Why Make the Distinction?
Have some of your students already mentally "ruled out" a major in mathematics?
It is pretty common for high school students to make judgements about mathematics in general based on their experience in math classrooms throughout their education (which makes sense - can't blame them!). Obviously, the math they have been exposed to is limited to the topics in K-12 curriculum and is limited to the teaching styles that are common in early, middle, and secondary education. However, a student can become completely turned off to mathematics without ever even getting a peek at certain fields within math. Don't let your students give up on a future in a mathematical area they have never even heard of yet! I experienced this myself, and was so lucky to have one last math class during senior year of high school to knock some sense into me. I had disliked math all along. Because of scheduling changes, I ended up taking one last class even though my math credit requirements were already satisfied. The last minute peek into higher level math got me so interested that I chose a major and career in Math! I ended up going into math education. Without that class, I would never have discovered my LOVE for math. I have also experienced this as a teacher. Sometimes, when students get a glimpse into theoretical or applied math, they realize that they truly do not hate all math. Before your students leave high school, give them a peek at the options that lie ahead. Be sure that they are aware that there are fields within mathematics that may interest them far more than the math they have studied so far. It may just make the difference for someone who truly is meant for a career in math and does not yet realize it. Some topics for discussion:
After they do a little research, have your students make a quick chart with examples of Theoretical and Applied Math topics. Have each student determine which area they might prefer to study. Here is a worksheet to guide your students in this short project. Another option is to work as a whole class and collaborate to make one huge chart on the board. Enjoy! Click on the images to download. Worksheet Included to Guide Your Class Research and Discussion
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11/24/2014 7 Comments Infographics for Education
In this fast-paced world of instant access to information, infographics have become popular for displaying statistics and facts.
Take advantage of this trend to give your students a great visual tool! After seeing this format of informational displays all over pinterest, I noticed that most of the available infographics were used persuasively. I saw plenty of environmental and political data as well as great stats for a wide variety of topics. I decided to start putting together some educational infographics that could be used in the classroom to display content. Math students LOVE having these as a reference. They are so helpful for my visual learners.
I have also collected some sites and tools that will help you and your students to develop some great infographics and start taking advantage of this idea right away!
Student-Created Infographics
One way to incorporate infographics into your classroom is to assign your students a short project in which they develop their own infographic. This works great in any subject area and is a great way to integrate technology education into your curriculum. You can offer this as one option when you differentiate using a choice board or you can require all students to make an infographic.
You can give a very specific list of what must be included within the topic or allow students a little more freedom. Here are a few samples:
Here are some sites and tools that your students can use: * Piktochart (a free tool for designing infographics) * Easel.ly (a free tool for original content) * Classroom Clipart (free images for students to use) Note: These are NOT for commercial use. Please make sure each is appropriate for your students and grade level before using. Teacher-Created Infographics
Another option is to create an infographic yourself and print it for students.
You can place any information that you feel is most important for them to remember about each topic. Students really love having these as study guides. They can remember the concepts because they can visualize the way that the infographic presented the information.
Click here to visit my "Infographics" category within my store. They are available for just a dollar, which entitles you to unlimited printing for all of your students FOREVER! Check them out or have fun creating your own!
I leave a space on the left of each tall half-page, so we can easily 3 hole punch them for binders.
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