Tag Archives: math

by | August 30, 2024 · 11:50 am

Teaching math: competencies over content

Mathematics has been known as one of the subjects that focus on content, and consequently, the procedures to achieve the right answer, rather than on competencies, or in other words, on the understanding of the procedure followed by students. However, these two ways should not be seen as irreconcilable!

As the National Research Council discussed in the book Adding it UP! Helping children learn mathematics, mathematics fluency is achieved through the development of five strands:

  • conceptual understanding: comprehension of mathematical concepts, operations, and relations
  • procedural fluency: skill in carrying out procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently, and appropriately
  • strategic competence: the ability to formulate, represent, and solve mathematical problems
  • adaptive reasoning: capacity for logical thought, reflection, explanation, and justification
  • productive disposition: the habitual inclination to see mathematics as
    sensible, useful, and worthwhile, coupled with a belief in diligence and one’s
    own efficacy.

Source: Adding it UP! Helping children learn mathematics

Therefore, both math content and competence are essential to achieve mathematics proficiency. Teaching math through competencies emphasizes how important conceptual understanding is to advance to high-level math. It also shows that content and procedures are used to build up understanding and not as isolated goals in the process of learning math.

The following video discusses some of the benefits of teaching math by focusing on competencies. In the video, the teachers highlight that math competencies allow lessons based on student-centered approaches and differentiation, giving space for students to learn at their own pace through pedagogical strategies.

 

Phil Stringer, in his BCTM Vector article “Deunitization in the Mathematics Classroom,” (pp. 38), suggests how teachers can design lessons based on competencies rather than content. He proposes that teachers should not plan their lessons strictly by dividing what students should learn into content units, such as fractions, multiplication, cardinal numbers, etc. He suggests teachers consider a list of competencies related to each content area and how they interconnect. In this sense, while planning learning goals, teachers can work with more flexibility between competencies and content.

By covering competencies and content, teachers have more flexibility to build learning progressions to support their students. As Phil describes from his experiences, students learn more deeply and tend not to forget the content since it scaffolds and is reviewed throughout the term or academic year rather than just for a short time while a specific content-based unit is been covered.

Regarding assessment, a great way to assess competency is to analyze students’ knowledge and skills in each competency. Competency trackers can be a helpful tool since they allow both teachers and students to map the learning goals already developed and the ones that need more focus.

Identifying specific competencies can build independence and confidence in students and support teachers’ planning. Teachers can use an Excel table or a more sophisticated platform that links students’ progression to real-time assignments.

Resources:

Open School BC and the Delta District develop many detailed resources for teachers to develop the following competencies in math:

Guest post by Peer Mentor Ariane Faria dos Santos (Ph.D. EDCP), Aug. 2024.

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by | August 2, 2024 · 2:47 pm

Unit Planning: one teacher’s approach

Guest post by Ariane faria-dos santos, Peer Mentor, PHD student EDCP 2022

The BC curriculum presents some challenges for teachers to plan because it requires that teachers combine Big Ideas, Contents, and Competencies. The purpose is to create clear goals which will guide teachers to design assessments and activities to develop concepts and skills in their students.

However, given the multiple possibilities of combining Big Ideas, Contents, and Competencies, teachers or teacher candidates may feel overwhelmed while planning without understanding how to balance these three elements.

With this challenge in mind, I’ve tried to unpack the steps of planning and propose a possible teacher’s journey through an iterative process of design using the new BC curriculum.

This video titled: Know Do Understand Model provides a very brief overview of the initial stages of the approach noted below (thank you Lexie, peer mentor 2021-22, for included it)

Step 1: integrating Big Ideas, Contents, and Competencies

 

 

As a first step, one might be select a Big Idea that a teacher wants to develop with their students through this Unit Plan.

For example, if teachers want to develop the Big Idea that “Numbers to 20 represent quantities that can be decomposed into 10s and 1s” (first-graders Big Idea), teachers will need to choose the Content and Competencies aligned with that Big Idea. (Keep in mind, that Core Competencies wrap around this process and are selected for inclusion based on what is the most needed or appropriate for the context/activity)

The math example beside shows some first-grade Content and Competencies that teachers can choose to develop this Big Idea. In this sense, teachers can choose the contents of “numbers concepts to 20” and “ways to make 10”. Teachers can also choose several competencies that students will do to demonstrate that they have learned the Contents and Big Ideas of this unit planning.

