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00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 Welcome to Your Morning Boost, your daily leadership advice to help you lead your school community.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:09 Brought to you by AWB Education and sponsored by Grundmeyer Leader Services,
00:00:10 --> 00:00:14 where together we are transforming education, one leader at a time.
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 Now here's your host, Adam Bush. Good morning, school leaders,
00:00:18 --> 00:00:22 and welcome to Your Morning Boost from AWB Education. Happy Monday.
00:00:22 --> 00:00:26 I'm excited to kick off your week with some fresh ideas, and today we're going
00:00:26 --> 00:00:29 to start by making math more engaging.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:34 Joe Bowler, a math education guru at Stanford, once said that when students
00:00:34 --> 00:00:39 see math as a set of cool ideas and relationships, and they get to explore these
00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 with their own curiosity and creativity,
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 they can really experience the joy and wonder of mathematics.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 Well, that's all there is to it, folks. That's all we got to do.
00:00:49 --> 00:00:54 But it's true if we hear those words and understand that if it's just math and
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 it's just numbers, kids get bored of that. Well, not all kids.
00:00:56 --> 00:00:59 I like math. That probably would have been right up my alley.
00:00:59 --> 00:01:02 But for a lot of kids, it's just not something that they want to do unless we
00:01:02 --> 00:01:05 try to help make it a little bit more engaging.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:08 So that's what we're going to talk about today. We're going to talk about sparking
00:01:08 --> 00:01:12 that joy and wonder in our students, whether they're in elementary or high school
00:01:12 --> 00:01:16 and whatever math they're in, we're going to talk about trying to increase that engagement.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:20 Like I said, let's be honest. Math sometimes gets a bad rap.
00:01:20 --> 00:01:24 It can seem very dry and abstract and even for some a bit scary.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:29 Many of us remember those boring worksheets and endless memorization making
00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 us think that math is just about finding the right answer.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:37 But it doesn't have to be that way. We can totally change that story by just
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 using some cool new approaches and encouraging a growth mindset.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:44 We can turn math from a dreaded subject into this exciting adventure.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:47 Think about all those little ones we have in elementary school.
00:01:47 --> 00:01:51 Hands-on learning is where it's at. We want to ditch the worksheets and textbooks
00:01:51 --> 00:01:56 and sometimes bring in the blocks and counters and everyday stuff just to make math come alive.
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 Like an example, when you're teaching fractions, let them divide up pizzas.
00:02:00 --> 00:02:04 Now, you can do real ones, I suppose, or paper ones.
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 Might want to check your board policy on the pizza, but hey,
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 you know, you can do paper ones as well.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:13 But we'll talk about dividing these up into slices to see how different fractions make up the whole.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:19 Or when we're exploring geometry, let's build 3D shapes. We can use marshmallows
00:02:19 --> 00:02:22 and toothpicks like I remember doing back in physics classes,
00:02:22 --> 00:02:25 or we can use all sorts of other shapes or even drawing our own.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:29 I mean, most of our kids are going to love that. Games are another awesome tool.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:35 Board games, card games, or even some online math games. This helps make learning fun and engaging.
00:02:35 --> 00:02:40 Maybe even a math game day every month where kids rotate through some different
00:02:40 --> 00:02:43 game stations, practicing skills and working together.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:47 The key here is just to make the math something they can touch and play with
00:02:47 --> 00:02:48 while they're learning.
00:02:48 --> 00:02:51 Now, for those older students, we're talking about the ones in secondary school,
00:02:52 --> 00:02:56 we want to try to keep that hands-on approach going. But we also need to show
00:02:56 --> 00:02:59 them how math connects to the real world. project-based learning,
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 it can be a game-changer here.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:06 Have them design a skate park using geometry, have them analyze sports stats
00:03:06 --> 00:03:11 to learn about statistics, or even build a mini roller coaster to explore some
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 physics and engineering while they're doing that math.
00:03:13 --> 00:03:17 It not only makes the math more relevant, but it also helps them with some critical
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 thinking and problem-solving skills as well.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:24 Just imagine a project where they create a budget and research real-world examples.
00:03:24 --> 00:03:27 They build spreadsheets and analyze different financial scenarios.
00:03:28 --> 00:03:29 I mean, talk about real world skills.
00:03:30 --> 00:03:34 Then don't forget about using that technology. Interactive simulations,
00:03:34 --> 00:03:38 virtual manipulatives, and online learning platforms. These can give students
00:03:38 --> 00:03:41 a personalized learning experience and cater to those different learning styles.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:46 There's a lot of tools on Desmos or GeoGebra or Khan Academy.
00:03:46 --> 00:03:50 All of these have all sorts of tools that can help add to our curriculum and
00:03:50 --> 00:03:54 give students engaging ways to practice and explore math.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:57 You can use Desmos to graph equations and see how they change.
00:03:57 --> 00:04:02 Or they can explore historical data on population growth with interactive maps and graphs.
00:04:03 --> 00:04:06 Virtual reality can even take them to different worlds, or they can explore
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 and experience math in a whole new way.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:13 Here's the thing. Beyond all the cool tools and techniques, it's super important
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 to encourage that growth mindset.
00:04:15 --> 00:04:20 Let's encourage our students to embrace challenges, see mistakes as opportunities
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 to learn, and be okay with the failure.
00:04:22 --> 00:04:26 But we just got to keep going and be resilient when things get tough.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 Praise their effort and persistence. It's not just the right answers we're looking
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 for. It's also that process.
00:04:32 --> 00:04:37 Create that classroom where it's okay to take risks and ask questions.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:42 Carol Dweck, who wrote Mindset, the new psychology of success, she says it best.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:45 In a growth mindset, challenges are exciting rather than threatening.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 So rather than thinking, oh, I'm going to reveal my weakness,
00:04:49 --> 00:04:52 you say, wow, here's a chance to grow.
00:04:52 --> 00:04:56 This is so true for our students in math class. help students understand that
00:04:56 --> 00:05:01 their brains are like muscles that get stronger with practice and effort.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:05 I truly believe that by using a few innovative approach and fostering this growth
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 mindset, we can light that fire for math in our students.
00:05:08 --> 00:05:11 Just got to make math an exciting adventure, full of exploration,
00:05:12 --> 00:05:14 discovery, and the joy of learning.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:17 That's your Morning Boost for today. I encourage you to try out these strategies
00:05:17 --> 00:05:19 and see what works best for your students.
00:05:20 --> 00:05:23 Have a great day. Thanks for tuning in to your Morning Boost from AWB Education.
00:05:23 --> 00:05:25 We will talk with you again tomorrow.