Where to start with ALGEBRA?? How to introduce it so it makes SENSE!!

 Anne (previously from Kerikeri High) and Helen Teal (NMA) are the presenters. Helen was previously at Whangarei Girls High now 3 years in the role at NMA. So looking forward to this workshop of how to introduce Algebra to my juniors.

Q:  WHAT DO YOU WANT TO GET OUT THE DAY?

My answer:  Fun, creative way to START Algebra with  year 9's so I can catch their attention, grab it and carry it through to year 12, when I have them in my class. I am working 1 period a week with each form class, and would love to "win them over". Would love some hands on activities.

Q:  WHAT DO YOU ALREADY KNOW?

How to teach Senior Algebra.

Using: www. menti.com

What do you think or feel when you hear the word ALGEBRA? using  one word ( used www.menti.com) and then made a slide with ALL the words.

What can you expect getting out of the workshop:

1. Algebra is a generalisation and can be linked and taught through number form level 1 (curriculum level 1)

To show progression in learning. Go to NZ Maths and click on: https://nzmaths.co.nz/curriculum-elaborations

start with: https://nzmaths.co.nz/elaborations-level-four-number-and-algebra

for planning purposes: https://nzmaths.co.nz/key-mathematical-ideas

How many equations can you write up on a piece of paper, that equals 9.

written up was:

3 x 3 = 9

18/2 =9

2X4 +1 = 9

Picture of:

2 groups:  pattern 1: had 3 red counters and 1 blue counter, pattern 2: had 5 red counters and 4 blue counters.

choose strategies to draw the next pattern, and the next

Find a way to explain in words how you did this

Can you see the rule:

to get red?

to get blue?

to get the total?

The a picture of 10 by 10 grid. The outside colored in red, how many red squares on the border of this grid.

Show 4 different ways to get this, drawing on the white board.

then did a 3 by 3 grid

Then let them choose a grid size and show a strategy to come up with the general rule:

Tn= 4n - 4

challenge:

Think of a number between 1 and 10.

Now

* add 1

* multiply by 3

* subtract your original number

* add 5

* divide by 2

* take away the original number (that you started with)

Now if A= 1, B=2 , C= 3, etc.

Choose your letter that represents your answer, and think of a country that is in Europe. Write down the name. (answer for all would be 4)

Take the second letter of this country's name, and write down the name of an animal that starts with this letter

(Most people wrote DENMARK and elephant.)

Now let 2 students go to the whiteboard.

they write down their 2 numbers, and you let them go through the whole process. As the teacher you are the third person, and write yours in terms of algebra (with a letter eg. n  or a or ...)

Lots of practical examples

how many squares? How many matchstick to form the pattern? etc

then: Curriculum Progression Framework

Lots of self help and videos on this website. Use this website to teach yourself and upskill yourself.

8 aspects:

Look at the difference in the gaps and even starting points. Also notice that when you are teaching at year 9 level, you need to get all the number / patterns/ aspects done, otherwise they do not have the prior knowledge for you to build on.

Click on each signpost (on the website) to get the explanation and the big ideas!

This is what it looks like if you click on each specific sign post, and you can download this as a PDF.

Awesome  easy website, user friendly.

LPF activity: then we were given a few worked problems and had to fit them to the curriculum level and the strand.

Matching the students' work to the level. 

So from this we see that Algebra starts right in curriculum level 1!!

Where do we get the cool resources?

STOP pre-teaching and START teaching through RICH tasks.

make math moments!!! Create

Sparking curiosity, fueling sense making IGNITING teacher creativity!

Start from a young age.

Relate it to the known eg. Link it to their number knowledge, what they already know!! Incorporate Number and Algebra into all the other strands!!

(generalize the numbers to algebra) 

A lesson without the opportunity for learners to generalize is not a mathematics lesson!! - John Mason

Tuesday in Paihia....for some PD with Kerry

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1K-1TreoMkxahP9oSbqY4VqEETVuNqhDxLYPFakk8_4c/edit#slide=id.g648bd1f938_0_8

  BEING CyberSMART...

first question then:  Why do LEARNERS need to be CYBERSMART?

