Maths is “like A Box of Chocolates”
Yes, that is an adaption of the famous quote in Tom Hank’s film, “Forrest Gump”. This is the title of my sessions I will be presenting during Maths Week Ireland which starts in three weeks’ time. The young mathematicians will be partaking in a series of activities “not” related to maths and, hopefully in the end realise they have inadvertently been “doing maths”.
The analogy is that we do not like all the chocolates in the box and that applies to maths. There are areas in maths teaching which are unpopular but with some sugar-coating it will be more palatable for the pupil. Hence this newsletter
This month’s puzzle (taken from a 1959 publication)
Meeting the trains
At Wurzletown Junction an old lady put her head out of the window and shouted, “Guard! Guard! How long will the journey be from hereto Mudville?”
“All the trains take 5 hours ma’am, either way,” replied the official.
“And how many trains shall I meet on the way?”
This absurd question tickled the guard, but he was ready with his reply:
“A train leaves Wurzletown for Mudville, and also one from Mudville to Wurzletown, at five minutes past every hour.”
How many trains did they meet?
Possessing Passion Is Key To Effective Teaching
I do understand I have the wrong audience for this article but it could be distributed to others in the school. This article comes from Third Space Learning
· Passion in teaching is not a luxury or a frill but essential to all good practice.
· It is daunting to be passionate about everything you teach all ofthe time, but effective primary maths teachers aren’t just content with delivering the curriculum but communicating content and ideas with sparks and gusto.
· Little or no passion = little or no learning.
· Maths needs to be taught with energy, and so passion is a prerequisite if we are to inspire, motivate and engage children. Passionate maths teachers see pupils as curious and creative individuals who can be encouraged to explore maths with energy and excitement too.
· Effective teachers (aka passionate teachers) openly display athirst for knowledge and revel in the opportunity to learn as much as teach.
· Effective maths teaching is seen in the eyes, the non-verbal gestures, the voice and the maths language they use in class.
· Passionate teachers also tune into their pupils and remember that maths is not always easy to grasp so they display empathy, compassion, commitment and patience and set up an atmosphere of trust where mistakes are welcomed not ridiculed.
My “Maths Table”
I have written about this topic in the past. It could accompany the “Nature Table”. This is the time to create or resurrect the table with activities where the “young mathematicians” can partake during wet breaks and spare times during the day.
Ideas:
· Sudoku and similar activities:
· Card game rules
· Activities using counters
Website of the month
www.mathplayground.com has a wealth of resources from worksheet generators, someinteresting word problems and a comprehensive array of logic activities andgames. The tangram example is good and I was hooked on Cat Schmat!
Meeting the trains solution
Nine
Final words
I will leave you with a quote from Mickey Mouse:
“Arithmetic is being able to count up to twenty without taking off your shoes!”
