Setting the Mood for FUN MATH
In education I believe in setting our kids up for success. There is no better way to set them up than making math fun for the students. In elementary school it is not uncommon to hear students say “ I can’t do that “ or “ I don’t like math”. They usually say this when they don’t understand it. Getting the kids to loosen up to math starts with the classroom setting. When you walk into a classroom and it’s dark or dim, that takes away from students’ energy. When classrooms are set like that you usually see students participating less. Having your room bright allows you to see who’s paying attention, who’s focused, and who needs help. Starting off your lesson by getting the students motivated helps morale. When the students have fun they learn more. When I was in school, my favorite times I remember actually grasping multiplication. My teacher (Mrs. Brown) had the class room color coordinated with numbers that match up across the classroom because of this it helped me to remember that all of these numbers of the same color connected to one another.
Another thing that has always helped was building a bond with students. Bonding with students helps them to gain trust in you. Without trust it is hard for students to learn from you. Building relationships helps you to recognize students’ needs. Getting to know your students on individual levels makes them take more risk in class, and also helps them to be comfortable with participation. Also allow your students to show their work, there are multiple ways to find mathematical answers, so when they show their work it helps pinpoint where they took a turn at so we can help them understand the problem and how to fix it.
Every teacher should set up their classrooms and relationships for learning. Students should trust that you have their best interest when it comes to learning. If they don’t have a relationship with their teacher they don’t engage as much. MAKE LEARNING FUN!!!!! When the kids have fun they participate and when they participate they get the practice they need.
-Berry