In addition, it is essential to pay attention that any Content or Competence that does not help to develop this Big Idea should not be included to not generate a loss of focus on this lesson planning. For example, the Content “addition and subtraction to 20 (understanding of operation and process)” should not be included because it does not help to develop the big idea chosen as the main focus of the lesson planning.

Step 2: integrating other relevant principles, subjects, and purposes

As a next step, I like to consider other principles, subjects, and purposes that I might include to make this lesson planning richer and more interested to their students.

  • Are there any first peoples principles of learning that are aligned with step 1?
  • Are there any ADST skills that I can include in this lesson planning?
  • Are there other subjects that may be integrated into this lesson planning?
  • Are there any other important principles to me as a teacher that can be integrated and aligned into this plan?

The only caution is that teachers should pay attention if the other points chosen are coherent with step 1 or if they are changing the main focus of the lesson planning.

Step 3: understanding my students’ prior knowledge, needs, and curiousities

My third step is to understand what students already know about these Big Ideas, Content, and Competencies with the purpose to discover the entry point in planning a sequence of lesson briefs (or, one might call this a pathway).

For example, in the example above a teacher should understand (or learn) their students’ background knowledge related to number sequence, how they count, if they are able to skip and compare numbers, etc. This prior knowledge will be essential to teachers design the more appropriate sequence for students to learn the Big Ideas, Content, and Competencies of this lesson planning. For a teacher just meeting their learners, they will want to incorporate some prior learning assessment during the first few lessons in a given Unit.

As you plan assessment and lessons, it is invaluable  to consider the needs of students regarding learning. Teachers should think about the diverse learners in their classroom and plan to attend to their needs which can be related to ELL, modified programs, career, etc.  Universal Design (UDL) suggests incorporating multiple ways of communicating and allowing students to represent learning in varied, multi-modal forms.

Finally, I like to consider the particular interests and curiosities of my students, planning lessons that engage students in the teaching and learning process.

Step 4: designing the units of my lesson planning

Now that teachers know the point they should start (step 3) and what they want to achieve (step 1), teachers should divide their lesson planning into several units (step 4) to design a pedagogical path to students achieve the lessons’ goals.

There are many ways of answering these questions and teachers should consider what will more support their students’ learning process.

If you want some suggestions and ideas, you can visit the Learning Design Blog

Step 5: designing the assessments

The fifth step is related to designing all formative and summative assessments for this lesson planning. Teachers should plan when they need to understand if their students have learned and design assessments to collect pieces of evidence of learning. Teachers should also consider when to choose formative or summative assessments and the format of each of them (written, oral, in a group, etc).

  • How should I give feedback to my students regarding their learning process?
  • When do I need formative assessments throughout the lesson planning?
  • When do I need summative assessments throughout the lesson planning?
  • What format should they have?
  • Should I propose performance assessments?
  • Should I use technology to support my assessment practices?

If you want some suggestions and ideas, you can visit the Learning Design Blog

Step 6: designing the learning activities

My next step in pre-planning is to design an outline of the learning activities that will give opportunities for students to develop skills and knowledge. These activities will ‘lead’ students to proficiency on the final Big Idea, Contents, Competencies in the Unit.

  • How long do I have for each lesson (may vary depending on your schedule and how much this unit integrates across the curriculum)
  • What are my objectives for each lesson? How do these link back to the overall unit objectives?
  • How many activities will my students develop in each class? Should they work individually, peers, in a group? What resources or strategies might I include? What digital tools or other manipulatives/hands-on learning will I integrate?
  • What kind of assessment will I incorporate? Initially, Assessment as and for learning including formative assessment to help guide the teaching and learning.

