Even as an adult, I am still amazing by the idea that math is everywhere. The math modules made me challenge myself to find relevant examples of math in my everyday life. As a sports enthusiast, I came to the realization that I use math every time that I engage in a sporting activity. I also play fantasy sports, which is a type of online game, where participants assemble virtual teams of real players in a professional sport. Your team competes against another team based on the statistical performance of players in the actual game. The image shown below is an example of the different type of statistics that can be kept or calculated within a fantasy game.
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| basketball.fantasysports.yahoo.com |
The reason that I chose to discuss the relevance of fantasy and mathematics in my life is because I stumbled upon this program called Fantasy Sports and Mathematics that attempts to introduce students to fantasy sports by implementing it into the mathematics curriculum. I thought that this was a very unique way to increase interest and enthusiasm about math in the classroom. My first question that I had about this program was “would the girls be as interested in this as much as the boys?” but testimonials from the website suggest that “The girls were hesitant at first but really got into it. I love the fact that they don't have to know about football to play the game.” (Study Results, Retrieved October 20, 2017, from http://www.fantasysportsmath.com). I think that implementing something like this into my unit plans and the curriculum could work with some trial and error but ultimately, I think that it would help generate a buzz about mathematics and I think that students would be excited to engage in something like this and hopefully improve student learning of mathematical concepts and ideas in relation to the real world.
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| www.fantasysportsmath.com |
Hi Kevin, you make a great connection to how real world activities can be applied in the classroom to pique student interest and understanding. Math should not be just a subject where students are expected to rely on memorizing formulas but instead be able to be creative in their work. In turn, through a more engaged and motivated classroom it eliminates the amount of stress students have and replaces it with continued learning and curiosity. In turn, it would enable them to retain more of the descriptive feedback given and focus less on the marks being assigned. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Kevin,
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to your post! I can't count how many times I asked myself the same question about why am I studying this concept? When will I ever use trigonometry in my life? However, this course has helped me see how math is truly everywhere and math concepts are all interconnected. I wish had seen this when I was in elementary and secondary school. This knowledge would have helped me be more engaged and have a deeper understanding in math. I think that it is important for us to make our students aware of this at an early age so that as they grow they can develop a greater understanding of math concepts.
Good luck in your placement!
Hello Kevin,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post! As you discussed in your blog, I also found myself amazed at how prevalent math is in our everyday lives while participating in the Math Mindset module! I love your point about the connection between math and sports as this was something that really stood out to me in the Math Mindset videos as well. I think so often there is a misconception among students that math and sports are two separate things that never really cross paths or that the only math found in sports is counting points. As teachers, it would be great to include some sports examples in our lesson plans that help students to understand that they use mathematical concepts from geometry, patterning and algebra, and statistics in the sports that they play. When students see how math is connected to their passions, they are more likely to be engaged math students and are more likely to develop a deep and meaningful understanding of math!
Hi Kevin,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I like your descriptions and focus on relating math to real life. In these last two years of school, this is a concept I really value as it is something I can agree with from my own experience. Making math relatable to students grabs their attention and help motivate them to want to know a certain concept. I know for me, when learning material is explained in a way that interests me (such as relating it to sports), I am more curious about learning about it rather than just learning a certain idea of something (such as finding an angle of a triangle). Making relatable examples allows students to not only be interested in it, but make those real world connections to understand where we can use math. By applying our math understanding to real life it also demonstrates how much a student understands a concept as they are able think outside the box and we can see their ability to make specific calculations that pertain to a situation they may encounter.
Kevin, you have created an engaging blog with clear connections to lessons,readings, and modules and engaging links to further readings or websites. You have certainly thought deeply and used insight to connect your learning each week to personal experiences and plans for teaching math. Excellent blog.
ReplyDelete