• Empowers learners to be positively connected citizens
• Confident, connected, actively involved lifelong learners
• Develops an authentic audience
• Develops the personal voice of each child
• Develops students’ employability
• Raises student achievement  
• Deliver 21st Century Education to 21st Century Learners

watch this VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=yFxNb2XKRRU

link to the government cybersmart week 2019

what does this look like in our class rooms?

WITH GREATER POWER COMES GREATER RESPONSIBILITY!!
They have:
- powerful devices
- ultra-fast connection/internet
- access to WWW

We need to keep our kids safe. It is like driving on a fast highway at top speed, you would never drive with your kids in a car without having all the safety features, why do you allow them on the internet with out safety features???
Every time they are online it creates a digital footprint. Empower your learners to harness technology in smart and clever ways. Focus should be on CYBERSMART continuously through the year.

We are giving them the building blocks to be life-long learners who are connected, confident and actively involved. Partnership/participation and protection...teacher can assist them how to be cybersmart learners.

Lots of "other stuff" happening for our students on line, that we as adults/school are not aware of.
for example, ads taking them to the "wrong sites" while gaming, etc.

this is the link to our kawa of care

Teach students how to be:
smart learners, have a smart footprint, have smart relationships.
Here is a link to the SMART site 

What are the common things that us as teacher experience as problems with our students using technology:
- worsen handwriting
- not discerning readers
- time spent online playing games with kids in other time zones, come to school exhausted!
- using the first link/first research and believe it is true
- they are not selective readers/ fake news/ how to validate the sites
- they copy what they read/ don't write it in their own words
how do we empower SMART online learners?
Plan to include:  Learn create share pedagogy, cybersmart, smart values and kawa of care in each lesson.
Look at the smart site, and include the relevant bits to your lesson, to guide the students how to be CYBERSMART. Problem is that they think they are CYBERSMART, but they are not.

https://images.app.goo.gl/uhysBnZJYB68P99T6

Understand that every time they connect, collaborate and share online it combines to create their digital footprint.

Being wrong, can make you better at being right

Currently I am busy with year 13's on the topic Learning Programming.  I have been teaching a mix on on-line and individual "help as they ask" lessons on the statistics topics. Now I am doing a mix of Hapara Workspace and old-fashioned talk and chalk lessons with hands on activities for the students.
Interesting that after we spent a whole lesson doing graphs by hand, without any technology to get this comment from one of the boys:  "whaea Mina, by the way, this was the best lesson ever!! Was so good to have a lesson with you showing us how, and we doing it without technology"

The thing is:  They are allowed to use technology to sketch the graphs, but I thought to do a few lessons without technology, would actually enhance their understanding of the topic. Trying , getting it "wrong", trying again, getting those AHA moments when they succeed, and feeling accomplished by doing it by hand!!
Being wrong, can make you better at being right.

My motto remains:
The power of YET,
I can't do it YET
I can't sketch the graph YET
This does not work YET
I am not good at this YET
I don't know the answer YET
I don't understand this YET

A new for me, to let some of them go out today, while I could see that they don't get it YET..

Today I've read this article and found it a good fit, for what I am trying to achieve with my lessons today.

Money money money must be funny...it is a rich man's world!!

I am getting more and more excited about our Math journey for next year.
My focus this year is to get more students excited about taking math.
So I am opening this for what people previously called the students of concern, and I will by taylor-making a program for these students - bringing in the Young Enterprises work and a little bit of math as well.
Then I would also love to challenge the students who wrote the Algebra external in year 12 to do some more calculus next year in year 13, so I am hoping to have a year 13 CALCULUS group in the second semester of year 13.
I broke the math up into semesters. Look at the links to my options day presentations.


https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1H2wVv0ix-w_EfzV_saPH0mhYV3tOSWliUoNVDKoZKTU/edit?usp=sharing



https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1eRW8Gg8Ux3PTaxhfdamMbdWwM3tr9IWk5P-CYkzZzaI/edit?usp=sharing


https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nKE7HMNnOYByKulUThgwJZTUGPm37_sSLjeTMy-d4No/edit?usp=sharing

Kindness

This week (as we all know) is Maori week as well as Keep New Zealand Beautiful week.  Lots of fun activities were planned by our school and it is weeks like these that I am so privileged, and so often reminded by how wonderful it is to be teaching at Bay Of Islands College in Kawakawa.  Not only do we have the most amazing team of teachers, supporting and helping each other to survive, but we also have students who EMBRACE being Maori and EMBRACE their culture. Students went out during this whole week to collect rubbish from all the streets in Kawakawa, enjoying doing their part in : Keep New Zealand beautiful. (I wish we could have this happening at least once in a fortnight.)

