Fun with Fractions

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As mathematics is gaining more and more importance in the province of Ontario, it is crucial that teacher candidates receive the necessary training in mathematics. As a student in the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University Orillia, I have learned so much about the fundamentals of mathematical instruction. In my own elementary school experience of mathematics, I struggled at the primary level. I remember being taken out of the classroom in a small group for additional help. In later years, I was fortunate enough that my parents invested in both a tutor and Kumon. This helped my understanding of mathematics tremendously, which then resulted in a love of math. Over my Faculty of Education year, my Mathematics course has been my most enjoyed course. I have become someone who enjoys discussing math problems and learning new methods to solve problems. As a future educator, I understand that not all students will receive the same level of outside help as I did. However, I look forward to teaching math to my future students and incorporating many different methods of instruction.

Taken from http://www.123rf.com/clipart

Over the course of our final semester in the Faculty of Education, our class has continued to learn about differing mathematical teaching strategies. A topic I have always been interested in is fractions. Fractions are important aspects of mathematics, as they are used in many ways both in and outside of the classroom. As a student learning about fractions, I always enjoyed learning about fractions and the endless applications. However, I recognize how students may struggle with this concept.

 

Fractions are the “number that describes a relationship between a part (represented by the numerator) and a whole (represented by the denominator)” (Small, 2013, p. 250). It is important for students to recognize that the two numbers have a relationship with one another, rather than simply being two numbers. Using the correct terminology is important to help students understand the relationship, and to further understanding what the fraction represents. Fractions are used to “represent parts of a region, parts of a measure, and parts of a set (or group), they also represent division and ratios” (p. 250).  Once students can understand the representations of fractions, working with them becomes a lot easier. One useful strategy to consider when teaching fractions is estimation activities, which “supports student understanding of fractions and is an important skill” (Van de Walle et. al., 2018, p. 287).

Important Concepts when teaching Fractions

When teaching fractions, students are usually introduced to ½ and moving towards fractions such as ¼ and 1/3. Once students can grasp these commonly used fractions, it is usually best to move towards other fractions (multiple parts) such as 2/3, ¾, etc. In the junior grades, students are introduced to improper fractions such as 3/2, 5/4, etc. moving toward mixed fractions such as 1 ½, 2 ¾, etc.

Created using Mathies Learning Tools

An important concept when teaching fractions is the idea of equivalent fractions. When teaching students about equivalence consider how an “area model is a good visual for connecting the concept of equivalence to the standard algorithm for finding equivalent fractions” (p. 282). When introducing the idea of equivalent fractions, manipulatives are an extremely visual tool for students to gain understanding.

Fraction Manipulatives

The wonderful part about teaching fractions is the multitude of manipulatives that are available for instruction! From student made options, to store bought fraction kits, to digital manipulatives. No matter the financial situation, teachers have a variety of different options.

Student made

Creating fraction kits with your students is an incredible learning experience that allows students to learn through creating. Students are given the opportunity to manipulate the paper themselves, and to learn about the relationships fractions represent. It is important to allow students to explore and learn from their own mistakes. When completed, the student has their own tool that can be used in future fraction instruction.

Here are some resources to make fraction kits with your students!

• Teaching with fraction strips
• Fraction Fanatic

Store bought fraction kits

There are a variety of fraction kits available to educators. These various kits allow educators to show fractions in differing ways, such as in a circle, strips, or blocks.

Here are a few examples of the types of kits!

These kits show students fractions through a 2D circle, as in the circle kit, in strips, or as shown here in height. In this activity students could compare the fractions by looking at the height of the manipulatives and understanding the differing values through height.

Virtual Manipulatives

Virtual manipulatives are an effective way to show an entire class mathematical instruction. There are a number of different resources available for teachers to display their teaching on a smartboard or projector screen. Virtual manipulatives also allow students endless opportunities to work with fractions and to learn through doing. Virtual manipulatives also allow for differentiation as a variety of different learners can learn and progress at their own pace.