Video Overview

Below you can see a wonderful example of Language and Art Unit Planning from the BC Curriculum designed by Janis Sawatzky, Langley School district:

Planning Templates:

There is no ‘one way’ – that said, here are a couple that some teacher candidates have found helpful

For more on Planning for BCs Curriculum include examples, templates and tips, please visit:

Designing Learning Blog, UBC, Teacher Ed

Guest post by Peer Tutor Ariane Faria dos Santos (Ph.D. EDCP), Dec. 2021; Edited by Yvonne Dawydiak, Learning Design Manager, Teacher Education

KDU image reference: BC Ministry of Education https://youtu.be/lXyyZql2PZQ

Modified image (shown above with curriculum filled in) courtesy A.F.S Template – BC Curriculum

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by | October 16, 2023 · 11:48 am

Integrating Math and Literacy

Language arts can be weaved into Math to disrupt the disconnection between the subject areas, encourage interdisciplinarity, and to improve students understanding of Math.

Why Integrate Math & Language Arts?

 

Resources:

Picture Books

Why is it Effective?

  • Books allow students to create connections- making math meaningful and relevant to their lives.
  • Math children’s books are a powerful vehicle for demonstrating to children that math is all around us!
  • Children’s books can provide a context for various math concepts learned.

Applications:

  • Mathical: Math is more than numbers and equations! The Mathical Annual Book Prize and Resources seek to inspire children of all ages to see math in the world around them. Each book has a reading guide that includes both math-centric and narrative activities to start discussions and activities with one child, a handful of kids, or an entire classroom.
  • Math for kids: Teaching real-world applications of math is a vital part of math education, that’s why we love math books for kids. Let them tell the math story, show the applications, and make the math come alive!

Math Journals

Why is it Effective?

Research (Benson-O’Connor, McDaniel, and Carr, 2019; Dacey, 2018; Kostos and Shin, 2010) shows that math journals:

  •  Could help students process their learning, make sense of their learning, and solidify their understanding.
  •  Can promote confidence. Each entry helps organize and clarify thinking processes for deciphering mathematical situations.
  • Students begin to make connections across mathematical ideas.
  • Assessment tool! Provides a window into students’ thinking, understandings, and misconceptions.
  • Nonverbal and nontechnical expression with drawings or diagrams provides additional access to understanding content
  • Journals foster growth in mathematical understanding and computation and allow students to make a deeper connection to math’s real-life applications in their own lives. Real-life connections provide a deeper understanding of the purpose of math concepts and skills.
  • In their study of math journal usage with second-grade students, they determined the use of math journals increased mathematical thinking, increased student use of mathematical vocabulary, and improved assessment of students’ understanding of the concept.

How can teachers use math journals?

  • Writing to make sense of a task.
  • Informative writing to describe or explain.
  • Argumentative writing to justify or critique.
  • Creative writing to express fluency, flexibility, or to elaborate one’s thinking.
  • Writing to reflect on your thinking (metacognition).
  • Sharing solutions with other students by talking about or sharing journal entries can be less intimidating than impromptu explanations in front of the whole class.
  • Discussions, either in pairs or in small groups, can introduce new ideas and encourage students to evaluate strategies—their own and those of others.
  • Sharing requires students to use mathematical language correctly and precisely to communicate mathematical ideas effectively. This can help with accessibility by making strategies explicit.
If you want to know more:

Types of prompts to guide students’ math journals

  • Reflective: Encourage students to think critically and reflect on what they are learning. An opportunity for students to synthesize their learning.
  • Problem-Solving: Students are working through a mathematical problem and writing about the processes or strategies used.
  • Topic Development: A record of how students’ learning has progressed on a given topic.

Math Task Cards

This blog brings many examples of math cards and how to use them in the classroom:

12 Ways to Use Math Task Cards in the Classroom

Number Talks

Why is it Effective?

  • Research shows that when students rely on rote algorithms, they don’t really understand what they are doing or why.
  • Develop students’ number sense- the ability to understand numbers and quantities, use numbers flexibly, and perform calculations mentally.
  • Allows students another way to express mathematical understanding and problem-solving strategies.
  • Builds confidence, number fluency, and helps learners recognize patterns between numbers, and understand the properties of numbers & operations.

What is a number talk?

  • Daily, short, structured way for students to talk about math with their peers (10ish minutes).
  • Teachers pose a problem and, using only mental math, students attempt to provide solutions. Students share strategies and listen and ask clarifying questions of one another.
  • Students aren’t just looking for the answer, they are looking for multiple solutions (or multiple ways to arrive at the solution)!
  • De-emphasis on speed and right answers and an added emphasis on process and communication.

