May 2021 - Math Trails: Outdoor Math Learning and Spatial Reasoning
Math is everywhere. Have you ever stopped to take a look at all the math around you? Going on a math trail gives you an opportunity to explore the mathematics in your neighbourhood. It can be done in an urban or rural setting, in malls, parks, museums, or along city streets. It’s a creative opportunity to bring mathematics to life for students who are young or old.
April 2021 - Fractions
When you learned about fractions in school, what did it look like? Did all the examples have to do with pizzas, pies, and chocolate bars? Did you memorize procedures to work with fractions like invert and multiply in order to divide them? Many of these methods focus on getting to an answer without building an understanding of fractions. One way to build fraction understanding is through fraction talks. A Fraction Talk is a discussion about a visual problem involving fractions.
March 2021 - Data Management
Data is everywhere and it serves as a means to help us understand ourselves and the world we live in.
February 2021 - Patterning and Algebra
Mathematics has been called “the science of patterns” (Steen, 1988). Young children enjoy working with patterns, and older students enjoy discovering and manipulating patterns. In fact, it is human nature to find patterns in our everyday experiences. Some educators and mathematics would go so far as to say that patterning is the foundation of mathematics (Lee, 1996: Mason 1996). The study of linear growing patterns offers a tangible way for students to think about relationships between quantities.
January 2021 - Productive Struggle
Productive struggle is a state of engagement that enables students to work through challenging problems and new problems they have never seen before. Thus, making students have to do some creative thinking so they will stretch their brains.
December 2020 - The Value of Mistakes
How often do our students consider their mistakes to be signs of failure? How many students, as well as families, believe that the goal of learning mathematics is solely to get the correct answer? How often, on arriving at an answer, do students believe their thinking about the problem is finished?
November 2020 - Fluency and Flexibility with Numbers (Models)
Number sense is an important part of mathematics learning, and is essential to our daily lives. Jo Boaler states, “People with number sense are those who can use numbers flexibly. When asked to solve 7 x 8 someone with number sense may have memorized 56 but they would also be able to work out that 7 x 7 is 49 and then add 7 to make 56, or they may work out ten 7’s and subtract two 7’s (70-14). They would not have to rely on a distant memory” (Fluency With Fear).
October 2020 - Digital Tools to Support Math Learning
Mathematics is a highly visual subject and as a result, to help learners gain a better understanding of mathematics concepts, we need to make math as visual as possible for them. The following are digital tools that support our learners - helping them see mathematics and make connections with their learning.
There are a variety of digital manipulatives here that will support learners with all areas of math learning.
September 2020 - Where to Find Supports in Mathematics
Welcome to a new school year and a new year of mathematical thinking.
At the end of June 2020, The Ministry of Education released Ontario’s new math curriculum. Please access the Ministry’s website to find out what students will be learning in their math classes.
The strands in the new curriculum from grades 1 to 8 are:
Social-Emotional Learning Skills and the Mathematical Processes
June 2020 - Taking Math Outside
Have you ever thought about taking math outside? “Being outside enables connections to be made between the hands, heart and head, laying the foundation for more complex work as children grow, develop and learn. The natural and built worlds provide dynamic and constantly changing environments, offering an endless supply of patterns, textures, quantities and other attributes that underpin much of the necessary early maths experiences” (Messy Maths: A Playful, Outdoor Approach for Early Years)