Math Games Online

I have been working on assembling links to some good online math games to put on the computers that the students use at Centers time. We already have KidPix, Logo, and a couple of installed math games on the computers. The links will expand the choices.

As I evaluate which games to use, I found an online article that has been helpful. It was posted by NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) and discusses math games and how to evaluate the many online games to finds ones that support students’ learning of math concepts in an interactive way. Here is a link to the article, which includes links to some games that they recommend:  http://www.nctm.org/resources/content.aspx?id=27612

I follow the Free Technology for Teachers blog which features a wealth of resources for teachers available online. Richard Byrne, who writes the blog, periodically includes math resources, including games, in his post.

My Math Explorations

Today as we settled back into our routines after Spring Break, I took a little time to share with my math group about some math related explorations I did over break. For the first part of the break I took time off entirely: time to play with my granddaughters, time to watch the Final Four, time to hike and look for wildflowers. But the last few days of break I began to look through some math materials and think more about math and the rest of the year.

Math Solutions has a new book that looks interesting, Faster Isn't Smarter. Several chapters of the book are available online (http://www.mathsolutions.com/index.cfm?page=wp18&contentid=994&crid=294&mcrid=107) and that gave me a chance to read through them and mull them over. I shared with my students the name of the book and the idea that sometimes thinking deeper and taking time to process yields a broader understanding than coming up with a quick answer. Being fast in math doesn't necessarily mean you are smarter than others who take more time. I told my students that what is important is to learn what strategies work for you.

I also shared an activity from the latest edition of Teaching Children Mathematics, published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The activity I read about was for kindergarten students so I upgraded it some for my students. It involved tossing some 2 sided counters (red and white) and recording how many of each color turned up. Students were asked how they figured the totals (recognized the number, counted, knew the number fact, grouped the counters in their mind, etc.) They got practice in explaining their math strategies to the group or to a partner. Some students took on the additional challenge of explaining what they heard another student share as a strategy. We will do this activity again soon, working with a different total number of counters.

Marilyn Burns and More

One of the highlights of the NCTM Meeting for me was the presentation by Marilyn Burns on the topic of "Using Assessment to Guide Grades K-6 Mathematics Instruction: A Focus on Number and Operations." I have long used books by Marilyn Burns as a resource for my math teaching. She is a wonderful presenter, engaging with a warm sense of humor. Yes, she did use Powerpoint, which she noted was a recent change for her. But it was an outline which she fleshed out in her talk. She also incorporated some engaging video of the kind of assessment she was talking about. I particularly enjoyed seeing her use an assessment that I have used before, taking it from one of her books. Seeing the questions she asked, the way she encouraged the student to verbalize her thinking and reassured the student that the information would help Marlilyn be a better teacher, was quite helpful. All in all an inspriring, productive hour.

Later in the day I attended a session with a colleague of Marilyn Burns at Math Solutions, Lisa Rogers. She was addressing the development of number sense with primary students. By modelling some of the strategies she suggested and drawing in the audience with questions, she kept me alert and involved even though her session was late in the afternoon.
I also enjoyed a presentation on Singapore math, which is creating a buzz right now in this country. A lot of what was presented to us described a central focus on problem solving, the importance of helping students visualize math, and the laying of a foundation with informal experiences before introducing formal treatments. It is also a spiral curriculum that comes back around and revisits and reenforces topics. Other presentations I attended explored the development of algebraic thinking and the development of an understanding of base 10.

NCTM Meeting in Washington, DC

Pictures: Entrance to the NCTM Meeting Exhibits, Convention Center displays

I've recently returned from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. I had thought I might be able to blog from the conference but ran into a couple of problems. The first was the limited free internet connectivity available to me, and the cost of the paid connectivity that was offered. As a result, blogging during the sessions did not work. The second problem was I had little time between sessions, as I tried to pack in as much as I could.

So here's my post today. It was a great conference. I had several sessions that were exciting, informative, and stimulating. Several more were interesting and gave me food for thought. A few were rather dull. When will people realize that simply showing a Powerpoint presentation (without pictures or video) and reading it to us with a little extra explanation does not make for an interesting session?

Fortunately most presentations had more zip, including an engaging delivery, thoughtfully posed questions, and for some, audience participation. Another post will detail some of the better sessions that I attended.