Active Learning in the Mathematics Classroom, Grades 5-8

Active Learning in the Mathematics Classroom, Grades 5-8
Author: Hope Martin
Publisher: Corwin Press
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2007-02-26
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1412949785

Deepen students' understanding of math concepts through active involvement! Engaging students directly in creative learning experiences is the basis of author Hope Martin's approach for re-energizing mathematics instruction. Active Learning in the Mathematics Classroom, Grades 5-8, Second Edition offers attention-grabbers such as Algebra Jokes, The M&M Mystery, How Long Would It Take to Walk to China?, and Gummi Worms to help students use mathematics as a powerful problem-solving tool, gain meaningful understandings of key concepts, and effectively communicate their mathematical thinking. Presenting a generous collection of student activities aligned with the five NCTM content standards, this revised edition of Multiple Intelligences in the Mathematics Classroom features A new chapter addressing algebra conceptsReproducible student pages for each activity Journaling questions to engage students in writing about mathematics Specific Web site resourcesWith step-by-step directions, suggestions, tips, and variations for implementation, this updated text provides a rich instructional resource for teachers, mathematics specialists, and curriculum directors.

Transformational Change Efforts: Student Engagement in Mathematics through an Institutional Network for Active Learning

Transformational Change Efforts: Student Engagement in Mathematics through an Institutional Network for Active Learning
Author: Wendy M. Smith
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2021-05-05
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1470463776

The purpose of this handbook is to help launch institutional transformations in mathematics departments to improve student success. We report findings from the Student Engagement in Mathematics through an Institutional Network for Active Learning (SEMINAL) study. SEMINAL's purpose is to help change agents, those looking to (or currently attempting to) enact change within mathematics departments and beyond—trying to reform the instruction of their lower division mathematics courses in order to promote high achievement for all students. SEMINAL specifically studies the change mechanisms that allow postsecondary institutions to incorporate and sustain active learning in Precalculus to Calculus 2 learning environments. Out of the approximately 2.5 million students enrolled in collegiate mathematics courses each year, over 90% are enrolled in Precalculus to Calculus 2 courses. Forty-four percent of mathematics departments think active learning mathematics strategies are important for Precalculus to Calculus 2 courses, but only 15 percnt state that they are very successful at implementing them. Therefore, insights into the following research question will help with institutional transformations: What conditions, strategies, interventions and actions at the departmental and classroom levels contribute to the initiation, implementation, and institutional sustainability of active learning in the undergraduate calculus sequence (Precalculus to Calculus 2) across varied institutions?

Active Learning in a Middle School Mathematics Classroom

Active Learning in a Middle School Mathematics Classroom
Author: Kristin Lynne Holmes
Publisher:
Total Pages: 112
Release: 2008
Genre:
ISBN:

Teachers are constantly trying to find new ways to motivate students to learn. Mathematics is a subject that is often negatively perceived by students. If taught in the right way, I believe that being actively involved provides students with positive attitudes toward learning. During my capstone project, I tested out many active learning strategies. I observed that active learning increased student engagement, motivation to learn, and excitement towards learning math. "Active learning insists that fresh thinking be constantly applied every moment of our teaching lives, that no method nor discipline can supersede the necessity of being forever on the alert" (Bickman, 2003, p.4). "Teaching demands thoughtfulness. There simply is no way to become an outstanding teacher through adherence to routine, formula, habit, convention, or standardized ways of speaking and acting" (Bickman, 2003, p.1). These quotes echo my belief that active learning provides students with increased engagement and excitement for learning.

Learning to Love Math

Learning to Love Math
Author: Judy Willis
Publisher: ASCD
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2010-09-09
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1416612289

Is there a way to get students to love math? Dr. Judy Willis responds with an emphatic yes in this informative guide to getting better results in math class. Tapping into abundant research on how the brain works, Willis presents a practical approach for how we can improve academic results by demonstrating certain behaviors and teaching students in a way that minimizes negativity. With a straightforward and accessible style, Willis shares the knowledge and experience she has gained through her dual careers as a math teacher and a neurologist. In addition to learning basic brain anatomy and function, readers will learn how to * Improve deep-seated negative attitudes toward math. * Plan lessons with the goal of "achievable challenge" in mind. * Reduce mistake anxiety with techniques such as errorless math and estimation. * Teach to different individual learning strengths and skill levels. * Spark motivation. * Relate math to students' personal interests and goals. * Support students in setting short-term and long-term goals. * Convince students that they can change their intelligence. With dozens of strategies teachers can use right now, Learning to Love Math puts the power of research directly into the hands of educators. A Brain Owner's Manual, which dives deeper into the structure and function of the brain, is also included—providing a clear explanation of how memories are formed and how skills are learned. With informed teachers guiding them, students will discover that they can build a better brain . . . and learn to love math!

