Post by VictoriaSanchez on Oct 7, 2012 19:37:07 GMT -6
www.ted.com/talks/dan_meyer_math_curriculum_makeover.html
Every time I meet someone new, we tend spark up a conversation, talking about what are interests are, jobs, and if in school majors. And it never fails, once I've mentioned that I'm a math major, I get this sour look. "Math? I don't know how you do it! I hate math! Math is so complex. There are to many formulas." Or, my favorite, "What are we going to use all this math for, we really only need the basics, addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication." The thing of it is is we really do only need the basics, but if we only use the basics it takes us longer to find our solution, there are easier ways to finding the answer with better equations and logic. Not all teachers use the real life scenario, and they need to! This would get students involved and understand the material. Dan Meyer did a great job at explaining how teachers need to use real life math problems to get to students to actually learn. In his video, he talks about how he did a real life scenario to teach his class. How long it takes to fill a five gallon bucket with water? Meyer did the experiment, with his class, and came to find that the students understood the material. Doing hands on experiments helps the brain understand and get a better grasp at why it's necessary to learn something. This video intrigued me because this is what I want to do with my major. I want to teach mathematics, and help students to actually like it and understand what the importance of it is. Meyer's right, the books aren't always right, we need to actually show students the examples, that's the one great way of getting them to understand. Also, it keeps them involved. Now, all this said, I go back to what I was mentioning first, about the sour faces. These people, not all of them, but most, most likely didn't get the hands on experiments and weren't able to picture the scenarios. So, they really don't find the importance and appreciation of using simpler ways to find their solution.
Every time I meet someone new, we tend spark up a conversation, talking about what are interests are, jobs, and if in school majors. And it never fails, once I've mentioned that I'm a math major, I get this sour look. "Math? I don't know how you do it! I hate math! Math is so complex. There are to many formulas." Or, my favorite, "What are we going to use all this math for, we really only need the basics, addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication." The thing of it is is we really do only need the basics, but if we only use the basics it takes us longer to find our solution, there are easier ways to finding the answer with better equations and logic. Not all teachers use the real life scenario, and they need to! This would get students involved and understand the material. Dan Meyer did a great job at explaining how teachers need to use real life math problems to get to students to actually learn. In his video, he talks about how he did a real life scenario to teach his class. How long it takes to fill a five gallon bucket with water? Meyer did the experiment, with his class, and came to find that the students understood the material. Doing hands on experiments helps the brain understand and get a better grasp at why it's necessary to learn something. This video intrigued me because this is what I want to do with my major. I want to teach mathematics, and help students to actually like it and understand what the importance of it is. Meyer's right, the books aren't always right, we need to actually show students the examples, that's the one great way of getting them to understand. Also, it keeps them involved. Now, all this said, I go back to what I was mentioning first, about the sour faces. These people, not all of them, but most, most likely didn't get the hands on experiments and weren't able to picture the scenarios. So, they really don't find the importance and appreciation of using simpler ways to find their solution.