Math Talk Prompts

This blog brings many examples of math talk prompts and describes the five steps to conduct a great conversation to use them in the classroom:

Word Problems

Why is it Effective?

  • Word problems are a big part of the curriculum and thus students’ learning journey with math.
  • Word problems are notoriously difficult, especially when challenging language obscures the intent of the question.

See how this teacher uses word problems in her classroom:

Guest post by Peer Tutor Tamara Jabboour and Ariane Faria dos Santos, October 2023.

 

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by | October 15, 2022 · 8:21 am

Classroom Discussions

What are classroom discussions?

group of multi-ethnic students engaging in a discussion outdoors at school.

Remember: Discussions can occur outdoors!

Classroom discussion can be defined as an oral activity where teachers and students develop together a specific curriculum content or competency through each other ideas. “The purposes of a discussion are to build collective knowledge and capability in relation to specific instructional goals and to allow students to practice listening, speaking, and interpreting, agreeing and disagreeing” (Teaching Works, 2022, May 2). In this sense, students use the ideas, words, explanations, and interaction with their teacher and peers as a resource for their own learning.

Classroom discussions are not merely to help students answer a question but to establish a conversation. This conversation may begin with a provocation, have a beginning, a sequence of processes, and an end or closure. What happens during the process is essential to developing the content and competencies of the curriculum and achieving teaching goals. Differing opinions, moderating interaction, taking turns, etc, are essential to developing student competencies and helping students to deeply explore content. Therefore, classroom discussions are a teaching and learning process that believes that students will accomplish curriculum goals together, through the process of sharing ideas (Teaching Works, 2022, May 2). Well-designed and orchestrated class discussions can help build classroom community.classroom community (links to post in this blog).

Classroom discussions can occur in both synchronous and asynchronous contexts. When planning an asynchronous discussion, teachers should consider the ability of students to self-regulate and manage the discussion. When discussing critical issues, the teacher may need to monitor and help guide the discussion. The Bell Foundation provides some suggestions for how to improve classroom talk that can improve students’ ability to participate in synch and asynch discussions.

Why are classroom discussions important?

Classroom discussions are important because they develop both academic and non-academic skills in students. Communicating is essential to living in the current society and developing a healthy democracy. Being able to share, justify, defend, listen, and understand diverse perspectives and ideas is one of the most important competencies that human beings use in our current world. Hence, students need to learn these skills to be successful in their adult life.

Moreover, classroom discussions support student development during their school years. Through classroom discussions, students can learn to make sense of complex ideas and organize their thoughts. Students can also develop the confidence to present their views and use evidence to justify them. Finally, classroom discussions can support teachers to reveal students’ conceptions and misunderstandings about a topic, helping them to identify contents and concepts that need to be better explained in a lesson.

However, developing rich classroom discussions is a complex task that may generate several problems if teachers do not conduct the process well. Teachers should know how to value different views and pay attention to each child’s needs. Therefore, the challenge (and secret) is to be conscious of all micro details involved in classroom discussions, as we will show next.

What are elements of a rich classroom discussion?

The Teaching Works Team (2022, May 2) from the teacher education program of the University of Michigan defends that teaching practices should be unpacked in chunks or elements to support novice teachers to develop these skills. In this sense, they divide the task of developing classroom discussion into several parts and elements, detailing what teachers should pay attention to in each part. In the next sections, we will details these steps and elements as well as complement them with additional resources and orientations.

Source: (Teaching Works Team, 2022, May 2)

Preparing for a discussion

1. Selecting a task:

Teachers should choose tasks, texts, and materials that allow multiple views, discussions, and solutions for a topic/question, encouraging students to explore different possibilities and arguments. Teachers may need to adapt a task to support multiple views and disrupt inequalities.

2. Anticipating student thinking:

Teachers should think about possible questions, mistakes, or understanding that students may have about the topic. This means both activating previous knowledge but also anticipating problems that may deviate students’ attention from the curriculum goals in that classroom discussion.

3. Setting up the task:

Teachers should select the purpose of the activity and prepare the orientations to support students’ work. In this sense, teachers also should plan the moments for students to work independently, in small groups, or with the whole class as well as the resources needed to develop the discussion.

