Pg. 313 Technological Applications
I tried to use the personalized format every time it was feasible when my students worked on Math story problems. I found it made it easier for them to understand the problem. Sometimes I would pair them up and have them act out the problems. They really enjoyed it. I started doing this because even though they could break up the problem with the use of their strategies sometimes they would get the operation incorrect. If they personalized it, it seemed to make more sense since they thought of themselves performing the actions described in the problem.
As for technology integration in the classroom, I believe that even if you have the best of the best hardware/software, if you don't use it, you will not see any benefit. If you want to see benefits/results you have to go the extra mile, by learning the technology, and then modifying it as you go along if you see that it's not functioning the way you expect it.
I like the way you personlize the math problems because they allow the students to bring in real world meaning to their work. As far as technology is concerned I think of technology as a pencil. Instead of using a pencil the students use a technology tool avaliable to them. Teachers that are not technology savvy sometimes have to go the extra mile in order to learn how to incorporate technology in to their everyday teaching. As an MTT my goal at my campus is to teach the teachers how to integrate technology into their lessons.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you on personalizing story problems. I do that a lot in my classroom. They get so excited when they see their names in math problems. I also like to use cartoon characters like Spongebob, Star Wars, iCarly, etc. Last yea,r I had a severe ADD child and, in order to get his attention, I had to incorporate many, many cartoon characters. And it made the lesson more enjoyable. =)
ReplyDeleteIt is great the way you are teaching Math to make it more personable so that your students remember. Your students are very lucky to have you as a teacher. I totally agree with your comment about technology. There are so many teachers that do not use technology because they do not know the program, even when it is one that could benefit their classroom. This is one reason that I want to become an trainer for technology. If I can help a teacher to become more comfortable with technology and they use it in their classroom, then I will have completed what I set out to do.
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