I am so absolutely blessed to be part of this awesome community of learning. Where students still run to class, and where students are genuinely disappointed and upset if the ask you:  "Whaea, when do we have math? " and I answer: "we don't have math today" to which the respond:".aaaaw NO!! this is a bad day!!"

I had a wonderful moment in the coffee shop, PBK (Pure Bliss Kitchen) (in Moerewa...a must go to) when this beautiful older lady approached me with the words: "Kia Ora, and who are you? you are so beautiful, thanks for blessing our town with your beautiful light" This is why I love living in this area. People are still so "real" and caring, and people who speak their mind, and say it as it is, those people are my tribe, and my favorite kind of people.

A is for Addiction!!

If I was an alcoholic, would you ask me to put liquor in my bag? Would you ask me to put it in my pocket? No, but we do this with our students and their mobile phones...




Here is a link to my slideshow that I made about this topic.

I am an adult, and I have enough life experiences and tools in my kete to ensure that I look after my emotional well being, but our students do not have that ability, yet.  After 35 years of teaching I know that at school we expect our students'  parents to have taught their children ways of coping with life, and put some safety net for their well being in place, but it does not always happen.

I have experienced myself how the length of time spend on my mobile phone is directly linked to the black dog (depression)!! I've experienced myself how it impacts on my sleep patterns and on my well being,...Now if I as an adult experience this, how much more , would a young impressionable mind of a teenager  "suffer"??I am totally addicted to my mobile phone, I took it everywhere with me, I even found myself in front of the television, and being on face book on my mobile phone at the same time. There are some useful articles on this, people experiencing the same "problem". Link


How can I sit back and feel that I've done a good job at teaching my students about algebra, statistics, geometry  AND not be concerned about the enemy in the room. I quote from an article:
"have cell phones really destroyed a generation?? we don't know...." Surely we can not answer this question when it is too late???

I can not stand by and not try to do something about this, life and it's ebb and flow have taught me, never to stand alone. In my small and humble way, I would like to find like minded teachers, and have some meaningful discussions around this topic. I started wondering how other people feel about this, because everything is "googelable", so I've discovered a few great articles and videos. Please feel free to add some more articles and videos in the comments. In my "research" I also saw that I am certainly not alone in my concerns about this problem, all state schools in Victoria will be banning all cell phones in all schools from next year. France has put a ban on them(2018) , some schools in Auckland has put a ban on them....
I quote from the NZ Herald: "

Cellphone ban helps propel low-decile Māori school to top of NCEA ranks

 link

I would love to hear your thoughts on this!!


I also made a video presentation about my slideshow. 

Thursday is PD day with Kerry!!

Today we are learning how to get our students' how to blog. This link is to "blog starters".

My idea for showing up to this "workshop" was that I would love for my new math classes, which I call the MFC group (Mathematical Financial Capability), to blog and show me some higher level thinking.

I want my year 13's , who I call my "guinea pig"-group, as this is the first class who I am teaching the MFC work to, to have a blog up every period, with a question that will give them a chance to show me some higher level thinking, in a open forum, but also in a formal way.

I love blogging myself, but as with all other good intentions, don't make time for myself to sit down and blog.  I would love to have all students in all Math classes to at least once a week , open their blogs and to reflect on the learning that happened in Math for the week, their "struggles" and how they've overcame these struggles...WOULD THAT NOT BE GREAT???

Let's put that out there for a GOAL for 2020!!

For now: I am going to start a MFC year 13 class blog, and I am taking baby steps with them.