Wrapping it up

Well, the semester of Math for Elementary Teachers is wrapping up this week! You would think after all the math classes I have taken, I wouldn't have anything else to learn. But, your wrong. I can not believe all the great skills, information, and techniques I learned this year. Out of all the different things I learned this year, the one thing that always came back to me was all the new techniques that are out there today that I never learned when I was in grade school. The new "ways" seem so much more engaging and easier to understand. Its great that they have come up with so many different ways to figure out one problem, because what works for some...doesn't always work for others. I do believe it is important to not forget about the older techniques as we are teaching the new ones though. There were many different times in grade school when I couldn't understand a problem and my dad helped me understand it with techniques that he learned when he was in school! So, remember as great as the new techniques seem, the old ones can be just as great!

Another important part of this class was learning about how important it is to keep your students engaged. I found this great video on youtube of a teacher showing different techniques he uses in a high school math classroom to keep his students engaged throughout the lesson. I believe the techniques used in this video can be used with any age group.

Here is another useful video on keeping your students engaged in a first grade math classroom. I think that using hand gestures, repeating, working with partners, etc. are a great way to keep your students engaged and following the rules. This video shows exactly that....

So, lets make a pact as teachers, parents, mentors, etc that we will work to keep our students or children engaged in learning so that it can be an exciting experience for both them and yourself.

To end this blog, here is a great website that lists different tips/techniques to keep children engaged in a classroom. Remember, not only can teachers use these techniques in the classroom but parents can also use these techniques at home.

http://www.edutopia.org/classroom-student-participation-tips