Sing for your Supper...

... or in this case, to remember Maths!

While they were away at the M&E camp over the weekend, five Grade 11 girls made up a song about trigonometry. When you think of how easy it is to remember lyrics from a song -- and how much our girls love singing! -- it seems almost obvious that we should be using song lyrics as a way to remember facts. The facts in this song are very simple, but I can tell you that the girls singing it will NEVER forget trig ratios now! (I know I can't get the song out of my head!)

The girls who were left behind while their classmates went off to camp played Maths 24 during their lessons. Did you ever play this game when you were younger? Each card has four numbers and the aim is to get 24 from those numbers by using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. It's quite a simple game but it gets the students to practise basic arithmetic (a skill they are OFTEN lacking in!). And by making it a competition they are eager to try and get the answers faster than their classmates -- and they have FUN!

Do you have any games related to your subject that help the girls to learn while they're having fun?

This Week's Guest Blogger: Sue Fred

The Math Lit students reacted very enthusiastically to the practical assignment which involved walking about the campus taking pictures of shapes and prisms and physically measuring them. They then had to create a chart which included pictures, representative sketches (with accurate measurements) and calculations involving Perimeter and Total Surface Area.

They committed to the task in groups or pairs and displayed great teamwork as different skills amongst the girls became evident.

The concept of two- and three-dimensional figures is traditionally difficult for students to grasp due to its abstract nature, but I'm certain this practical exercise is going to change that.

I'm not sure who enjoyed this more: the students... or the teacher?!

Engaging our students.

What is it we want to be doing in our classrooms? Are we just replacing the chalkboard or white board with powerpoint presentations or are we really trying to engage our students with technology? Are they sitting back passively as we perform using all the gadgetry at our disposal?

We as teachers are constantly being told that we have to move with the times and engage our students using 21st century skills. I think we all know this but the question is - how? We have to change our mindsets or make a paradigm shift, to quote an overused cliche'. Again the question is how.

I think we have to start with small steps and try and change just one thing in our teaching practice at a time. We become overwhelmed too easily with all this talk about ICT. When you are preparing your next lesson try to think of a way that you can get your students to really be engaged in the learning . Obviously including technology in this learning is what want, but getting them actively involved in the learning process is the first step.

So how about this for a start? Let's hear from you!