Mathies is an Ontario Ministry of Education developed, online resource, with mathematical support for students from K to Grade 12. The games and learning tools are created to be used by parents and educators in the classroom!

• Mathies Learning Tools
• Fraction, Percent & Decimal Tiles
• Fraction Scales from Math Playground

To incorporate fraction activities with technology here are a number of fraction activities:

• Fraction Games
• Fraction Monkeys
• Cool math 4 kids

This vlogger, Mashup Math, provides a useful video to explain the instruction of fractions. Anthony also writes a blog to accompany his vlogs. Check him out for more tips!

Another useful way to teach students about fractions is through interactive videos. Check out these resourceful examples!

Introduction to Fractions

I hope you found these resources to be helpful. Let me know in the comments below your experiences teaching fractions!

References

Small, M. (2013). Making math meaningful to Canadian students, K-8 (2 ed.). Ontario, Canada:    Nelson.

Van de Walle, J., Karp, K., Bay-Williams, J., McGarvery L. (2018). Elementary and Middle          School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally (5^th ed.). Ontario, Canada: Pearson.

The Rookie’s Guide to using Media in the Classroom – One young teacher’s experience

Lack of technology. Room for growth.

In today’s world, there are a number of highly discussed topics concerning education. Among the highly discussed trends in education, is the use of technology in the classroom. As a teacher candidate, discussions of integrating technology in the classroom are found in almost all courses of study. During my Faculty of Education year, I have been fortunate enough to be taking a course, focusing entirely on media and digital literacy and its use in the classroom. While I find these ideas exciting, in my first teaching placement experience, I have seen first hand the barriers to implicating such ideas.

The following guide comes from my experience in my very first teaching placement, both the victories and the losses.

Technology in the Classroom

The ability to use technology in the classroom completely changes the opportunities for students and teachers. As of recently, classrooms are gaining more and more access to forms of technology. By incorporating media in the classroom, an educator can “engage students in learning and provide a richer experience” (Williams, n.d.). For educators who are hesitant to incorporate technology in the classroom, there is no denying the reality that children of today’s age are considered “digital natives,” as they are more and more active online and with the use of technology (Himmelsbach, 2019). With the use of media and forms of technology, students have the opportunity to learn about current events in ways never thought of before, giving students access to the world at their fingertips. It has been shown that students “view medias as exciting learning aids, making learning entertaining and less monotonous” (Williams, n.d.).

Students and Technology

As teachers it is so important we listen to the voices of our students. While including technology in the classroom may present barriers, it is important we consider the opinions of our students. While barriers are presented, as educators it is important for us to over come such barriers as best we can, in order to equip our students with the necessary tools to navigate their future world

Over the holidays I had the opportunity to speak with my 5 year old twin cousins about their experiences in kindergarten. Their parents decided that for senior kindergarten it would be most beneficial for their socialization to have the sisters in separate classes.  I later learned the differing experiences each sister was receiving. Sister A, was in a classroom where the teacher embraced technology and offered endless opportunities for students to use tech, such as tablets, robots, coding, etc. For Sister B, her classroom only has 2 iPads which are strictly used by the teachers to take pictures.

Sister A, when asked about technology, was excited about the use of coding to make the robots move. Sister B, unfortunately felt very left out in her classroom, and restricted in her own use of technology in the classroom. As a future educator, I was happy for the learning experience I received after speaking with Sister B. She too is excited about technology and would like to learn new things, such as coding, that she would not be able to learn about at home. I think it is important for educators to take the opinions of their students to empower themselves to move beyond barriers. Students are eager for the learning opportunities from the use of technology, why not take advantage of that excitement for learning.

Children are extremely curious about technology. Here is a video of a student speaking about her experiences with technology. For anyone skeptical of using technology and media in the classroom, I think the first step would be to speak with students to see their curiosity and be inspired by such creativity.

 

Is not using technology in the classroom benefiting students?

