There are no answer books in real life.
These are some web sites that I found which reflect what I would do if teaching a Freshman level high school math class on-line. I would begin the class by doing some baseline formative assessments to see where my student was in mathematics. I would also want to learn how the student learns. I would want to know the student's reading and writing level. Last being an on-line class, I would want to know the student's technology comfort level.
1) Find out their learning style.
2) Test their math strengths and weaknesses (no one is totally terrible at math, people use it everyday.).
3) Find out what their hobbies are, what do they like to do outside of class. Written simple autobiography. Can they read and write?
4) Just ask what technology they use everyday, this will tell you their comfort level of computer knowledge,after all they will be doing their lessons on-line.
Fun web site to test multiple intelligences. No right or wrong answers just suggestions on how to use your strengths. Mine: Logical Mathematical, Spatial, and Visual. Of course I love math. I see math in colors and pictures in my head. I'm a graphic artist and writer, plus a voracious reader. My lowest score kinesthetic, is that why I hate exercise but I do love to swim! I don't like learning things in a group because I like being alone. I have to force myself into social situations, the best way I learned how to get along with people was working my way through college as a waitress. I also learned a lot about people when I was a sales rep in advertising. So people can learn outside of their comfort zone. Take the test. It's very interesting.
Actual Howard Gardner interview explaining his philosophy.
Eighth grade math test, with pictures and ordinary everyday examples, pizza, stores, tips, etc. Also all grade levels.
http://www.coolmath-games.com/0-fraction-splat
I loved this web site! This is a wonderful example of how to make math fun. Helps to fill in gaps in learning.
https://illuminations.nctm.org/Search.aspx?view=search&gr=9-12
One of the most respected web sites for mathematics education. I used this site all the time when I had my math laptop lab at Alchesay High School.
http://ascendmath.com/index_stndrd.html
Absolutely one of the most horrible examples of on-line teaching I have ever seen, if you want to see a boring "sage on stage" this is the go to website. I cannot believe someone actually is buying this muck for an on-line class.
Useful discussion blog on at what level is technology comfortable? Also the latest ed tech terms.
http://www.coolmath-games.com/0-fraction-splat
I loved this web site! This is a wonderful example of how to make math fun. Helps to fill in gaps in learning.
https://illuminations.nctm.org/Search.aspx?view=search&gr=9-12
One of the most respected web sites for mathematics education. I used this site all the time when I had my math laptop lab at Alchesay High School.
http://ascendmath.com/index_stndrd.html
Absolutely one of the most horrible examples of on-line teaching I have ever seen, if you want to see a boring "sage on stage" this is the go to website. I cannot believe someone actually is buying this muck for an on-line class.
When I became Math department chair at Alchesay High School I had five sections of students who were failing Algebra 1. I knew that this situation was due to the way we had been teaching mathematics. Most of these students were passing in their other classes. So it told me that these students were coming to school, in other words they knew how to play school. They came to school, paid attention in class, did their homework, worked hard, and were successful in school. We were the ones as math teachers who were not reaching the students. "Bless their hearts" as an old saying goes, many of them had taken Algebra 1 two or three times.
I had been reading articles, and a book by Howard Gardner on how people have different learning styles. I challenged fellow members of the math department to start writing lesson plans that included learning mathematics in other ways besides pencil paper. We met once a week to revise our entire curriculum.
I refused to allow anyone to teach as a "sage on stage" The worst way to teach math is to stand with your back to students, mumble the instructions, have a board full of mathematical notations and then say do 100 odds. I would not accept this horrible method of teaching, which I have actually seen as an on-line instruction method. Strangely enough this site is recommended by Rio Salado as a good example of teaching on-line.
When I began to revise the curriculum I tapped into my fellow math teacher's creativity.I challenged each math teacher to bring their area of expertise into our math lessons Each teacher had multiple talents besides math: one gave music lessons after school, another was a basketball coach, one taught a robotics club, one was into hunting and fishing, another taught chess, another had a Japanese animation club, one was an artist, and mine was quilts and graphic arts and computers. Between all of all each of us were doing multiple intelligences in our free time. I wanted to harness that creativity into the math classroom.
The first day of math class I used formative assessments. I used: Learning Styles Test, Eighth grade math test, a simple written biography and I gave the students time on the laptops to observe how expert they were on a computer.
These assessments told me how a student learned so when I put them in groups they would have multiple opportunities to use their strengths in math class. A simple written biography told me what they were interested in outside of school. It also told me if they could read a math word problem, and write sentences. Could I introduce these interests into math class? An eight grade math test gave me an idea of where I needed to focus on filling in the gaps in knowledge. No student is totally terrible at math. Some students just have gaps. I would not put the whole entire class through a review of things they already knew, but I could use the math lab (A+) to focus on gaps in an individual's knowledge. Overall students did very poorly on fractions, so that's where I concentrated on review, but I wanted to do it with realia, manipulatives, and real life examples absolutely not sage on stage.
One of the lines one of my students told me after I retired was " I still like math but it's not as fun as when you taught me." An important idea from Howard Gardner's discussion is that self assessment is not something that is done to you not something that you do for yourself. I encouraged my students to think about their answers. I have told my students, in real life there are no answer books. The answer you give is the answer, whether the bridge falls down, people get sick or you have to pay for a mistake out of you own pocket.
When I began to revise the curriculum I tapped into my fellow math teacher's creativity.I challenged each math teacher to bring their area of expertise into our math lessons Each teacher had multiple talents besides math: one gave music lessons after school, another was a basketball coach, one taught a robotics club, one was into hunting and fishing, another taught chess, another had a Japanese animation club, one was an artist, and mine was quilts and graphic arts and computers. Between all of all each of us were doing multiple intelligences in our free time. I wanted to harness that creativity into the math classroom.
The first day of math class I used formative assessments. I used: Learning Styles Test, Eighth grade math test, a simple written biography and I gave the students time on the laptops to observe how expert they were on a computer.
These assessments told me how a student learned so when I put them in groups they would have multiple opportunities to use their strengths in math class. A simple written biography told me what they were interested in outside of school. It also told me if they could read a math word problem, and write sentences. Could I introduce these interests into math class? An eight grade math test gave me an idea of where I needed to focus on filling in the gaps in knowledge. No student is totally terrible at math. Some students just have gaps. I would not put the whole entire class through a review of things they already knew, but I could use the math lab (A+) to focus on gaps in an individual's knowledge. Overall students did very poorly on fractions, so that's where I concentrated on review, but I wanted to do it with realia, manipulatives, and real life examples absolutely not sage on stage.
One of the lines one of my students told me after I retired was " I still like math but it's not as fun as when you taught me." An important idea from Howard Gardner's discussion is that self assessment is not something that is done to you not something that you do for yourself. I encouraged my students to think about their answers. I have told my students, in real life there are no answer books. The answer you give is the answer, whether the bridge falls down, people get sick or you have to pay for a mistake out of you own pocket.
T
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