Week 1: Four-Block Tower Problem
I asked my sister and Dad to help me with Unifix Cube four-block tower problem. I started off by explaining that they had to make a pattern using four blocks. My sister looked at me puzzled and said it was not possible. According to her using only four blocks is not considered a pattern. My Dad started with the all red tower, one blue three red and worked his way to all blue. While my sister started with two blues and two reds. She made different patterns and then found the opposites. As they were working I noticed that they had repeated some of the patterns so I told them to look over their patterns and make sure none were repeated. I asked them to explain to each other what they had done. Once they each thought they were done my sister asked me if they had to use all of the blocks. I told her as many as they thought they needed. Once they said they were done I asked them how they knew they were done my Dad answered that there were no more possibilities. I reminded them that this assignment was for a Mathematics class so to think let a Mathematic for their answer. Once I said that my Dad said 4 x 4. He explained to me four colors four blocks high.
Unifix Cubes are a good manipulative to use in class. With the Unifix Cubes the students are able to visually see Math problems. Another way that the Unifix Cubes could be use is in multiplication problems. The students could see multiplication is related to addition. I am sure there are many more ways that Unifix Cubes could be used.
Week 1: Virtual Manipulatives
For this week’s Virtual Manipulative journal I used the manipulative called Factor Tree. I am currently teaching about factor trees and prime factorization. This manipulative would be great to incorporate into my lesson for the students that are struggling. I would have liked if it let the student put in both factors instead of the computer giving the other one. I do like that it tells when the factor is wrong. Overall I would definitely use it in the classroom. It is a good tool for students to use.
Week 1: Private Universe Project
For this week’s Private Universe Project journal I watched Workshop 1: Following Children's Ideas in Mathematics. When it was talking about how even Kindergarteners use Math during their free play time I started to think about the Kindergarten class I work with. Thinking back at what they do during the time they are waiting to start a new assignment. They are playing with their pencils or whatever they have in their hands and are making shapes. For example when they have their notebooks they build squares. They use their notebooks as the walls and the top. Sometimes they make triangles too.
It would be great to know how we each developed our mathematics skills. Being Mathematics major I would have loved to see myself develop my mathematics skills, to see when I “fell in love with Mathematics”. Being able to look back at the videos gives teachers an insight to the minds of students. Lets them see how the students develop their skills. This could help with lesson planning and curriculum changes. I am curious to see how the second graders I work with would solve the three shirts and two jeans problem. As I watched this video I thought of how I would solve a similar problem maybe just a little harder. Come to think of it it is similar to the pizza problem we did in class.
I have always said that students learn best when they are involved the learning process. Students get more involved when it is hands on. They do not think of it as work but as something fun. The students in the video remember things they learned in second grade but cannot remember what they learned in the 10th grade. The more involved the student is the better.