My Experience with Technology in the Classroom  

In my first teaching placement, I witnessed the barriers that are presented with integrating technology in the classroom. In this placement, a grade 5 class, within a sub urban neighbourhood, I quickly learned the advantages and barriers to using technology within the classroom. After speaking with colleagues, I learned quickly how fortunate my class was to have 11 fairly new iPads, for a group of 27 students. While 11 iPads for 27 students may not seem very fortunate, this is in comparison to other classes in other schools having numbers as low as 3-6 per classroom, for example.

In my placement school, each classroom had a set of iPads in their room. In my class, we could easily ask neighbouring classes to borrow their iPads in order for each student to have an iPad during a specific activity.

Another way we were able to utilize our number of iPads was through centre work. The Language centres, included 5 different centres, 2 of which utilizing iPads. With this set up, only 10-11 iPads were used, avoiding the potential for not being able to find enough iPads in neighbouring classes.

Students were also able to use the iPads for learning activities if they finished their assignment with time remaining.

How I have used technology in the classroom

My first week of teaching in my placement was mostly focused on teaching writing. I began teaching students brainstorming strategies, which would then move toward paragraph writing. In one of the activities, students were to brainstorm positive characteristics to describe a ‘good friend.’ By the end of the week I had to decide where the language lesson would move towards. I came up with the idea to have the students create a word cloud, using the words they brainstormed in the days previous. Before I knew it, this lesson became an opportunity for multiple cross curricular ideas. The students were able to expand their vocabulary by brainstorming positive attributes, we had a great discussion regarding positive personal behaviour and the behaviour to look for in a friend, and a tech creation.

As a class, I had the students brainstorm words they would use for a good student. I was so impressed with the words they chose, that I knew they were ready to take on the activity individually. Below is the word cloud the grade 5 students created with my direction.

Using the word cloud website, students created their own word clouds with the words they had brainstormed. I told the students that they must have at least 10 words in their word clouds. During the lesson as I walked around the classroom, students were eager to come up with even more than the requirement. Once the students were complete, they were to screenshot their creations and submit it for my review to Google Classroom.

Here are a couple examples the students came up with. I was so impressed with both my self and the students for their work. I look forward to using this lesson again in the future and hope you can find a use for it as well.

If you use this lesson, or one similar to it, please forward me some examples, I would love to see other ways to use this concept!

My Personal Tips – From my own experience

As a new teacher I know I have lots to learn, in my first teaching placement I experienced some instances that turned into lessons I will take with me throughout my career. Here are a couple of my own tips I learned from my first placement:

1. Always make sure that you have the needed equipment for your lesson. – I know it may seem pretty self explanatory but especially as a student teacher, I learned quickly how easy it is to forget what you need. This could potentially leave you unable to do the lesson entirely if you are not prepared.
2. By the end of the day, once students have all left, make sure to check the battery status of your technology. – My grade 5 students could not always be trusted to make sure that all tech had been plugged in. For your own sanity, make it a part of your routine to ensure that the tech that needs to be charged is correctly set up.

Of course there are many other tips to consider. Check out some of these helpful tips from experienced educators.

• 6 Pros & Cons Of Social Media In The Classroom

• A Guidebook for Social Media in the Classroom

• 4 Ways to Integrate Media Literacy in the Classroom

Technology is apart of our past, present and future. As educators we must not deny our students of this learning opportunity, but rather become their advocators and do whatever we can with the means we are presented.

To end, here is a light hearted interview done by American comedian, Ellen Degeneres. In this interview Ellen highlights the curiosity of children by introducing them to technology of the past. The students are intrigued and show a rich knowledge of technology.

 

 

Technology is everywhere, how wonderful it is to embrace that!

References

Himmelsbach, V. (2019, January 2). 6 Pros & Cons of Technology in the Classroom 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2019 https://tophat.com/blog/6-pros-cons-technology-classroom/

Williams, R. (n.d.). The Importance of Media in the Classroom. Retrieved January 16, 2019 https://www.theclassroom.com/importance-media-classroom-8038897.html.

