TPE 1

TPE 1.3: Connect subject matter to real-life contexts and provide active learning experiences to engage student interest, support student motivation, and allow students to extend their learning.

What is this?

This is a still image taken from a video of my teaching in a second-grade math classroom. During this lesson, I used building blocks and student helpers to construct a word problem that corelated to the scene being played out for the class. The idea was that one student would start with an unknown amount of blocks, and they would share a specified amount with their classmate. From there, the class was tasked with forming a word problem that would help them determine how many blocks the student had started with before sharing the blocks.

Why did I choose this?

I chose this as an example because it was an effective way to make the curriculum relevant to the students' lives. By using a real-world example to demonstrate new math concepts, students were able to understand both how to do the work and why they were learning it. Additionally, students enjoyed the idea of creating their own problems and inserting themselves into the lesson, making for a rich and engaging learning experience.

What did I learn?

In doing this activity, I realized that it is helpful for students to see themselves in the work they are doing. If the activity is not relevant to them, or if there is no rationale as to why they are learning about a topic, they will lose interest. However, by adding an interesting story and giving real-life context to their math problems, the students will be more engaged.