The process of combining incoming information.
The unit I did at the time for Mathematics was Addition and Subtraction, and the idea that I had stems from an Active Academics activity we had learned from the professor of our fourth year CI&A: Early Years Physical Education course. The activity required a larger area, thus I organized each of my two classes for a trip to the hard court, complete with a radio for some ambient music and a microphone to project my voice. Materials for this activity were nothing uncommon. It included chart paper, markers, and large, novelty dice – a set of each (two dice, actually) for each team.
Prior to going to the hard court, I had already set up my class into teams of five. I found this worked best if I did this part in the classroom rather than outside. On pillars I had taped on the chart paper, and on the opposite sides of the pillars I had each team line up.
For the addition activity, the goal was to reach one hundred as fast as possible by adding up the results of dice rolls. A member from each team must roll the dice, then run to the chart paper to jot the result down. Then the next team member in line does the same, adding the result of his or her dice roll to the number already on the chart paper. All students do this, taking turns, until the first team reaches 200.
For the subtraction activity (done at a different day because Bangkok days can get pretty boiling hot) the goal is simply reversed – each team has 200 and must subtract the results of their dice rolls until the first team reaches zero.
The reception for this activity was positive from both of my classes. Almost expectedly, my P3/1s performed the events at a faster pace than my P3/2s because their grasp for the English language was better and were able to understand the concept right away, but in terms of their math skills, both performed evenly.
There are things that I learned, however, that I have kept in mind for the future. First, I have already mentioned that it is best to split the class into their groups prior to going outside. This avoids confusion because the students are still seated and are not moving around. Second, it was best for me to explain the game outside instead of inside, using one of the teams as an example. Lastly, it is good to have extra chart paper for when the students make mistakes (and they will, believe me), or when they – due to the size of their printing – run out of space.
"while students have different learning styles... effective teachers combine various teaching strategies to meet the various learning needs of all their students... including kinesthetic learning activities"
- Adam Wexler
No comments:
Post a Comment