 

Public Service Announcements: A teaching tool in the classroom

What is a Public Service Announcement?

Public Service Announcements, or more commonly known as PSA’s, are “an announcement made for the good of the public” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). PSA’s are a way for individuals with a desired message to communicate it to mass audiences. These messages have a variety of purposes such as to change public attitudes, opinions, build awareness towards an issue, and many other reasons. PSAs can offer students in today’s classrooms a variety of different learning opportunities.

Public service announcements started in the form of propaganda during both world wars. During World War II, the British government wanted to encourage optimism and support from the public for the war effort. This concept also gained popularity in North America. “Keep Calm and Carry On,” was a motivational poster paid by the British government during World War II, intended to increase public morale for the war efforts. This image, featured below, has now become a popular image in popular culture. “I want you,” also shown below, features Uncle Sam pointing at the audience, to urge young men to enlist in the war. An American produced advertisement, is another example of a past PSA that has gained popularity in modern popular culture.

              

Image retrieved from: Business Insider              Image retried from: Time

While these PSAs are over half a century old, they still have relevance to today’s students as these images can be featured in a variety of different parody versions across all forms of social media.

Examples of Famous Canadian Public Service Announcements

Here are some fun Canadian PSAs I thought I would include that were featured on Canadian television during the late 1990s and early 2000s. These PSAs are widely known among Canadian viewers. 

Body Break – This PSA featured Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod, originally launched by the Canadian government in the 1970s, to promote healthy living and physical fitness. The 90-second television programs featured tips and examples for everyday Canadians to stay fit and have fun in their everyday lives.

House Hippo – A PSA broadcasted on Canadian television beginning in 1999, featured a fictional miniature hippo (roughly the size of a rat), living in people’s homes, and foraging through their kitchen pantries for a food source. The intention of the announcement is to educate children on the importance of critical thinking, especially in terms of advertising.

Buying a car? – A recent PSA in Ontario intended to protect the rights of consumers and to ensure fairness and openness in vehicle purchasing. The announcement, one of many intended for vehicle consumers, urges car buyers of their rights when purchasing vehicles, and for example, to take a picture to have proof of the advertised car price.

Why teach students about Public Service Announcements?

In a world where citizens are constantly receiving various forms of messages, it is important for students to understand the purpose of PSAs and to be able to recognize them. PSAs can be found in a variety of different contexts such as radio or television advertisement, or a visual representation. Teaching students about PSAs allows students to be aware of the importance of critical literacy and to constantly read and question the messages we receive in media.

When teaching students about PSAs have them consider these “5 P’s of advertising,” found on Helen Dewaard’s university class website:

• What product or service is being pitched?
• Who is the potential purchaser or intended audience for the product or service?
• What persuasive techniques are applied to the message?
• Where is the pitch presented (magazine, online, newspaper, TV, film)?
• How is the product ‘packaged’ or presented?

When students understand the intentions of PSAs, specifically with these 5 Ps, they will have the tools to read a variety of forms of media.

Public Service Announcements in the Classroom

While PSAs do not necessarily require a large amount of scripting, the intended message must include persuasive language in order to gain the intended attention. Using PSAs as a tool for learning in the classroom allows for students to have a voice for their opinions. For teachers, teaching about PSAs introduces students to critical literacy, as well once they have an understanding of PSAs, creating them is an excellent activity to have students demonstrate persuasive language as well as the 5 Ps of advertising.

When introducing PSAs, have your students watch various PSAs with different messages or intended audiences and have them answer the 5 Ps. Introduce students to Canadian PSAs such as the Canadian Cancer Society, which has a variety of different PSAs for their desired message, or the Canadian PSAs I featured above!

Teach Writing blog offers a great step by step list of a “How to guide for student-created Public Service Announcements.” Once students have been introduced to PSAs, having them create their own is a great activity that can be used across the curriculum.

Having students create their own PSAs allows them to demonstrate their understanding of how to target a message to an intended audience, evoke emotion (if necessary), and how to create a message to call to action.

