Thrilling Third Visit - Fibbonaci Numbers and Sequences

Image Source: http://www.comp.dit.ie/dgordon/lectures/hum1/030924/030924hum.htm

Leonardo Pisano aka Fibonnaci

A Second Helping - Math Puzzles

- The puzzles
- Happy Halloween
- Working with 4th graders
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First Encounter

I am very happy that I was able to go to the elementary school with the Math Club for the first time!  This took place on Tuesday, September 27, 2011.

 

The Goal

Using an activity that the President of the club helped research and make into a worksheet, the goal was to teach the students about how to use the Egyptian method of multiplication. This method involves [[[finding the exponents and adding their answers together in order to get the solution.]]]  It really helps the student practice multiplication without the use of a calculator. The students we worked with were 4th and 5th graders from a local elementary school. 

Sudden Change of Plans
We were surprised to learn that the 4th graders did not yet have knowledge of exponents, while the 5th graders had already been introduced to them. In order to accommodate both groups, each Mount Saint Mary student took a grade with students to teach a slightly different lesson. I along with other MSMC Math Club math majors worked with the 4th graders to teach an "introduction to exponents" lesson, and other MSMC students worked with the 5th graders on the Egyptian multiplication sheet.


How Was the Exponents Lesson Received?
I would say that there was a mixed reaction to being introduced to exponents. Some students  did not understand the concept right away - I could tell by how they stared at the paper for a bit trying to understand, then writing the "doubling" of the numbers rather than the numbers by themselves. For these students, it helped to draw out the multiplication of each number, and make a tree-like diagram of multiplying each part which looked like this:

Image Credit: I made this image using Microsoft Paint.

This helped students visualize what was happening with the numbers.

I also noticed that the students who were better at multiplying or memorized their multiplication table chose not to draw out the multiplication, but rather to speed through it. I encouraged them to take their time so that they would not make calculation errors. One adventurous student asked, "What happens when it's 2 to the 8 [2 raised to the eighth power]?" Instead of telling that student the answer, I wanted to see how well they understood the concept. I asked him, "What do you think would happen?" He replied by asking if you would multiply the number by itself 8 times. This is how I knew he had a good grasp on the mini-lesson.

Final Thoughts

I believe that the MSMC students were well received by the students, and that they enjoyed the math lessons. It is a treat for them to have college students come in and give them a different teaching approach from the norm, but it is also beneficial to us as future teachers to get this experience with the elementary school students. We also were able to change up our plan in the event of an unexpected occurrence, which will show we are flexible when we need to be. Most of all, it was a very fun experience, and I'm looking forward to our next lesson with the kids.

Image Source: http://homepage.mac.com/shelleywalsh/MathArt/EgyptMultiply.html

Welcome and Introduction to my Blog

Welcome!
Welcome to my MSMC Math Club Blog! Some people might ask why I am keeping a blog about this experience at all. The reason is because when I record the details of my experiences fresh in my mind, I am reflecting, which is important for a teacher to do in order to better themselves and learn from each day.

Who I Am...
My name is Clarisa Rosario and I am a "pre-service teacher-in-training" at MSMC. In addition to being a Math major, I'm working toward certification in teaching grades 1-5 and 6-9 (elementary with middle school extension). Also, I am a member of Kappa Delta Pi, Sigma Tau Chapter which is an Education Honor Society. I love children and I am positive that the path I've chosen will be very meaningful. I am learning more and more each day - every day that passes is a step closer to my next short-term and long-term goal!

 Why I Joined

Believe it or not, participating in the Math Club was not an easy decision for me. In fact, with all of my other classwork, I usually have no free time to include an activity into my schedule. Fortunately this semester worked out much better regarding my schedule, but something was still holding me back. What was that? Fear!

I was actually a bit afraid of going into the school and working with the other college students, most of whom I've never met before.  Also, my fear of success sometimes tends to hold me back from doing things that could be very beneficial for my future career. Thankfully, after an email reminder from one of the club members, I decided to finally get past my insecurities and just go for it. (My household chores and anything else I could have used as an excuse not to go could wait.)