Conducting the Discussion in class

1. Launching the discussion:

2. Orchestrating the discussion:

Teachers should pay attention to a couple of elements and tasks that will create thinking routines to explore and deepen their understanding of a topic. The following elements may happen in a different order but, according to Harvard’s Project Zero, they should be part of any Thinking Routine (links to Harvard’s Project Zero) chosen by teachers:

    • Eliciting the discussion: teachers should state the multiple ideas that their students are bringing, helping them to see several points and arguments during the discussion.
    • Orienting students’ attention: teachers should ask to students pay attention to specific ideas and contributions of their peers, encouraging them to learn with each other.
    • Encouraging student participation: teachers should encourage all students to expose their ideas and control who ideas have been highlighted or ignored. It helps that classroom discussion not only become richer since diverse ideas will be developed but also supports decreasing inequity among students.
    • Probing new questions: teachers should put new questions that support students to explore and deepen the topic, move to the next learning step process, or summarize what they have discussed.
    • Making contributions: teachers should make contributions or introduce ideas/ concepts that were not brought by students but are essential to achieve the purposes of the discussion. If possible, teachers should connect these new ideas/concepts with what has already been discussed validating students’ contributions and establishing connections with previous knowledge.

3. Concluding the class discussion:

    • Supporting summary: teachers should support students to summarize and remember what has been discussed, helping to establish the most relevant points worked during the class and issues that they will develop in the next classes.
    • Acknowledge student contribution: teachers should highlight, with examples, how students’ ideas were essential to developing both content and competencies during the class.

4. Evaluating (after the discussion)

The final step is to reflect on what has happened in the classroom discussion to evaluate what works (or not) and how to improve future discussions.

Elements to consider as you plan, conduct and reflect

1. Maintaining a focus on the instructional objectives: teachers should always direct each student’s intervention to build some knowledge or example that will help to achieve content and competencies goals.

2. Monitoring students’ work: teachers should pay attention to what students are discussing in their groups and which ideas/ people are been highlighted. In this sense, teachers will be able to use students’ work to develop the content and prevent inequalities or bias in the discussion.

3. Seeing and disrupting patterns that reproduce inequalities: teachers should make interventions to stop patterns that may generate inequalities. These interventions do not need to be explicit. For example, teachers can use the work of a student who may not always be recognized as one of the more advanced or capable students in the class to exemplify a topic, helping to improve student status among his/her peers.

4. Recording the representation of content: teachers might record (on the board to the whole class or just to themself) what students are saying during the whole process because it can support the teaching and learning process. Students might also take notes as the discussion ensues. The notes can be used for formative assessment to help teachers understand students’ struggles and misconceptions, or to help with review to demonstrate student thinking or rationality and understanding of an issue. Teachers might find strategies to make student learning visible (Project Zero). Recording could take the form of a digital whiteboard (link to post in this blog) for all to see or for future reference, sorting & classifying ideas, etc.

Strategies to increase classroom engagement

There are many ways to design and lead a discussion to support more active classroom engagement. Teachers should also consider context including the age, background, needs and preferences of their students.

  • In her blog, teacher Jennifer Gonzales also provides some suggestions. You might also listen to the Cult of Pedagogy #28 Class Discussion Strategies podcast (see embed below).
  • Liberating Structures provides a menu of varied activities for discussion and group work.
  • Harvard’s Project Zero offers Thinking Routines that teachers can implement across grade levels and across the curriculum.
  • The Teaching Works Team from UMichigan, offers an open library of Curriculum Resources that include strategies to support teaching in specific aspects of the curriculum and for more interdisciplinary approaches.
  • The Bell Foundation is a charity that seeks to . The Bell Foundation website contains frameworks for discussion including video demonstrations and lesson plans for structures including ‘Information Gap’ activities such as JigSaws.

How might challenging or high-stakes topics be addressed?

Classroom discussions about challenging or complex topics need extra teachers’ attention because unexpected reactions may appear and some rules should be established to guarantee respect. The University of Michigan has prepared a specific orientation on how to conduct classroom discussions about challenging or high-stakes topics (UMich). Moreover, Edutopia discusses how classroom norms can support teachers during challenging discussions.

What can classroom discussions look like in each content area?