Tactile Learning Activities in Mathematics

Tactile Learning Activities in Mathematics
Author: Julie Barnes
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
Total Pages: 303
Release: 2018-08-06
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1470448017

Q: What do feather boas, cookies, and paper shredders have in common? A: They are all ingredients that have the potential to help your undergraduate students understand a variety of mathematical concepts. In this book, 43 faculty from a wide range of institutional settings share a total of 64 hands-on activities that allow students to physically engage with mathematical ideas ranging from the basics of precalculus to special topics appropriate for upper-level courses. Each learning activity is presented in an easy-to-read recipe format that includes a list of supplies; a narrative briefly describing the reasons, logistics, and helpful hints for running the activity; and a page that can be used as a handout in class. Purchase of the book also includes access to electronic printable versions of the handouts. With so many activities, it might be hard to decide where to start. For that reason, there are four indices to help the reader navigate this book: a concept index, a course index, an [Author]; index, and a main ingredient index. In addition to providing activities for precalculus, calculus, commonly required mathematics courses for majors, and more specialized upper-level electives, there is also a section describing how to modify many of the activities to fit into a liberal arts mathematics class. Whether you are new to using hands-on activities in class or are more experienced, the [Author];s hope that this book will encourage and inspire you to explore the possibilities of using more hands-on activities in your classes. Bon appetit!

A Guide to Teaching in the Active Learning Classroom

A Guide to Teaching in the Active Learning Classroom
Author: Paul Baepler
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 253
Release: 2023-07-03
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1000976777

While Active Learning Classrooms, or ALCs, offer rich new environments for learning, they present many new challenges to faculty because, among other things, they eliminate the room’s central focal point and disrupt the conventional seating plan to which faculty and students have become accustomed.The importance of learning how to use these classrooms well and to capitalize on their special features is paramount. The potential they represent can be realized only when they facilitate improved learning outcomes and engage students in the learning process in a manner different from traditional classrooms and lecture halls.This book provides an introduction to ALCs, briefly covering their history and then synthesizing the research on these spaces to provide faculty with empirically based, practical guidance on how to use these unfamiliar spaces effectively. Among the questions this book addresses are:• How can instructors mitigate the apparent lack of a central focal point in the space?• What types of learning activities work well in the ALCs and take advantage of the affordances of the room?• How can teachers address familiar classroom-management challenges in these unfamiliar spaces?• If assessment and rapid feedback are critical in active learning, how do they work in a room filled with circular tables and no central focus point?• How do instructors balance group learning with the needs of the larger class?• How can students be held accountable when many will necessarily have their backs facing the instructor?• How can instructors evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching in these spaces?This book is intended for faculty preparing to teach in or already working in this new classroom environment; for administrators planning to create ALCs or experimenting with provisionally designed rooms; and for faculty developers helping teachers transition to using these new spaces.

Freedom to Learn

Freedom to Learn
Author: Edith Ethel Biggs
Publisher: Don Mills, Ont. ; Reading, Mass. : Addison-Wesley (Canada) Limited
Total Pages: 250
Release: 1969
Genre: Active learning
ISBN:

For student teachers and teachers.

Teaching Mathematics Through Games

Teaching Mathematics Through Games
Author: Mindy Capaldi
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2021-05-18
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1470462842

Active engagement is the key to learning. You want your students doing something that stimulates them to ask questions and creates a need to know. Teaching Mathematics Through Games presents a variety of classroom-tested exercises and activities that provoke the active learning and curiosity that you hope to promote. These games run the gamut from well-known favorites like SET and Settlers of Catan to original games involving simulating structural inequality in New York or playing Battleship with functions. The book contains activities suitable for a wide variety of college mathematics courses, including general education courses, math for elementary education, probability, calculus, linear algebra, history of math, and proof-based mathematics. Some chapter activities are short term, such as a drop-in lesson for a day, and some are longer, including semester-long projects. All have been tested, refined, and include extensive implementation notes.

Teaching with Classroom Response Systems

Teaching with Classroom Response Systems
Author: Derek Bruff
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2009-10-22
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0470596619

There is a need in the higher education arena for a book that responds to the need for using technology in a classroom of tech-savvy students. This book is filled with illustrative examples of questions and teaching activities that use classroom response systems from a variety of disciplines (with a discipline index). The book also incorporates results from research on the effectiveness of the technology for teaching. Written for instructional designers and re-designers as well as faculty across disciplines. A must-read for anyone interested in interactive teaching and the use of clickers. This book draws on the experiences of countless instructors across a wide range of disciplines to provide both novice and experienced teachers with practical advice on how to make classes more fun and more effective.”--Eric Mazur, Balkanski Professor of Physics and Applied Physics, Harvard University, and author, Peer Instruction: A User’s Manual “Those who come to this book needing practical advice on using ‘clickers’ in the classroom will be richly rewarded: with case studies, a refreshing historical perspective, and much pedagogical ingenuity. Those who seek a deep, thoughtful examination of strategies for active learning will find that here as well—in abundance. Dr. Bruff achieves a marvelous synthesis of the pragmatic and the philosophical that will be useful far beyond the life span of any single technology.” --Gardner Campbell, Director, Academy for Teaching and Learning, and Associate Professor of Literature, Media, and Learning, Honors College, Baylor University