My Big Idea: Engaging Students in Math
My big idea is to improve student engagement in mathematics. How do I plan to do this? I have three main strategies for accomplishing this: 1) the flipped classroom, 2) incorporating technology, and 3) collaboration. I often hear my 7th grade students gripe about how “boring” and “complicated” math is, and it saddens me that students ask “why do I need to know this?” because it shows me that they are not really invested and engaged in their learning of mathematics. I hope to change that this year.
My big idea is to increase the level of student engagement in learning so that students feel genuinely excited about math class, and become invested in the learning that happens in class so that it extends beyond the four walls of our classroom. My plan is to implement my big idea with one of my heterogeneous 7th grade math classes that I see for 90 minutes a day, five times per week. The makeup of the class is not yet determined (inclusion, ELL), but once I know the classes, I’ll be able to determine which is the best candidate.
One part of my plan is to utilized the flipped classroom, at first only once per week. I am hoping that this strategy will engage students and will also enable us to have more time in class actually applying and practicing math concepts. The format of the flipped classroom is likely to appeal to my students, and they will be able to look at and study the videos I post if they need additional review on a particular concept.
Another aspect of my plan is to incorporate technology. The MSU Urban STEM cohort has exposed me to many ideas for incorporating technology into the class to check comprehension and to assess understanding of math concepts. Technology offers different ways for students to discover and demonstrate knowledge, and making short videos where students teach concepts to each other could be a really powerful way to engage learners.
The third element of my plan is to really be explicit about teaching and expecting collaboration in the classroom. Although I often have students work with partners, creating tasks where collaboration is required is key to making sure that all students are engaged.
I want my students to discover that math really can be interesting and that it’s all around us. It isn’t necessarily something you just turn on for the 90-minute math class; rather the problem solving strategies apply everywhere.
As a teacher, I have strong knowledge of the content and how to best teach it to middle school students. Middle schoolers are social, which is why the collaboration piece is so important. Many students are also visual learners, which is why the flipped classroom and use of technology are both likely to increase engagement.
My big idea is to improve student engagement in mathematics. How do I plan to do this? I have three main strategies for accomplishing this: 1) the flipped classroom, 2) incorporating technology, and 3) collaboration. I often hear my 7th grade students gripe about how “boring” and “complicated” math is, and it saddens me that students ask “why do I need to know this?” because it shows me that they are not really invested and engaged in their learning of mathematics. I hope to change that this year.
My big idea is to increase the level of student engagement in learning so that students feel genuinely excited about math class, and become invested in the learning that happens in class so that it extends beyond the four walls of our classroom. My plan is to implement my big idea with one of my heterogeneous 7th grade math classes that I see for 90 minutes a day, five times per week. The makeup of the class is not yet determined (inclusion, ELL), but once I know the classes, I’ll be able to determine which is the best candidate.
One part of my plan is to utilized the flipped classroom, at first only once per week. I am hoping that this strategy will engage students and will also enable us to have more time in class actually applying and practicing math concepts. The format of the flipped classroom is likely to appeal to my students, and they will be able to look at and study the videos I post if they need additional review on a particular concept.
Another aspect of my plan is to incorporate technology. The MSU Urban STEM cohort has exposed me to many ideas for incorporating technology into the class to check comprehension and to assess understanding of math concepts. Technology offers different ways for students to discover and demonstrate knowledge, and making short videos where students teach concepts to each other could be a really powerful way to engage learners.
The third element of my plan is to really be explicit about teaching and expecting collaboration in the classroom. Although I often have students work with partners, creating tasks where collaboration is required is key to making sure that all students are engaged.
I want my students to discover that math really can be interesting and that it’s all around us. It isn’t necessarily something you just turn on for the 90-minute math class; rather the problem solving strategies apply everywhere.
As a teacher, I have strong knowledge of the content and how to best teach it to middle school students. Middle schoolers are social, which is why the collaboration piece is so important. Many students are also visual learners, which is why the flipped classroom and use of technology are both likely to increase engagement.
