Return-Path: <nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id iANN0CQ11049; Tue, 23 Nov 2004 18:00:12 -0500 (EST) Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2004 18:00:12 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <5.0.2.1.2.20041123141428.00a75e70@pop.ix.netcom.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Michele Craig (shellcraig@ix.netcom.com)" <shellcraig@ix.netcom.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:1194] Re: Patterns for multiplication X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.0.2 Status: O Content-Length: 5997 Lines: 130 Nick, You can usually determine if a student is an auditory learner because they are the ones reading with their lips moving or often verbalizing as they learn. As an auditory learner, I am the one who has to "talk through the math problem" in class. But at times I have also given students learning style surveys to see what ways they learn best. I will look for a link for you for one I used to use when I taught at the Community College. When I taught English at the college I was always surprised that my students consistently had about a 30% rate as kinesthetic learners. But then I thought, well, we don't often teach English this way, do we? So of course they would end up in rememdial college English classes. Often I ask them when they come into class to let me know how they learn best. Do they like to watch a video? Would they like to work with a group of people? Do they prefer book work on their own? Sometimes their answers to this will give you a clue. For your second question, I just used something from Myrna Manly's book from the chapter on "Seeing multiplication and division." You have the students take a multiplication table and make a line through the perfect squares. Many of my students hadn't ever heard of this concept. So then I added in a little lesson where we took Math-U-See blocks and built perfect squares. I gave the four people in the group each a different number to build (7 by 7, 5 by 5). They had a surprising amount of difficulty with this. So then when they finally figured it out, I had them build some other problems (10 by 3 and then 3 by10 etc.) They had problems seeing that these were the same multiplication problem reversed. If you don't have blocks, you can also do this activity on graph paper. This was all by way of showing them what a perfect square was-- a perfect square when you built it. Then, Myrna Manly has this cool activity where you get them to travel down the line you've made along the squares to the little box of those multiplication facts that are the bane of all our existence -- 7 times 8 etc. She has the students see that the facts above the perfect square line and below are mirror images of each other. She has you talk about the pattern with the 9's (that the digits add up to 9) which prompted one of the students to show us a way she learned it on her fingers. Essentially, this was a lesson on the patterns of mathematics. If I had time, we could probably explore other patterns just with the multiplication table. I know that I have seen Myrna demonstrate parts of this at a workshop. For the same reason, I have started introducing a weekly math or logic puzzle into my class. The students can write their guesses or solutions on a paper and then a week later I post the answer and give a small prize for the winners. This has been an amazing experience. Students talk about possible solutions and answers, and some who are really not good at calculation are very good at problem solving. Hope this helps. Michele At 12:59 AM 11/23/2004 -0500, you wrote: >Michele, > > Thank you for your input. You have given my lots of good > pointers. Two >questions: How do you determine if your student is an auditory learner? >Would you have some examples where you helped your students with memorizing >facts by explaining to them the connected missing concepts? > >Thanks, > >Nick > >Nick Griffis >Adult Education >Inlet Grove H.S. >Riviera Beach, >Florida 33480 >561-882-9967 > >-----Original Message----- >From: nifl-fobasics@nifl.gov [mailto:nifl-fobasics@nifl.gov]On Behalf Of >Michele Craig (shellcraig@ix.netcom.com) >Sent: Monday, November 22, 2004 5:41 PM >To: Multiple recipients of list >Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:1190] Re: Patterns for multiplication > > >Nick, > >Often, when students first come to me I give them a multiplication table >and have them put a check mark next to the ones that they look up. >Consciousness of which facts you are missing often makes an incredible >difference in their learning them. I get flash cards at the dollar store >and then often give them away to people. You can also download flashcards >at www.donnayoung.org. This site is run by a homeschooler and has graph >paper and other forms. It also has a good multiplication table I use and >both regular flash cards and three sided flash cards. > >What I realize more and more though is that my students don't just have a >problem with memorizing the facts, they can't memorize the facts because >they don't really understand the concept. I think too that Family Math has >some really good multiplication table patterning as does Myrna Manly's GED >Math Problem Solver. Too, I try to find out if they are auditory learners >and if so, teach them some version of skip counting as many of us (myself >included) learn those darn math facts better this way (for instance, you >can sing "3, 6, 9 -- 12, 15, -- 18, 21 -- 24 and 27 -- 30 and you're done" >to the tune of Jingle Bells. I know for myself though, those facts just >don't stick if I don't use them. It is also really important that they >understand the concept so that they have strategies for quickly figuring >out those facts they forget (because inevitably, as you discontinue >drilling, they will). > >Since I have a subscription to Boxermath, I also use have my students use >their flashcards too. > >I spend a lot of time with multiplication and division. As you say, if they >don't have a fluency with it, they have a hard time doing fractions and >other things. But, I don't really keep them from learning advanced math >concepts because of it. You don't need it for learning a lot of geometry. >Too, I found that when they do need it they realize why and are often more >willing to go back to the drilling. > >Michele Craig >Woodland Adult School >Woodland, CA > > >__________ NOD32 1.929 (20041122) Information __________ > >This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system. >http://www.nod32.com
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