Below is an example of a form of PSA that students can make. Storyboard that, offers a a resource for teachers of a how to example of creating PSAs.

Creating PSAs is an activity that can be used at a variety of different age groups. Here is a link to a PSA I created with my classmates as an activity in a university level Media course. My classmates and I thoroughly enjoyed making it and were also able to demonstrate our knowledge and understanding of the 5 P’s of advertising.

 

References

Public Service Announcement. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.merriam-  webster.com/dictionary/public service announcement

 

Week 5 Adventures

This week, our professor Helen Dewaard, gave us the opportunity to explore the area surrounding our campus in Orillia, Ontario. With this activity we were able to gain perspectives of our campus in ways we never saw before! Here is an interesting perspective of our building I have never seen before!

 

Photo by: Emily Clarke

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Visual Literacy in the Classroom

While taking the Digital and Media Literacy course, teacher candidates have been introduced to all sorts of interesting concepts, most of which have been brand new to majority of students. These concepts are essential for teaching in today’s world as students have all sorts of forms of media right at their fingertips. A concept fairly new to me that I have had the pleasure of learning about has been visual literacy.

What is a Visual Literacy?

Visual literacy is the concept of being able to read, write and create visual images. While a visual image usually does not include any text and at the basic level not any audio, images can be used as a tool of communication. Visual literacy is an important aspect of the digital world as it allows users to communicate and exchange ideas, integral in understanding the highly influential world around us.

                       

PICTURE BOOKS, PRINT AND TV ADVERTISEMENTS, FILM ARE ALL FORMS OF VISUAL LITERACIES/TEXTS    

Why is Visual Literacy important?

 Visual literacy in the classroom is extremely important as students are constantly exposed to different forms of visual media. The concept of interpreting images is not new to the classroom, however students are receiving more and more information through a complex combination of both images and text.

As teachers, it is essential that we educate our students to become visually literate, in order to navigate through a space that involves communication through text and images. For the purposes of teaching, understanding visual literacy is essential in order to be used properly in our classrooms.

Visual Literacy in the Classroom

I am very excited to introduce the concept of visual literacy to students in my future classroom as I feel it will be extremely beneficial in making connections across the curriculum. There is a great deal of discussion regarding teaching visual literacy in the classroom, as a form of critical thinking.

Visual Literacy Activities

The internet is a plethora for activities teaching visual literacy, as today’s educators recognize the concept’s importance for students. Blogs such as Literacy Ideas and Visual Literacy Today are all useful tools for educators to connect with one another and share ideas on visual literacy.

Activity – Caption a Photograph

Literacy Ideas offers educators new to the concept of visual literacy simple ways to incorporate visual literacy in the classroom, and to encourage student’s thinking around the topic.

“Caption a Photograph” has students use a familiar form of media, a photograph, and create their own caption to accompany it.

Students will be all randomly given a single picture from a selection of a few photographs, and after closely examining the picture, come up with their own unique caption, or add a quote relevant to the image. The context can be of any emotion they please (ie. happy, sad, hopeful, etc.), or in the form of a meme. Students will then be expected to write a reflection as to why and how they came up with their caption. They can discuss personal emotions and use clues from the image to support their answer.

Before coming up with the caption, teachers can have students consider the following questions,

• Who/what are the objects in this image? What is happening in this image?
• Are there any clues to where it was taken? Are there any clues to why it was taken or who took it?
• Is it a posed photograph? A natural scene? A documentary photograph? A selfie?

This is a great way to introduce students to the topic of visual literacy and have them consider it in the future.

Further Information on Visual Literacy 

Another One to Consider…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 5 Adventures

This week, our professor Helen Dewaard, gave us the opportunity to explore the area surrounding our campus in Orillia, Ontario. With this activity we were able to gain perspectives of our campus in ways we never saw before! Here is an interesting perspective of our building I have never seen before!

Photo by: Emily Clarke

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

 

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton