Innovative Ways for Teaching Math

Teaching to all of the students in your classroom takes innovation.

What is the best way for a student to learn math? It depends on the best way that student learns. All people learn in different ways. Addressing all of the styles in the classroom, by teaching math concepts with innovative methods, leads to understanding in the classroom -- and a classroom filled with students displaying all of the different learning styles.

Manipulatives

You can find poker chips at a discount or dollar store for your math class.

To teach concepts and vocabulary, it is important to use real objects in the math classroom as manipulatives. The teacher can use popsicle sticks, pattern blocks, egg cartons, coupons, dominoes, poker chips and fruit among many other easily accessible items.Using these hands-on materials will help the students understand abstract math concepts. One idea to employ the manipulatives, involves teaching fractions. When teaching fraction of a part, give each student 24 poker chips. Ask her to find 3/4 of the set, 75 percent of the set or divide the set into four equal parts. In the younger classroom, sorting and making patterns with the hands-on objects gets all students involved, especially the tactile learners.

Total Physical Response

In total physical response students move from their desks.

To engage the students, especially the ones that like to use their bodies, employ total physical response. Teachers describe concepts while modeling actions and engage the students in the actions. One opportunity to use total physical response is to make a human circle graph titled, "Seasons Our Birthdays Are In." Have the students stand in a circle outside sorted by the season in which their birthday falls. Divide the circle into sectors with yarn separating the seasons. Place spring, summer, fall or winter labels on the ground in the proper sector. Using total physical response in geometry offers many opportunities for the students. Have the students make a right angle, straight angle, reflex angle or acute angle with their bodies.

Cooperative Groups

All the children bring their strengths to the group.

Setting up the classroom into heterogeneous groups for math class offers opportunities for the students to work together drawing on the strengths of the all of the members of the group. Offer a problem to each group that requires using problem-solving techniques: write the problem into simpler terms; discuss and come up with a strategy to solve the problem; carry out the strategy; and look back and make sure the solution makes sense. Completing these steps in a group builds confidence as the students share their strategies and solve the problem.

Math Games and Songs

Adapt games and songs to reinforce math concepts. Change the rules to a familiar game to include math concepts. The competitiveness of the games turns the learning on. If your class is learning decimal, fraction and percent conversions, make a Bingo board with decimals, fractions and percents listed on them. Call out an equivalent number, for example, call out 40 percent. The students are looking for 0.4, 2/5 or 40/100 on their Bingo board.

If the students are having a hard time remembering the concepts in math, make it into a song. "Are You Sleeping," "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," are both simple songs to change the words to complement your math lesson. Also, Lady Gaga adapts well to geometry concepts.

References

• NDT Resource Center: Learning Styles
• "20 Ways To..." Teach Mathematics: Strategies to Reach All Students; Joseph M. Furner, et al.; September 2005
• Education World: Lesson Plan: Math Bingo; Gary Hopkins
• Math Madness: Math Songs, Math Games, Math Lyrics; Bob Garvey