Naperville teacher shares how she makes math fun
Need to know: Teaches sixth-grade math and accelerated math at Crone Middle School in Naperville. This is her 17th year at Crone in her 19-year teaching career.
Q: How do you make use of technology in your classroom? How does it improve student learning?
A: This year, all students at Crone Middle School have checked out a Chromebook for the year. Our main mathematics resource is an online program. This program offers interactive lessons and practice assignments that are graded immediately.
The immediate feedback from the system allows for me to immediately intervene with students and modify my lessons for the next day based on the needs of my students.
I also use a variety of apps that engage students in math games and activities that include virtual manipulatives. Many of these games or activities can be played individually, with teams of students or with the entire class. These apps also provide me with student progress data.
All of these technology resources have dramatically increased student engagement, allowed for students to work on different activities based on their ability level, and allowed for student choice in the ways they learn.
Q: Trends in education seem to be toward student collaboration. What kind of group work do your students do and how does working together help them?
A: My favorite lessons involve student collaboration/group work. Here is where I see the best opportunities to create real-world math experiences. In the real world, math problems do not come with all the numbers needed to solve the problem. One must search resources for the numbers.
Most importantly, one must know what he is looking for, and that is where technology in the classroom becomes a valuable tool for helping students be future-ready.
One of my favorite activities is our team shopping challenge. Students are given a set amount of money to spend on groceries. Students must account for tax, delivery and tip. Students must also purchase products within a certain number of categories. Student groups record their purchases in a shared Google Doc.
Students search tax rates and product prices at actual store sites. Students are not only using their communication skills to shop within a budget, they need to compromise on what products to buy. My classes are always asking for more activities like the shopping challenge, even though it isn't easy.
Q: How do you get through to students who think they hate math or who say they won't need these concepts outside the classroom?
A: Most students who hate math feel this way because they find it boring, they have not been successful with it or they do not see how math plays a significant role in their present or future. I try to make math fun by varying the types of activities I use for my lessons. My students are often engaged in games that require them to not only be mentally engaged but physically engaged.
I implement many real-world math projects and examples in my lessons. I use both real-world math that relates to the life of a sixth-grader and real-world math my students will need as adults. Relating math to the real world not only makes math more interesting, it makes math easier to understand.
I also help my students overcome the belief that they won't need math for the career they will eventually choose. I tell my students that they should never shortchange or limit themselves. They are only 11 or 12 years old. There is an awesome world out there with so many opportunities. If they master mathematics throughout their school years, they will afford themselves the luxury of being anything they want to be in the future.
Q: What's your favorite way to use math in everyday life?
A: Most people hate handling the household finances and planning for their financial future, but I love it. I look forward to sitting down on the weekends and working the numbers. Also, one of my favorite parts of planning our family vacations is calculating the cost. However, once on vacation, I know how to relax and forget about the numbers!