In my course, I have tried to include several opportunities for student engagement- I have interective videos, weekly reflections with opportunity for extra credit by responding to peers, a wiki page for unit summaries and real-life examples, etc. However I am worried that the lower level mathematics students will find this as busy work instead of engage in it- likely taking the affect away.
The one portion that I am really looking to engage them in is the wiki. Each group will add to the wiki through out a unit. They will give definitions, theorems, and concepts that are covered, along with a fun and creative way to remember them. In addition they will have to create a unique real life example in which the concepts might be used. I think that this will show the students that the mathematics they are learning is actually relevant- rather than just saying you will be tested on this.
Every math student has said it (Yes, even me)- "When are we ever gonna use this?" Well the answer is EVERYWHERE! Look around, math is everywhere. And it is hard to relay this to younger math students. I want my students to understand that what I am teaching them is important and they will need to know it for their future endeavors.
Any suggestions for more relevance in the math classroom is greatly appreciated. Do you think that being required to provide a real-life example would be fun and engaging or terrible miserable?
I love your idea for a Math Wiki. Today's students love to interact with technology. I also believe your video will keep your student engaged, especially if you use funny videos. When teaching Math it is always important to keep your students focused on the tasks at hand. You are on your way to creating a great online Math course!
ReplyDeleteI think Math Wiki and the videos will be useful. Just like math, art is everywhere to. Without art, we won't have inspirations or varieties. The world will be nothing but "bleh". Anyways, I think if you have kids or teaching math for children I highly recommend Brain Pop. It is a adorable website for kids to watch videos about a variety of subjects and then take a short quiz after.The best part about these quizzes is that teachers can choose how they should be tested, either printed out or have kids click on the answer. I hope it will be useful.
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