But what if your gut feeling is wrong? I don't want to be wrong. I hate being wrong.
To kick off yesterday's class, Liisa began by giving us a question (would you rather have $500 or quarters stacked as tall as you?) and told us to give an impulse answer; to go with our gut.
My gut reaction was to choose the $500.
Here was my train of thought: I'm short. (5' 1.5" - yes, I have to include that extra .5 inch because it makes a difference and technically, if you follow math rules and round up to the nearest inch, I'm 5' 2" 😉 ). So, there's no way that my height would equate to $500 in quarters (2000 quarters).
The good news is, my gut feeling was right in this case. But what if it wasn't? I don't like the feeling of being wrong. As Liisa mentioned, this is a big problem for many math students. When asked a question, students are hesitant to answer aloud out of fear of being wrong. However, Liisa shared a very useful teaching strategy that I will be implementing in my future classroom. She stated that if students aren't raising their hands to answer, that tells her one of two things:
1. They don't have the proper training to answer the question
So, she suggested that we have the class turn to their elbow partner(s) and share/discuss what they think. Usually after they realize that their partner(s) have the same answer as them, their confidence grows and are more likely to raise their hand once the class reconvenes and the question is asked a second time.
According to dictionary.com, being gutsy requires "having a great deal of courage or nerve". It's no wonder that kids are afraid to respond to questions, especially when asked to go with their gut.
As promised, here's your math joke of the day:
What do you get if you cross a math teacher and a clock?
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Arithma-ticks!
Until next time,
The Function(al) Teacher
To kick off yesterday's class, Liisa began by giving us a question (would you rather have $500 or quarters stacked as tall as you?) and told us to give an impulse answer; to go with our gut.
OR
My gut reaction was to choose the $500.
Here was my train of thought: I'm short. (5' 1.5" - yes, I have to include that extra .5 inch because it makes a difference and technically, if you follow math rules and round up to the nearest inch, I'm 5' 2" 😉 ). So, there's no way that my height would equate to $500 in quarters (2000 quarters).
The good news is, my gut feeling was right in this case. But what if it wasn't? I don't like the feeling of being wrong. As Liisa mentioned, this is a big problem for many math students. When asked a question, students are hesitant to answer aloud out of fear of being wrong. However, Liisa shared a very useful teaching strategy that I will be implementing in my future classroom. She stated that if students aren't raising their hands to answer, that tells her one of two things:
1. They don't have the proper training to answer the question
OR
2. They know the answer but aren't confident enough because they're scared of being wrongSo, she suggested that we have the class turn to their elbow partner(s) and share/discuss what they think. Usually after they realize that their partner(s) have the same answer as them, their confidence grows and are more likely to raise their hand once the class reconvenes and the question is asked a second time.
According to dictionary.com, being gutsy requires "having a great deal of courage or nerve". It's no wonder that kids are afraid to respond to questions, especially when asked to go with their gut.
Thanks for the tip Liisa, I look forward to using it in my classroom one day!
As promised, here's your math joke of the day:
What do you get if you cross a math teacher and a clock?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Arithma-ticks!
Until next time,
The Function(al) Teacher
I completely agree with this ! SOOO many students, including myself, are terrified to be wrong ! Even if I know the answer, until it is confirmed, I don't feel confident putting myself out there. The elbow partner discuss technique is such a good idea ! As well, my associate teacher loves when students go up to the board to show the class there answers, buttt of course students don't want to volunteer in case they're wrong. To combat this, she asks for volunteers but checks there answers before they go. That way, they get the reassurance that they wont be embarrassed. To me, the more techniques the better :) Thanks for sharing !
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