Week 5: October 3

Hey Everyone! 

Katic, K. (October 1, 2, 2016).
Left to Right: Engagement Party in Rosedale, Old Mill Park in Lindsay, Tent Cabin at Lock 35. 

October is already here! When I walk outside, I can smell autumn in the air, the leaves beginning to change into their brilliant oranges, fiery reds and warm yellows, pumpkins and apples in abundance, the cool air perfect to sleep and snuggle into the covers, there is much to be thankful for, which we should all acknowledge going into Thanksgiving Weekend this coming weekend. We must also enjoy those simple pleasures that we all have in our lives, and this past weekend was a time for me to get away from technology and simply enjoy the great North and this time of year. For me, this included taking the time to celebrate with my loved ones at an engagement party, spending the weekend in a tent-cabin, and exploring. As I have constantly been reiterating in my posts, I encourage you to think about these simple joys and how they can truly help ground you and give you a sense of calm when our lives are so stressful.

Katic, K. (Oct. 3, 2016). Blended Learning Sheet.
Brock University, Hamilton.

In terms of math this week, we're already at Week 5! Time seems to be flying! This week, we discussed the importance of blended learning in our classrooms and how this can lead to the success of our students. To the right you'll see a very detailed photo of the workshop sheet we completed, and it goes into great length explaining blended learning and the SAMR model. If you're interested in getting an introduction to blended learning, check out this link here and this great YouTube video summarizes this topic beautifully! Essentially, blended learning combines classroom and online learning. With the online component, student are able to work at their own pace (partially). 

Further, there are four models within Blended Learning: 

1. Rotation Model: Station/Lap/Flip/Individual. Students rotate between learning modalities, where there is at least one online learning component. 
2. Flex Model: Online learning backbone of student learning, based on an individual schedule. 
3. A La Carte Model: Students take the entire course online with an online instructor, referred to as the "Brick and Mortar Experience". 
4. Enriched Model: Within each course students attend campus and also experience online components and courses. The main difference is this is a whole school experience. 

Katic, K. (Oct. 4, 2016). Various Screenshots of Online Modules.
See Below for Reference.

To learn more, visit this link! 

Additionally, the online modules that were explored this week were fantastic!  The first one, Lesson 5a, discusses how math is truly an intuitive subject, and we must ask questions in order to make sense of math; we must get rid of the idea that we can only work with comfortable formulas, must take the time to try to understand math and be able to form an emotional relationship with what's happening. The end of this section asks us a question that allowed me to use visual representations of math in order to solve. The question is: 

A man is on a diet and goes into a shop to buy some turkey slices. He is given 3 slices which together weigh 1/3 of a pound, but his diet specifies that he is only allowed to eat 1/4 of a pound. How many of the 3 slices he bought can he eat while staying true to his diet? 

I'll let you try to solve this problem without revealing the answer! 

The second video, Lesson 5b, discusses the importance of drawing and visual representations in math! By being able to represent math problems using visuals, it helps to deepen our understanding of the way in which we understand math. Personally, I have an easier time understanding concepts and problems when visuals are included, and importantly, there are always multiple ways to represent math visually that really do help deepen our understanding of what's occurring in math equations, formulas and other operational methods. For our students, we must encourage them to use visuals in order for them to deepen their understanding with math to understand holistically. 

Kelly, E. (Oct. 2, 2016).
Old Mill Park, Lindsay.

Finally, the last video, Lesson 5f, discusses that when teaching math, there must be an emphasis on the "Big Ideas", and many students get lost in the small details and small ideas of math. However, it's important that they understand that math is a subject with really only a few small details to remember but massive key ideas to understand. By being able to understand how to use drawing, representing, using intuition and focusing on key ideas, this will lead to success. Immediately after viewing this video, I began to think about how this can be applied to real-life application, and to the left I have included a picture that was taken this weekend: we could ask our students to estimate the size of the wall I was sitting on top of in relation to the wall in the background and include a historical element to this question as well. It's so important for them to realize that math is everywhere around us, and they must focus on the Big Ideas in order to gain a deeper understanding of math. 

In summation, there are three important things that we must take away from the modules this week: 

1. Encourage the use of Intuition: often people are afraid to use their intuition to solve math problems because they are afraid and intimidated, however, this is a key skill to develop in order to be able to think about what makes sense in math and how we can go about solving problems. 

2. Encourage the use of Visuals: by being able to represent math visually, this allows for a deeper understanding of what is occurring in math problems. Often formulas and numbers on their own can become convoluted, however by incorporating visuals it allows for another way to look at the math and perhaps a clearer understanding for students immediately. 

3. Encourage the Understanding of Big Ideas: we must focus on the Big Ideas in math as it's easy to get lost in the details of math. By encouraging the understanding of the Big Ideas, there will be a more holistic understanding. 

You can see that these resources are excellent in explaining how everyone can do math, it's just a matter of breaking down the subject matter and having a growth mindset. I hope you've learned something from this post today, and if you have any questions or comments please feel free to post them below! Once again, I'll remind you to think of the small things that make you happy in life, and let's all acknowledge these things and be thankful this Thanksgiving Weekend. 

Kelly, K. (Oct. 2, 2016). Relaxing with Warm Cider.
Old Mill Park, Lindsay.

References 
edurevolution. (July 24, 2013). Blended Learning: 4 Blended Learning Models. YouTube Video. Retrieved From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF8ODHN6Os8&feature=youtu.be
HTLMCourse. (July 12, 2014). Lesson 5a: Making Sense & Intuition. YouTube Video. Retrieved From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RjWud-Zcfc&feature=youtu.be
HTLMCourse. (July 12, 2014). Lesson 5b: Drawing & Representing. YouTube Video. Retrieved From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNT7W9pO6QI&feature=youtu.be
HTLMCourse. (July 12, 2014). Lesson 5f: Ideas vs Memorization. YouTube Video. Retrieved From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXeeYj4vxmE&feature=youtu.be
Jen Jonson. (Jan. 20, 2014). Blended Learning and Technology Integration. YouTube Video. Retrieved From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD8AUfGsCKg

Photos 
Katic, K. (October 1, 2, 2016). Left to Right: Engagement Party in Rosedale, Old Mill Park in Lindsay, Tent Cabin at Lock 35©. 
Katic, K. (Oct. 3, 2016). Blended Learning Sheet©. Brock University, Hamilton.
Katic, K. (Oct. 4, 2016). Various Screenshots of Online Modules [See Above]. 
Kelly, K. (Oct. 2, 2016). Relaxing with Warm Cider©. Old Mill Park, Lindsay. 
Kelly, E. (Oct. 2, 2016)©. Old Mill Park, Lindsay.