Educators values the success of all students. Educators care for students and act in their best interest. As an emerging educator. It is my duty to ensure that student were able to engage in a meaningful participation in their own learning during math fair activities and games.
Mathematics Fair Reflection
Math Fair was a great teaching and learning experience for me . The proposal designed was for grades k-5. The first set of children that came to my station were kindergartens. They don’t understand the concept of time, but I tested the knowledge of the children based on what they know about time. For the younger grades, I ask them what time they go to bed just to build connections from what is known from what is unknown, since Time is an abstract concept. When they told me, I make the time on analog practice time which our cohort used in the class. Then I tell them the different type of clocks we have analog and digital clock. By this time, children told me the digital time was easier for them to understand. The activity that follow was to count by five on the analog and grade 4 were able to do this counting. 4 students from grade 1 at Heather Park school students were able to count by 5. For the kindergartens they make the analog clock activities and make the time they went to bed on the craft. The hula hoop game was arranged orderly by students the way time on analog clock is from 1-12. The interesting thing about the activities is that when children flips the card on the other side they able to see the 24 hour time. Some of them were “wow” about this experience after their discovery. Some of the teacher commented that for grade 1 and kindergarten, just doing the cutting of the time is a great tactile hands- on activities for them.
Duration was also something, some of the students get to understand while working on their craft. I did an activity with grade 2 and 3 of how many seconds it will take to arrange the analogue time or blink, or walk 5 steps, by setting the timer. Some of the students also admit that digital; watch helps them learn time better, and that the analogue time get confusing when play side by side with the digital clock. The math fair also help me reflect on how I will be able to think on the spot as a teacher and adapt my lessons. Each student or learner is unique in their own ways and because the first group of students that comes to you can do things at a fast rate does not necessarily mean that the second group will get it as perfect as the first. I was able to adapt just testing their knowledge on what they already know, work with it, and explain at the level of their understanding. Some were not interested in the game, but only want to do the craft activities and some were totally into everything. It was a “aha” moment for some of the students, and it was just another craft activities for others. All the ideas presented for the students at the fair worked. The key ideas of AM and PM , refreshing their minds on how many minutes in an hour, how many minutes in a second, and how many hours a day. I noticed from grade 2 upward were able to connect and many of them know the answer. What I would have love to do to improve their learning was two have that golden tack that we used in class to create our own time. This would have helped the kids to explore time better at home changing it as they want instead of having one stationary time that they made. Some made their bed time clock, some their hockey time, some lunch and so many others. In the future, I will work on what will help the lower grade like kindergarten and grade 1 so that they can have a better understanding of the concept of time.
Overall, I must have have over 100 students come through my station today. It was a good experience and good exposure for teacher candidate to have a feel of the students they will be working with in the near future.
