Palombi teacher uses technology for math

Joshua Coon teaches seventh-grade math at Palombi Middle School in Lake Villa.

Coon, 36, of Lake Villa has taught sixth, seventh and eighth grades during his 15-year career in Lake Villa Elementary District 41. He's been teaching math at Palombi for 10 years.

He received his bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Knox College in Galesburg. Coon also has a master's degree in instruction and leadership from St. Xavier University in Chicago and a second master's degree in teaching leadership and administrative certificate from American College of Education in Indianapolis.

Q. Why did you decide to teach math?

A. Math has always been my favorite subject in school. From a very young age, I remember having a math fact race with my classmates. I have enjoyed working with numbers and solving problems for a long time. I was placed in advanced classes throughout my schooling, but would always help my friends with their homework.

Even in college, I enjoyed the math courses I took. I even became a teaching assistant for one of the math classes. I was required to administer a study group every week. This is probably where I really decided that I wanted to teach math.

I started teaching sixth grade at Pleviak Elementary. There, I actually taught all subjects but knew that I was passionate about math the most. That is why four years later, I decided to make the transition to Palombi to teach math. I love teaching math everyday.

Q. How do you reach the students who don't like math?

A. Math is a subject that either students love it or hate it. There really aren't many students in the middle. Every year my goal is try to get the students who love it to love it more, and students who hate it to at least feel better about it.

I work hard to make math fun. Math doesn't have to be a teacher standing up in front of the room and lecturing. I want the students to share my passion for the subject.

I try every day to be positive and excited to teach my students. The key to reaching the students who struggle with math is trying to present the information in different ways. I also try to build the self-esteem of these students.

If I can make them see that math isn't as hard as they think, I have won. I also try to break down each skill as much as possible. But the main way I try to reach struggling students is to not give up on them and be excited when they do something well.

Q. What's your philosophy for teaching math?

A. Math is two forms of thinking, the number-based thinking and the logical reasoning.

I try to do as much of both as I can. I feel that the number-based thinking will increase when the students can think more logically. Students need to develop a basis and learn the foundations before they can learn the next steps. I think practice is very important, but shouldn't overwhelm the students. I want them to get enough practice to put the material in their memory, but not so much that it gets frustrating.

Math needs to be connected to the students' lives as well. The more you can put the skills that need to be taught in terms the students can relate to, the more the students will learn and retain. For example, to teach percentages and rates, I have the students plan a meal for a family using only $50. The students have to shop online for a main dish, two side dishes, drinks, and two desserts.

They get coupons to use as well. They have to figure the unit rates in order to find the best prices, and then they have to figure out the total with tax. If they get food from a delivery service, such as Peapod, then they also have to pay a tip. This lesson assesses their knowledge of percentages in a real-world setting.

Q. How has technology changed how you teach math?

A. Technology has changed how I have taught math greatly. When I first started teaching, calculators were something not found everywhere, now they are on every cellphone, so as a teacher I have to teach them to use it to help solve problems.

A calculator is only as smart as the student who uses it. With the ability to access things on the internet very easily, it makes it easier to find real world ways to teach the skills that have to be taught. This year has brought another technological aspect into my classroom.

Flipped classroom is a new trend that is gaining more and more support. The math department at Palombi decided to use this method in our classrooms. Flipped learning is where the teacher takes the direct instruction he/she was doing in front of the class and put that into a video format and having the students watch this for homework.

Then the practice that used to be done as homework is done inside the classroom. The classroom becomes a place for active learning to take place instead of lecturing.