Numberless Math ?!

Numberless Math Word Problems

It sounds like a contradiction in words, but in fact it's a great way to get student to think about math in new ways. The basic idea is that you give students a math scenario in which none of the quantitative aspects have been defined. Then the students have the liberty to either add numbers to define those aspects, or to work entirely conceptually to create solutions.

Things this process does:

1. Allows students to think about math conceptually. This is very important for the long term development of skills in algebra and calculus. While there is no arguing that formulas and proofs are a big part of these types of math, the need for conceptualization skills in problem manipulation is pervasive.  

2. Reduced math anxiety by removing the aspect that most people fear, the numbers. Math anxiety so often comes from the fear of not being able to get the right answer. When there is simply no one right answer, just a right approach, then students can focus more on the process.

3. Allows for natural differentiation. Students will naturally work at their own skill level. By removing the numbers, you can remove the innate academic level associated with them. Doing so will allow students to work through the problem at their actual skill level. If students want to create large complex problems to show their exceptional math skills, they can. If students are new to some math concepts, you'll be able to see that in how they approach their solutions.

In addition to the practical aspects, these types of problems can be fun. In this case it was about pirates and treasure, which in itself can be more interesting than traditional numeric math problems.

Science & Tech - Sculptris

Teaching students skills that will be relevant when they are adults can be tough. As teachers we spend a lot of time theorizing what skills will make current students marketable, employable, and successful. That often means exploring uncommon areas of technological learning. 

One big aspect of our technology time is learning about tools used for 3D printing. One of the programs we have grown to love is Sculptris. It's a 3D sculpting program using computers. Sounds easy but the mechanics are complex.

Masked as an art program, Sculptris actually provides a lot of opportunities for developing tech schools. Students learn how to :  

-recognize file types associated with 3D printing

- saving and sharing documents into shared drives

- use of rendering programs for design and coloring

- visualization of objects with multiple dimensional

This type of modeling and rendering are used in various fields ranging from movies to merchandising. 

Here are a few samples of our work so far.

Paper Tower Challenge

One of our topics this year is engineering. This week we started our first engineering challenge by posing a question to our classes. How tall of a tower can you build using only paper and glue sticks. 

They met the challenge with excitement but with varied success. 

The approaches were very different as well. Some took the approach of a base with round towers, drawing on traditional architecture.

Some tried organic shapes, crushed together and then adhered in a line.

Others tried geometric shapes to work like building blocks.

But some, took an artistic approach. 

After the construction stage, we measured each free standing object. We had one clear winner. Oddly enough it was the one who had taken the more artistic approach. 

The quick second was a team using simple flat, wave shaped paper to stack.

We plan to continue this challenge. Each time changing the parameters and materials. Pairing these challenges with our in class lessons about traditional engineering discoveries should give us evidence of the student's growth in understanding how the building process works.

This process is part of our connection with the Washington Next Generation Science Standards.

Students who demonstrate understanding can: 3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.

Periodic Table Battleship

Finding fun ways to introduce the periodic table of elements is easy with amazing sites like destinationimagination.org or teachbesideme.com .

Today we created our own battleship game using the instructions on each site. The premise is simple but it was a surprisingly fun twist on the game.

 

The benefits are simple:

- Exposure to the periodic table

- Learning how to read the periodic table 

- Recognizing the elements and their names

The perks are:

- A better way to learn

- Incorporating some fun

- Avoiding boring lessons

We continue to prove that S.T.E.A.M. learning can be fun at Seabury School!

Understanding Math through Words

Understanding math can be difficult. Explaining math can feel even more difficult. This week in math we tried to break down our counting system. The above description is one given by the Wolfram Alpha website. I think ours are a bit easier to understand.

The instructions were to explain, using diagrams, pictures, and words what 1241 means. Explain its value. Explain it's set representation. 

In many of the answers we saw some really good explanations of how base systems work. Differentiating that numbers are symbols called integers was a big step in understanding how number systems work.

Also, understanding the difference between a numbers innate value and it's symbolic representation can be critical for long term math understanding.

So often in math we focus on rote memorization. 

But what happens when we get our students to really understand math?

Getting to Know Each Other

So much of a student's success in school comes from their ability to connect with peers and teachers. Each year we select specific activities for our classes geared toward helping establish those connections. In doing so we can promote comfort, trust, and friendships.

In these Hula-Hoop challenges, students either worked as a large group or in small team to move a the hoop. For some activities, that meant carrying the hoop with only your feet. In other activities, that meant linking hands and moving each student through the hoop. 

Coordination and communication were really important parts of the success of our groups.

 A little silliness certainly didn't hurt either. 

The value of these early relationship building activities go far a single grade. These early, silly activities can lay the foundations for well developed connections that can follow students through school. 

"Child development experts agree that close friendships can be good for children for a number of reasons. They can provide shelter and protection from traumatic childhood experiences, teasing and rejection among them. They can help boys and girls navigate their way through the social minefields that exist at school." - Scholastic 

- Mr. B