Teaching Works Team (2022, May 2) from the teacher education program of the University of Michigan has many specific tips and classroom resources for different subjects:

Additional Resources:

 

 

The courses below bring many classroom videos as examples of how to conduct good classroom discussions. They break down real situations and show how teachers dealt with these, conducting rich classroom discussions:

University of Pennsylvania (Coursera):

University of Michigan:

References:

Project Zero (2022, April 30). Project Zero’s Thinking Routine Toolbox. Harvard Graduation School of Education. http://www.pz.harvard.edu/

Liberating Structures (2022, April 30). Liberating Structures Menu. https://www.liberatingstructures.com/ls-menu/

Rochester Community Schools (2022, April 30). Think from the middle. Discourses Strategies. http://www.rcsthinkfromthemiddle.com/discourse-strategies.html 

Teaching Works (2022, May 2). High-Leverage Practices. Teaching Works. https://www.teachingworks.org/work-of-teaching/high-leverage-practices.

Guest post by Peer Tutor Ariane Faria dos Santos (Ph.D. EDCP), May. 2022; edited Y.Dawydiak April 2024

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by | April 15, 2022 · 11:48 am

Desmos Graphing Calculator

Most secondary math classes require the use of a Ti-84 graphing calculator.  However, nowadays there are other online options to produce elegant graphing and math simulations. One of the free,  yet still powerful, options is Desmos.

 

  • Desmos is a free online tool that can make the affordances of a graphing calculator more accessible. It is essential to give options to students whose families may not have the resources to pay for other more expensive tools.
  • Desmos is not only a graphing calculator but also a matrix calculator and a geometry tool. Thus, teachers can use it to develop other mathematic content and competencies, such as patterns in a table, proportion, and relationships, linear equations, inequality, etc.
  • Desmos allows you to insert images to be used in theirmath tools, which support teachers when integrating hands-on activities and complex math concepts. For example, the Burnaby School District has a wonderful example of integrating First Peoples Principles of Mathematical Teaching through weaving and Desmos tools.
  • Desmos also offers a section with suggestions for activities and lessons teachers can adapt for their class/teaching needs.

Getting Started with Desmos

  1. Go to the Desmos homepage
  2. You can choose to use Desmos as a teacher or a student
  3. As a teacher, you can browse the activities available or sign up to be able to assign activities to your students through a code.
  4. Desmos has a couple of videos demonstrating how to use their several tools in different math content and competencies. If you want to learn how to use Desmos on a specific topic you can go to these links:
    1. Derivatives
    2. Integrals
    3. Functions
    4. Graphics
    5. Tables
    6. Parametric equations
    7. Regressions
    8. Statistics
    9. Trigonometry
  5. Or you can start creating your first graphic and exploring the basic functions of Desmos Graphic Calculator in the video below:

 

Guest post by Peer Mentor Ariane Faria dos Santos (Ph.D. EDCP), April. 2022.

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by | March 29, 2021 · 2:22 pm

Storytelling for STEM Subjects

Using the art of storytelling to teach STEM subjects.

“Maybe stories are just data with soul”

– from TED Talk “The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown

Storytelling can be an effective method for engaging students with STEM subject areas – and this has been shown to be the case for girls especially (1, 3, 4). According to an article by Catalyst.org, Women in STEM (1), a gender gap in STEM persists across the world. This is a problem because the same systems of bias that push women and people of color out of STEM careers, also influence the products and services created by STEM organizations.

Some female students do not further pursue the STEM subjects, and enrolment in math, computer science and engineering programs can become lop-sided, as a result. This creates many issues, such as the creation of AI and other technologies that do not include women’s perspectives in the algorithms. The use of storytelling is therefore important for developing technologies such as AI products because it engages female students at a higher rate with computer science and engineering-related subjects. This way, females stay in the field and later contribute their perspectives and ideas to AI technology development. Females also tend to care about the environment, and might consider this when developing new technologies (2).

The references below explain some approaches & resources to support you in developing your own stories in the classroom. According to a blog article by Scientific American (3), stories and art can be used to help teach math and science subjects. You might also consider how Indigenous perspectives and first people’s principles of learning are supported through a storytelling approach (links to post in this blog).

