Concept Mapping

A few of the pupils in the Math class have been revising some work before sitting their level D test again .... so we've all been thinking about fractions, percentages and decimals.

While I worked with the smaller group, I asked the rest of the class to help me with my Charter Teacher studies by producing their own Concept Maps to show the link between these three areas. None of us have made Concept Maps, but the pupils kindly agreed to help me with my studies. I've included a selection of the concepts maps that were made today. You can click on the pictures to make them bigger.






We enjoy receiving comments on our posts. To leave a comment, please click here

Problem Solutions

Himalayan Expedition Problem

The bridge can carry a maximum load of 200kg - there are 2 climbers with rucksacks each weighing 95kg. There are 3 porters, each weighing 70kg. 5 large supply packs weigh 18kg each and a porter can carry 2 packs. Work out how they can cross the bridge in less than 5 trips.

Some groups made models, some groups drew diagrams and some used a combination of both. We voted for the best 2 'presentations' and made a video of them for our Blog. James is the cameraman!

The Videos
The winning groups were The Formulas (click here to view) and The Denominators (viewed here)

Please leave comments here

Catch Up Post

The Math class have been working very hard.

We've been setting the 'ground rules' for what makes a good collaborative class.

We've also managed to replace all our faulty mp3 players and we're ready to make more podcasts!

We're going to make our first video tomorrow to explain our 'journey to the answer' as we give our group solutions for solving a version of a classic problem.

....... And we're also getting used to using our new WebCam - exciting times!!

Podcasting

It's super that the pupils are enjoying making the podcasts so much ........ there is a problem with the quality though - especially when compared with the first one made with another make of MP3 player. We're working on this!

First pupil post .... First Parent Post!!

Tessie (I'm guessing!) wrote:

hi. i am in your maths group and it is so fun using the mp3's. i actually look forward to maths now. i used to hate it!! now i love going and working in my group and recording podcasts!!!!

Then she wrote:

hi!!! the podcasts r really gd and i enjoyed listening to them. i am upset tht i couldnt be there but i am away. please tell brenna and nicola tht i am sorry!!!!!

Karen Harvey said...

I think the maths blog and problem solving mp3's are a fantastic idea. Brenna is enjoying maths more than ever and feels that she is improving her problem solving skills.We have noticed such a difference in her confidence regarding maths and feel that is down to participation in this project and the thought of helping others to understand maths problems.Keep up the good work!!!!!

Thank you - your comments are very appreciated ..... in fact, they're the whole point!

The Maths Groups are Named and Up and Running!

We've had a busy few days in the math class. Some of us have successfully uploaded our podcasts on to our wikispace page ..... we need to work on making them a bit clearer by editing them on Audacity (any parent or helper with expertise in this area?? PLEASE get in touch).

The Formulas seem to be really enjoying their new way of working!

The Axes are very proud of the fact that they were first to manage to work out how to include a podcast on their page - well done!

The Calculators are the brainy ones? :)

The Protractors look set for action.

The Denominator team are already very well organised.

Why not visit all of our wikispace pages? We plan to update them on a regular basis.

Learning About the Technology Bit

Today we tackled quite an easy problem from our SHM textbook so that we could concentrate on the 'technology bit'.
We met up in our groups and discussed our methods for solving the problem .......the journey to the answer! bit.....

We decided what to include in our podcast - made the recording - then edited it on 'Audacity' before uploading the podcast to our wikispace.

Well done to Stuart for being the first to successfully manage the whole process with limited advice!!

Lots more to follow - group names and their meanings .. group photos and more podcasts!

Off to a Flying Start!

We had a busy Math class hour today.

First of all we had to make some rules ..... working collaboratively can seem very noisy - and some people can get over-excited!!

However, we've made some rules and everyone in the group has a job. There's a 'secretary' who writes down ideas, a 'manager' who keeps everyone on task, and a 'reporter' whose job it is to report back on the groups' findings.

We worked independently at first .... then met up with group members to discuss how we had approached the problem.

Math Class Experiment!

I'm looking forward to our new experiment in the P7V math class. It's a great co-incidence that I've recently enrolled in my Chartered Teacher Numeracy module, and I'm getting lots of ideas from listening to and taking part in some great online 'discussions' about the way forward in this area.

The pupils have chosen their 'problem solving buddies' - groups of 3. We're going to choose group names using mathematical language words ..... the denominators? the parallelograms? the protractors? .... who knows - watch this space!

We've aslo spent some time getting to know our new MP3 players and the groups have already had some success editing a recording themselves using 'Audacity'. We're hoping to use a Thursday ICT suite slot to add some podcasts to our new math group wikispaces.

Click here to learn more about our Computer suite