Active Learning in Mathematics

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Active Learning in Mathematics
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Task

• During this session we will review what active
  maths is, along with a dozen activities that
  support active learning.

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Learning intentions

• Understand the difference between passive and
  active learning.
• To try a range of activities and link these with
  some of the key principals of active learning.

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Success Criteria

• I have examined my own beliefs about maths
  learning.
• I have understood the concept of active
  learning.
• I have participated in the learning activities
  and considered how I could incorporate these or
  similar activities in my teaching.

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Current Views

• Group formation
• Activity 1 Card Sort Belief statements

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From Passive to Active Learning
I listen while the teacher explains. I copy
down the method from the board or textbook. I
only do questions I am told to do. I work on my
own. I try to follow all the steps of a
lesson. I do easy problems first to increase my
confidence. I copy out questions before doing
them. I practise the same method repeatedly on
many questions.
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Some Principals that Support Active Learning

• Teaching is more effective when it
• builds on the knowledge learners already have.
• exposes and discusses common misconceptions.
• Activity 2 Time
• Activity 3 Exam questions

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Some Principals that Support Active Learning

• Teaching is more effective when it
• uses higher-order questioning
• Activity 4 Dylan Williams multiple answer
  questions
• http//www.ltscotland.org.uk/numeracy/aboutnumerac
  y/numeracyconference09.asp 26 - 32mins

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Questioning in maths diagnosis

• In which of these right-angled triangles is a2
  b2 c2 ?

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Eliciting evidence

• Key idea questioning should
• cause thinking
• provide data that informs teaching
• Improving teacher questioning
• generating questions with colleagues
• closed v open
• low-order v high-order
• appropriate wait-time
• Getting away from I-R-E
• basketball rather than serial table-tennis
• No hands up (except to ask a question)
• class polls to review current attitudes towards
  an issue
• Hot Seat questioning
• All-student response systems
• ABCD cards, Mini white-boards, Exit passes

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Some Principals that Support Active Learning

• Teaching is more effective when it
• uses cooperative small group work
• Activity 5 Team game

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Some Principals that Support Active Learning

• Teaching is more effective when it
• Encourages reasoning rather than answer getting
• Activity 6 Sometimes / always / never

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Some Principals that Support Active Learning

• Teaching is more effective when it
• uses rich collaborative tasks
• Activity 7 Jigsaws
• Activity 8 Using mark schemes

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Some Principals that Support Active Learning

• Teaching is more effective when it
• creates connections between topics
• Activity 9 Fractions decimals percentages
  washing line from Peter Patilla human number line

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• Same Different
• ½
• 0.5
• 50
• ?
• 0.500000

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• Making connections
• The three-times table
• Multiples of 3
• Input x3 output
• x 3x
• Y 3x

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Some Principals that Support Active Learning

• Teaching is more effective when it
• Uses technology
• Activity 10 Median and quartiles
• Subtangent
• http//www.subtangent.com/maths/median-and-quartil
  es.php

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More Ideas!

• Using Posters

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Activity 11 Pair Posters
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More Ideas

• Active activities that require learners to move!
• Activity 12 Treasure hunt and Talking chips

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Learning intentions

• Understand the difference between passive and
  active learning.
• To try a range of activities and link these with
  some of the key principals of active learning.

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Success Criteria

• I have examined my own beliefs about maths
  learning.
• I have understood the concept of active
  learning.
• I have participated in the learning activities
  and considered how I could incorporate these or
  similar activities in my teaching.

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Reflection

• Take some time to consider what we have covered
  today and try to identify the next steps you
  would like to take.

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• See more at
• http//moray-literacy-and-numeracy.wikispaces.com/
  
• and join!

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Reading References

• Building Learning in Mathematics Prestage,
  Watson De Geest
• Mathematical Treasure-Hunts Lucas
• Interactive Mental Maths Patilla
• Thinking Through Mathematics NRDC
• Dylan Williams keynote speech at National
  Numeracy Conference 2009 http//www.ltscotland.org
  .uk/numeracy/aboutnumeracy/numeracyconference09.as
  p

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