Storytelling to Teach Math & Science:

  1. Math teachers can analyze the intricacies of M.C. Escher’s artwork with their students or read “Behind the Beautiful Forevers” by Katherine Boo in order to take into account different perspectives. (3)
  2. Science teachers can read aloud the poetic observations of Dr. David George Haskell, and biology teachers can share the story of the HeLa cells. In other words, they can incorporate some interesting and odd facts into their science teachings that are very memorable. (3)
  3. The National Council Teachers of Math website has some excellent resources to support storytelling in math. Use the search box at the top right to search for storytelling and to find a plethora of articles on this subject including: Trigonometry Comes Alive through Digital Storytelling and Storytelling + Origami = Storigami Mathematics. The nctm.org website also includes articles involving strategies and benefits of math discussion (refer to refs 9, 10).

Computing Science and Storytelling:


For computer science related subjects, it can be especially encouraging to hear that there have been many great female computer scientists all throughout history, who have contributed much to this subject area. This 2015 article by The Guardian (4), is mostly focused on Ada Lovelace, known by many as the first computer programmer, and presents interesting ideas to incorporate STEM (2015 article). You may wish to include some of the fun ideas below into your cross-curricular storytelling!

  1. Create a historical timeline or a collection of curious facts
  2. Demonstrate some science tricks
  3. Solve some mysteries
  4. Create a DIY model

A 2019 article by Edutopia explains how the teachers used a story about dragons to help engage their students with science content. In this case, the content was about anatomy and characteristics, such as bone structure. According to the article, “lessons like these help students make connections between what they’re learning and their prior knowledge.”

Some tools for coding for storytelling:

There are various options for students engaging in coding stories with many being accessible for even younger students due to the ‘drag and drop’ nature of some block coding languages. There are even many unplugged or more kinesthetic opportunities to practice computational thinking as they make their stories! A few tools that might help you get started:

  1. Scratch is a simple drag and drop programming language that allows even young learners to create animations, stories and games.
  2. Twine can be used to create interactive digital stories and support the development of literacies including computational thinking skills. Likely best for upper intermediate and high school.
  3. Ozobots are little robots that students can code to tell stories that can be physically ‘acted out’ or ‘enacted’ by the robot on a drawn story map or other surface in the classroom.
  4. Unplugged coding activities support a range of activities including storytelling.

For more information on why it is important to incorporate storytelling into computer science subjects, please refer to the BC curriculum. In particular, you can look to the Applied Design Skills & Technologies (ADST) and computer science curriculum.

  1. Critically analyze how competing social, ethical, and sustainability considerations impact designed solutions to meet global needs for preferred futures
  2. Evaluate impacts, including unintended negative consequences, of choices made about technology use
  3. Analyze the role technologies play in societal change
  4. Examine how cultural beliefs, values, and ethical positions affect the development and use of technologies

Storytelling: Indigenous Perspectives & First People’s Principles of Learning

Incorporating story in teaching & learning, provides students with opportunities to engage in the first people’s principles of learning (FNESC has a wonderful poster) and can support a deeper connection to place, content and varied perspectives. Inviting elders into the classroom to share story or accessing authentic voice via digital stories published online is one approach.

More recently, digital storytelling is being employed to help preserve cultural knowledge and language.

Incorporating storytelling into classroom studies is an important part of the current BC curriculum across subject areas. Within the computer science curriculum, for example, there are standards related to being culturally aware, and recognizing the impact that technology can have. Storytelling can also help create a greater awareness of other cultures, the environment, and gender-based issues.

 

Guest Post: Jacqueline Boivin, Project Assistant 2021; Edits, Y. Dawydiak, Learning Design Manager, TEO

References:

  1. https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-in-science-technology-engineering-and-mathematics-stem/
  2. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/06/eco-gender-gap-why-saving-planet-seen-womens-work
  3. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/budding-scientist/to-attract-more-girls-to-stem-bring-storytelling-to-science/
  4. https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/oct/05/six-creative-ways-inspire-girls-science-lessons
  5. https://www.edutopia.org/article/dragons-and-fairy-tales-science-class
  6. https://www.banffcentre.ca/indigenous-arts
  7. https://fullcircle.ca/full-circle/about-us/vision/
  8. https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/adst
  9. https://www.nctm.org/Research-and-Advocacy/Research-Brief-and-Clips/Strategies-for-Discussion/
  10. https://pubs.nctm.org/view/journals/tcm/14/4/article-p206.xml
  11. https://blogs.ubc.ca/scarfesandbox/drag-and-drop-programming-scratch/
  12. https://blogs.ubc.ca/scarfesandbox/computational-participation-creating-interactive-digital-stories-with-twine/
  13. Simone Hausknecht, Shannon Freeman, Jenny Martin, Carrie Nash & Kelly Skinner (2021) Sharing Indigenous Knowledge through intergenerational digital storytelling: Design of a workshop engaging Elders and youth, Educational Gerontology, 47:7, 285-296, DOI: 10.1080/03601277.2021.1927484
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by | August 19, 2020 · 11:08 pm

