Year 2, Blog Post 6: EDBE 8P54 (Monday, 23 October 2017)

Good Day Bloggers!

Objective:

For this week, it is my objective for this blog post to present my responses to questions, ideas and information presented this week in the course EDBE 8P54 at Brock University! For our sixth week of Math 8P54, our class focused on blended teaching and learning, touching on forms of assessment. In our forum post, I watched a video about the connection of math to real life application made by both nature and animals. What a diverse learning week!

Blended Instruction: A Necessity for Engaging Mathematics 

For the first activity of the week, we focused on blended instruction tools we could use in our future classrooms to differentiate instruction! We first watched a video about blended learning, and then worked in groups to determine the basics of blended instruction. Following this, performed five minute presentations on our findings. I thought the practices were interesting, and I could see myself using some of these blended instruction tools in my future classroom. 

GeoGebra Activity: Using Software to Construct and Draw

While we did not yet get the chance to navigate the GeoGebra Site, we did watch our instructor explore how to use GeoGebra and constructing a square. I drew a personal connection from this activity to a software I had in grade ten drafting class called AutoCad. In this software, we made architectural designs, and explored methods of construction through the architectural tools. I really enjoyed this class, and I am glad that todays students have an opportunity to explore tools such as GeoGebra through making objects such as squares and examining the theory behind the constructs through application! I think this is a step in the right direction for students to take examples they can relate to and explore for themselves. 

Life Examples Beyond the Formula: A Forum Post? 

This short video relates math to real life application. Specifically, the formation of a snowflakes and spiderwebs. In the snowflake construct, each snowflake is unique, yet its water particles follow a similar hexagonal pattern. Spiders also use math intuitively, as they create their spiderwebs by first connecting two points, then as quickly as possible they form circles combining the webs to one another in a spiral motion. The spiral expands outward more quickly the more the spider weaves it.
I thought this video to be quite interesting, as it encompasses the use of math in both nature, and intuitively between humans and animals alike. Math is everywhere, can be connected to most anything, and in our future classrooms it is important to connect aspects like this to student learning. Building connections is so important in education, so why not allow students to see beyond the formula and connect to real life examples?

Math in Life

Final Thoughts:

In this week of mathematics study, I have learned concepts and tools associated to blended teaching and learning in mathematics, touching on forms of assessment. In the Forum, I watched a video about the connection of math to real life application made by both nature and animals, and realized the continued message being presented in our class. Without engaging thought, tying meaningful mathematic process to opportunities for connections through blended instruction, students can hardly be expected to have a positive attitude and look at the tasks at hand in a multi-representational manner. Students must have these experiences to continue connection outside of the classroom, and isn't it fascinating to allow students to be able to reflect on their connections through nature, animal mathematic intuition, and other topics they are passionate about?

Thats all for now Fellow Bloggers! Until next week :)