March 22

Blog/Discussion Board Name: Math Teachers at Play

Brief Description: Shares ideas and practices that have worked for experienced teachers.

Questions/Comments Received: Two people responded to my question. One person suggested that I use the a Internet as a source, but i find the Internet to be quite overwhelming with information and I end up being even more discouraged than when I first started. Then I checked back on Thursday to find an idea that was right in front of me all along. This person suggested that I used a quote of the day, much like a problem of the day is given in many math classes. The quote can be motivational to get the students in the right mind set for conquering the days' lesson and i can still use the Internet as a tool to search quotes of the day.

Questions/Comments Given: I posted a question last week about how to get the students motivated before a lesson. I find it difficult to come up with good motivations for certain topics. I asked if anyone had any ideas as to what I should try.

March 15

Blog/Discussion Board Name: MathNotations

Brief Description: Looks for fully developed math investigations, math challenges, problems of the day and standardized test practice, with an emphasis on developing conceptual mathematical understanding.

Summary of Topics Discussed: "A Middle School Mental Math Practical Problem"  is a discussion on assigning students a practical problem that requires them to think outside of the box and gather the informational needed to solve the problem rather than being given all the necessary information

Questions/Comments Received:

Questions/Comments Given: I commented on how our students tend to lose interest when we as teachers try to explain how a problem is solve rather than giving the answer or a formula for them to substitute. I asked for suggestion on how I can give motivational hints that move students along to solving the problem rather than giving away the answer