Mathematics All Around Us: Podcast Resource Blogpost

“Mathematics is the language with which God has written the universe.”

Galileo Galilei

The last three episodes (episodes 7, 8, and 9) of our Thinking Outside the Sandbox podcast, are dedicated to discussing possible creative ways of teaching Math outside abstraction, in ways that embody more physicality and representation. Dr. Kerry Renwick, Dr. Susan Gerofsky, and Dr. Lorrie Miller shared beautiful diverse ideas and examples that highlighted teaching mathematics experientially through the five senses. For example, teaching the concept of patterns was demonstrated through music, observing nature, cultural activities, weaving, and storytelling.

Decolonizing space in Mathematics, integrating Indigenous Knowledge, redesigning the math classroom, teaching math for social justice were also discussed.

Begin by hearing from Dr. Susan Gerofsky, Janice Novakowsky and Dr. Cynthia Nichol in Thinking Outside the Sandbox: Math Part 1

 

Below are resources that might be used to support teaching Mathematics in an interdisciplinary way, that involves real-life contexts. “The Importance of Context” video by Heinemann explores how stories, posters, and real-life situations could set the stage for students to learn math through real-life contexts and problems.
the famous multi colored cube

Interactive Lessons

Interactive Lessons could be found in K-8 Mathematics station at PBS Learning Media, which includes a wide range of resources (videos, lesson plans, interactive lessons) that integrate real-world and Mathematical Problems.

Mathematics outside the Classroom

  • Mathematical concepts could be explored easily in nature. Concepts as symmetry, spheres, measurements, meteorology, and geometry are all around us. Check this Connections Academy article for activities on these concepts.
  • Age-specific outdoor activities for various concepts are available on the learning outside the classroom blog.
  • For more ideas on Math outside the classroom, check our blogpost, math outside the classroom.

On creating an inclusive, anti-oppressive Math classroom

As opposed to traditional mathematics classrooms that provide one-sided arguments, erase learners’ differences from their processes, and claim right versus wrong ways of problem-solving, Dana Bjornson, a UBC MET grad, in a blogpost suggests teachers would be aware of any oppressive practices in their classrooms.

Creating a non-oppressive, third space which draws from Indigenous wisdom:

  1. Includes collaboration with peer MKOs
    1. peer instruction: where students share responses to MCQ’s, and discuss these responses
    2. formative collaborative review: where students help other students with difficulties
    3. collaborative assessments: where students do their tests individually and mark their own work, then in groups of four complete the same test collaboratively.
  2. Honors multiple ways of knowing; where all forms of solutions are celebrated

Integrating Indigenous Knowledge

  • BC’s redesigned curriculum integrates Indigenous knowledge and perspectives throughout all areas of learning, one of which is math.

Check this BC Curriculum document for implicit and explicit references to Indigenous Knowledge and Perspectives throughout Mathematics for K -12.

Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice

Teacher teaching math on a white boardSocial Justice Issues could be easily taught through Math.

  • Radical Math provides a guide on integrating issues of economic and social justice into the Mathematics curriculum.

Mathematics Apps

  • Explore room design apps to learn mathematics principles such as geometry and arithmetic through interior design projects.
  • Photomath is a math teaching app that provides solutions to math problems elaborating the steps to these solutions
  • PHET is an online repository of interactive simulations and lessons fro Science and Math classroom.
  • More ideas the Tech Integration in your Math classroom (links to post on this blog).

Games

  • A variety of games that could help students better comprehend mathematics, on various concepts, from numbers and counting to decimals, fractions, graphs, money, and time, are included in this Mobile Math list.

Guest Post: Nashwa Khedr, EDCP graduate student, project assistant 2020

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