this resource to my students as I feel they would truly benefit from it.
Figure 1
The selection of units and activities which individuals can select to explore.
Figure 2
When users get a question right this is the message which is shown. As questions are answered correctly users are given points which can be used within the game.
Figure 3
When users answer a question incorrectly, the website provides an in depth explanation of where they went wrong as well thoroughly demonstrates how to arrive to the correct answer. This is fantastic for users as they have the ability to understand how to fix where they went wrong.
To
conclude I thoroughly enjoyed this week’s mathematics lesson as it opened my
eyes to the importance of incorporating inquiry based questions within the
classroom. Educator must continually expand their set of knowledge and undergo
constant assessment off practises and techniques.
Link to the website "Adapted Mind Math"
http://www.adaptedmind.com/
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