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My project goal is curate excellent math resources for busy teachers to inspire mathematics classrooms where students are involved, engaged, and excited about learning. Teachers need to know the changes that the Common Core standards expect as well as ways to prepare students for 21st century expectations. Incorporating technology through video will make it easy for teachers to peek inside classrooms and observe teachers and students involved in engaging lessons and critical thinking.
Math as a Social Activity
Gone are the days where students work on math in isolation. The new shift to the Common Core State Standards brings increased expectations for higher level thinking and communicating, as well as collaboration and creative problem solving. Students will be engaged learners who share their strategies and learn from one another. The teacher is no longer the holder of all of the information. The students will work together to support each other, thus increasing the level of engagement and "teachers" in the room. But what does that look like? Teachers often wonder how to set up cooperative groups and teams where students effectively support and learn from each other. Watch the video below to see.
Gone are the days where students work on math in isolation. The new shift to the Common Core State Standards brings increased expectations for higher level thinking and communicating, as well as collaboration and creative problem solving. Students will be engaged learners who share their strategies and learn from one another. The teacher is no longer the holder of all of the information. The students will work together to support each other, thus increasing the level of engagement and "teachers" in the room. But what does that look like? Teachers often wonder how to set up cooperative groups and teams where students effectively support and learn from each other. Watch the video below to see.
Engaging Students in the Math Classroom
The twenty-first century brings many changes to education and the world. The demands of our future students in the workplace will require students to think critically, collaborate with others, communicate their thoughts and ideas, and solve problems creatively. The role of teacher and student are changing. Students are now expected to play an active part in their own learning. “Work, learning, and citizenship in the twenty-first century demand that we all know how to think-to reason, analyze, weigh evidence, problem-solve-and to communicate effectively.” (Wagner 2008) Traditional lecture and isolated independent work do not lend themselves to problem solving, critical thinking or communicating. Students need opportunities to discuss problems, share strategies, and work together to solve real world problems. My moral imperative is to make sure that ALL students have access to high quality critical thinking questioning, collaborative experiences, as well as communication and creativity opportunities in the math classroom and out. This has to be done through teacher education and professional development.