Math and Speed

One of my biggest pet-peeves is when teachers test the speed student's can complete a math problem. Being fast at math has nothing to do with how well someone knows math. For example, I consider myself fairly competent at math and I enjoy solving math problems. However, I don't have my times tables memorized and it takes me time to solve questions. I find that whenever I'm tested on speed and compared to my peers I get really stressed and completely shut down. This is a great concept to both encourage students to realize as well as practice (i.e. don't have timed activities and/or tests).

Another great point that was raised this week was a discussion around making mistakes. According to research, when students make mistakes in math more synapsis in the brain fire and allow the brain to grow. Below is a video that summarizes this concept.

Comments

  1. Anonymous25 September 2016 at 18:16

    Megan, I really appreciate how you connected the pressures of being "speedy" at math our students face and your own personal experience. I too, take quite a while to work out math problems and have a hard time when I feel like I am being put on the spot. This video is a great explanation of why math and speed don't necessarily correlate with each other - thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ms.Gujadhur26 September 2016 at 22:12

    Hi Megan,

    This was my favourite video from this weeks module and something that I wish I realized myself as a students learning math. It tied in well with our participation in the different learning styles, as it's important to realize the various ways in which our students will interpret information and approach learning in math.

    Sneha

    ReplyDelete
  3. Angelo26 September 2016 at 23:41

    I remember in math class I was never good at memorizing even when I fully understood the formula. I once had a teacher who would write the test with us and give us a 10 minutes after that to complete the test. It was stressful and frustrating that speed made me loose marks. When I would do my homework it was fine but under time I couldn't preform. Although I know their is a time format in the classroom it is hard when you are put under a microscope to preform.

    Angelo

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Exploring the Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession through Anishinaabe Art

Image
I thought I knew a lot about FNMI history and beliefs, but now I realize how wrong I was. As I’ve learned more about the first peoples of Canada I have grown a profound respect and admiration of them. It wasn’t until I read the “ Exploring the Ethical Standard for the Teaching Profession through Anishinaabe Art ” resource that I truly realized my lack of knowledge. The piece of art for the ethical standard of care has a drastically different meaning then the one I interpreted. My interpretation was that we need to care for all people (referring to the elderly people on the sides), but in reality those people are caring for the story that is being conveyed by the teacher in the middle. Before that, I didn’t realize the importance of the story, and I knew about the oral history traditions but never applied that knowledge. This resource is phenomenal, and definitely worth a look since it provides a FNMI perspective on the teaching profession. The Ethical Standard of Care. Artis
Read more

Math Re-Introduction

Image
Autumn Clip Art #14312 http://goo.gl/rKZvv1   The school year has begun again, and with that we have a new, condensed, math class. For our first class we did some ice-breaker activities and played a math game, as well as introduce the assignments for the semester. The ice-breaker and game were ones I haven't heard before, so I'll share here. Toilet Paper Ice Breaker The first was a toilet paper introduction. As we walked in, we were instructed to grab as much toilet paper as we wanted. Later in the class, it was revealed that we had to share one fact about ourselves per square. I liked it because it gave everyone the opportunity to say what they wanted to about themselves rather than the prescribed questions. Plus, it's a little silly/goofy so it broke the ice even before we shared facts about ourselves. Game about Squares This game  is an addictive one, so be warned! Our professor introduced this game without any instruction. Since we had to figure i
Read more