Joyful Math at Home
Amazing Resource
I am continually impressed with the content produced by Youcubed.org and its founder, Jo Boaler. I am currently reading her book, What’s Math Got To Do With It?; How Teachers and Parents Can Transform Mathematics and Inspire Success. So far I’ve only read the introduction and first chapter, but I can’t wait to read more. It inspired me to try one of the activities from Youcubed.org with my daughter. We had fun with the activity and she has had a better attitude towards math ever since. Ms. Boaler is a professor of Math Education at Stanford University. One of the things they provide through their Youcubed.org website is videos which help students expand their idea of what math is, help them to embrace the struggle that math can be and develop a growth mindset and believe in themselves. I recommend checking out the website and reading any of Jo Boaler’s books.
One thing that Ms. Boaler talks about in What’s Math Got To Do With It? Is that the process of solving a math problem matters. Students learn more when they come up with different ways of solving a problem and explain their thinking. She also talks about how people use math in the real world and how mathematicians use math in much different ways that students typically use it in the classroom. Mathematicians generally work on complex problems over a long period of time while students are generally expected to come up with lots of answers to short problems in a short time frame. These short problems don’t often afford the opportunity for flexible thinking and creativity which are two of the things mathematicians love about math.
Why not try this: Using graph paper and colored pencils or link cubes or any other useful visuals or hands on tools…. How many different rectangles with an area of 12 can you form? Record your answers. For older students, how many different rectangles with an area of 24 can you form? Discuss any patterns you notice? (If necessary, introduce the concept of area first with smaller rectangles like a 1X2 and 2x3 rectangle.) Adapted from week 1 lesson 2 https://www.youcubed.org/algebra/
Check out my classes:
Math Game Club for 1-3grades online
https://www.adlifeedu.com/class/i/number-challenge-club-numeracy-through-games-visuals-and-stories/
In person: Cabinet of Curiosities/ Nature Connections
Online or in person tutoring
https://www.homeschoolcoaches.com/service-page/jennifer-hudson-science