Over the past couple class periods we have been talking about integers. First we discussed using a timeline to show how positive and negative numbers are related. I really enjoyed this activity because it allowed students to apply negative and positive numbers to real life situations.
This is an example of what a finished timeline might look like. You could have students compare their timelines to the other students as well as to yours. Then students could get with a partner and ask each other questions about their time line. An example of this would be how much older is my sister than my brother. I would have students first answer this using the timeline and then write out the expression using integer. The answer to this question is 10. Which can be calculated by 7- -3. This allows students to think about integers in a real life situation. It is also a way to get students comfortable working with a number line.
Another activity we did involving integers was working with an interactive number line. This means the students create a number line on the floor of the classroom. This allows students to physically use the number line and become comfortable with it. Once they are comfortable with it you can have students walk out questions you ask them or have them make up problems of their own.
Here is a video that talks about using a rap to teach the number line. (https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/math-teaching-techniques) While I am not a rapper myself this is a great idea. I thought that this teacher really got the students to understand the material and he made it fun as well.
All of these activities give students a way to put integers and using the number line into real world context. Too often students think of the number line as simply a tool, and especially as a tool that they do not need. However, all of these activities have a way to strengthen a students knowledge of the number line.
The timeline activity allows students to think about their lives and time as a whole in terms of numbers. Positive and negative numbers really have strong meaning in this case because positive things are those that have happened since they were born and negative things are those that happened before. This is a good way to start students off thinking about integers in terms of positives and negatives because it makes it about them.
The interactive number line gets the students physically involved. I love the idea of asking students how they would present adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers on the number line because it forces them to think about why they do things and not just how.
The video uses rap to try and get to the students. Math is a subject that many students struggle to understand and when you give them a strategy to help them remember things it can really help. And so students might be more interested in learning a rap then simply learning math rules.
When it comes to talking about positive and negative numbers there are countless different methods and activities that you can use. In the end you have to figure out what works best for your students. The students could be struggling to understand what exactly it means for a number to be negative, and in that case the timeline activity may be helpful. They could learn though physically doing things and so an interactive number line may be the way to go. Or they could have no desire to learn this material and may need something to make it more enjoyable for them, and so then maybe use the rap.
This blogpost helped me to realize that when it comes to teaching you can plan all you want but in the end you need to figure out what works best for your current students.
All of these activities give students a way to put integers and using the number line into real world context. Too often students think of the number line as simply a tool, and especially as a tool that they do not need. However, all of these activities have a way to strengthen a students knowledge of the number line.
The timeline activity allows students to think about their lives and time as a whole in terms of numbers. Positive and negative numbers really have strong meaning in this case because positive things are those that have happened since they were born and negative things are those that happened before. This is a good way to start students off thinking about integers in terms of positives and negatives because it makes it about them.
The interactive number line gets the students physically involved. I love the idea of asking students how they would present adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers on the number line because it forces them to think about why they do things and not just how.
The video uses rap to try and get to the students. Math is a subject that many students struggle to understand and when you give them a strategy to help them remember things it can really help. And so students might be more interested in learning a rap then simply learning math rules.
When it comes to talking about positive and negative numbers there are countless different methods and activities that you can use. In the end you have to figure out what works best for your students. The students could be struggling to understand what exactly it means for a number to be negative, and in that case the timeline activity may be helpful. They could learn though physically doing things and so an interactive number line may be the way to go. Or they could have no desire to learn this material and may need something to make it more enjoyable for them, and so then maybe use the rap.
This blogpost helped me to realize that when it comes to teaching you can plan all you want but in the end you need to figure out what works best for your current students.
Amanda, this is a good thought process regarding introducing integers and their operations to students, (and while I am commenting on this a couple of weeks after we went over this in class!); also, I think that you have a great perspective on getting students involved in grasping this process by linking the cognitive process of learning integer operations with the physical movement of students on the class number line.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I watched the video you mentioned above, and I totally agree with your assessment of it; that is, the teacher does an excellent job of trying to "mix it up" to get students more enthused about integer operations and math in general. I definitely believe that, as future math educators, that we need to develop effective and relatable tools/contexts to get students to actually care about mathematics.