Whenever I tell people I am teaching eighth grade math I receive the same look of discomfort. For some, it is the idea of teaching grade 8 or any intermediate grade. For others it is the idea of teaching math. For most, it is some combination of both.
For me, grade 8 is a dream. I love the idea of becoming an intermediate teacher. Yes, there can be moments of difficulty when teaching in an intermediate classroom. However, there are always moments of difficulty, no matter what you are doing. Teaching grade 8 is a privilege. There are so many milestone moments that happen for intermediate students but particularly grade 8's; they are in the middle of deciding on high schools, they are the oldest in the school and therefore take the lead on many major school events and most importantly they are discovering who they want to be as they enter the bulk of their teenage years. Some teachers love a particular subject and love the idea of sharing their knowledge of that subject. I am less passionate about teaching any particular subject than I am about teaching in general. I love the idea of being a support for students as they move through such transitional times.
So, although I may have experienced a bit of nervousness with the idea of teaching math I was never less than ecstatic about teaching grade 8. And the closer I became to my first days of teaching the butterflies were less nerves, more excitement for the opportunity to apply all that I had learned about the new strategies for teaching math (click here to check out the math blog I used to document my math learning experience in teachers college).
I am very lucky to have been placed with a very experienced educator who also happens to be the school math coach. She was able to guide me in the direction of some fantastic resources while I began exploring the curriculum expectations and planning my lessons.
I had been told about the abundance of resources available on Edugains many times in my teachers college classes but had little instruction on how to navigate it. When my AT advised me of the lessons and section section I felt as though I had struck gold! There are unit plans, lesson plans, handouts, games, activities, interactives and manipulatives. It really has everything you could need to form a very solid foundation for your math program and was very helpful for providing a jumping off point for my planning process! Once I had the foundation I was able to expand to find even more innovative activities to include.
A chunk of my first lesson on area of a circle was supported by edugains resources. However, it began with one of Dan Meyer's 3actlessons as a minds on activity. The students were prompted to estimate the amount of pennies it would take to fill a large circle in the design on the floor. The students were engaged and excited to see the outcome of the videos. 3actlessons are a fantastic minds on. They encourage students to be engaged and they demonstrate real world application of their learning. I had not had the opportunity to include them in a lesson before but loved the captivation it promoted in the students, they are definitely a resource I will use again!
The bulk of the lesson was collaborative exploration. Through a hands on process of cutting a circle into as many small sectors as they could, the students were prompted to discover the connection between area of a circle and area of a parallelogram. This was an important lesson for ensuring UNDERSTANDING rather than just KNOWING.
By discovering this relationship the students were able to create a far deeper connection with the subject matter. They were no longer just memorizing a formula, they were understanding why it makes sense!
This lesson ended up spanning over two periods, but it was necessary! The first period allowed the students to explore a known formula and discover the relationship between new and prior knowledge on their own. The second period allowed the class to discuss and consolidate their understanding. Discussion is definitely an important aspect of teaching mathematics but also one that can seem scary to new math teachers (like me!). However, it is very important to establishing a deep understanding for our students so it is absolutely something I will be exploring (and reporting on here!) throughout my experience!
So, although I may have experienced a bit of nervousness with the idea of teaching math I was never less than ecstatic about teaching grade 8. And the closer I became to my first days of teaching the butterflies were less nerves, more excitement for the opportunity to apply all that I had learned about the new strategies for teaching math (click here to check out the math blog I used to document my math learning experience in teachers college).
My First Experience as a Math Teacher
The first lesson I planned and taught was focussed on area of a circle, addressing two specific expectations in the measurement strand of the Ontario Curriculum.I am very lucky to have been placed with a very experienced educator who also happens to be the school math coach. She was able to guide me in the direction of some fantastic resources while I began exploring the curriculum expectations and planning my lessons.
I had been told about the abundance of resources available on Edugains many times in my teachers college classes but had little instruction on how to navigate it. When my AT advised me of the lessons and section section I felt as though I had struck gold! There are unit plans, lesson plans, handouts, games, activities, interactives and manipulatives. It really has everything you could need to form a very solid foundation for your math program and was very helpful for providing a jumping off point for my planning process! Once I had the foundation I was able to expand to find even more innovative activities to include.
A chunk of my first lesson on area of a circle was supported by edugains resources. However, it began with one of Dan Meyer's 3actlessons as a minds on activity. The students were prompted to estimate the amount of pennies it would take to fill a large circle in the design on the floor. The students were engaged and excited to see the outcome of the videos. 3actlessons are a fantastic minds on. They encourage students to be engaged and they demonstrate real world application of their learning. I had not had the opportunity to include them in a lesson before but loved the captivation it promoted in the students, they are definitely a resource I will use again!The bulk of the lesson was collaborative exploration. Through a hands on process of cutting a circle into as many small sectors as they could, the students were prompted to discover the connection between area of a circle and area of a parallelogram. This was an important lesson for ensuring UNDERSTANDING rather than just KNOWING.
By discovering this relationship the students were able to create a far deeper connection with the subject matter. They were no longer just memorizing a formula, they were understanding why it makes sense!
This lesson ended up spanning over two periods, but it was necessary! The first period allowed the students to explore a known formula and discover the relationship between new and prior knowledge on their own. The second period allowed the class to discuss and consolidate their understanding. Discussion is definitely an important aspect of teaching mathematics but also one that can seem scary to new math teachers (like me!). However, it is very important to establishing a deep understanding for our students so it is absolutely something I will be exploring (and reporting on here!) throughout my experience!
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