Bring Back Estimation!

Ever since the rise of technology the skill of estimation has become almost obsolete. With a calculator always at people’s fingertips it seems much easier to just whip that out instead of using your brain to do a quick estimate. Unfortunately, like most things in life, if you don’t use it you lose it! I have fallen into this trap and have lost almost all of my ability to estimate. Because our the ease of access I have become so reliant that I feel it is of utmost importance to know the numbers exactly, whether it be for a tip on dinner or a sale at the mall. However, with improved estimation skills it is amazing how close you can get.

My mother has always been technologically challenged—so by default her estimation skills are rocking! She can figure out a percentage off of any number. I have been experiencing this for 21 years and I still have no idea how she does it. She makes me wonder what the best way to improve my estimation skills would be. Is there any hope once they’re gone? Of course. It’s time to put down my cell phone and get out my brain. I am a big bargain shopper so it shouldn’t take long to refresh my skills!!!

How to teach it in the classroom? Practice, practice, practice! That is how to get better at it–force them to do it over and over again. Additionally, I think it is important to prove to them how close they can get without the use of a calculator! Empowering young people to use their brain and outsmart the millennial generation that is glued to their smartphones may have a profound impact on the future! To get away from being addicted to technology will help so much more than estimation skills!

In the example above it is clear to see that if you take the numbers from the problem and make them whole numbers (seen here in red ink) it is much simpler to solve. AND it is only $12 off. Estimation is great!

And in case you don’t believe me, here is a resource to tell you about all the pros of estimation.

Venn Diagrams—the most confusing math topic

Venn diagrams never really made sense to me once I got past the basics. I comprehended how the things that two different groups had in common went in the middle of the two circles and the things they didn’t went on their own respective sides. But then unions, intersections, compliments, and a universal set were introduced and that seemed to cloud up my understanding of the topic. Today I wanted to just touch on a few of these complications that haunted me as a child.

The one that still hinders me today is the idea of a universal set. When I think of the universal set I think of the universe. The wide, expansive, all inclusive, universe! However, this isn’t always the case. According to the dictionary a universal set is defined as, “the set containing all objects or elements and of which all other sets are subsets.” In plain English I understand this as a set that includes every element that is being considered in a particular situation. It is denoted by a U and is usually visually represented by a box around two circles.

The other concept that is still difficult for me today is the idea of a complement—and no it’s not someone telling you that you drew your Venn diagrams well today. A compliment is defined as, “The complement of a set using Venn diagram is a subset of U. Let U be the universal set and let A be a set such that A ⊂ U. Then, the complement of A with respect to U is denoted by A’ or AC or U – A or ~ A and is defined the set of all those elements of U which are not in A.” WOW, that was confusing. To break that down into simpler terms the definition can also be thought of as all the elements that are a part of the universal set but not part of the set. It is denoted by A^C.

I think the best way to teach this lesson in a classroom would be through various pictures. Venn diagrams are best explained through examples and having the kids draw out the circles themselves. Again, I think it is very important to always relate it back to real life as well—so they know there’s a point! Give them word problems and see if they can use a Venn diagram to manipulate the information and make the problem easier

Here are some great examples to use in the classroom to apply the concept!

Example 1

Example 2

Finding Their Place—In the World and The Math Classroom.

The Place Value System is a concept that seems so simple to us as adults. It might be hard to understand why it would be a challenging thing for children to grasp either. Well the truth is—sometimes it isn’t—but the right tools must be used! The kids need to start from the very beginning in order to wrap their heads around this brand new concept. So what are the most effective teaching methods for this? I have a few that I feel work best!

For the visual learners in the classroom—this is the lesson for them! First, I think one of the best ways to begin teaching this subject is a picture of some sort that lays it all out before them. Like the one below—this allows them to see the whole picture before diving into the details.

Once the kids have grasped the concept about what they will be learning about it will be time to dive into the details and start applying it! In order for them to really cement the topic into their brains I feel the most effective tool is some sort of worksheet! This forces them to collaborate with a classmate and really figure it out! A great tool is seen below.

This particular worksheet tests their knowledge twice! The first with color the different place values different colors. Next, they are asked to cut out the squares on the bottom and match them to the correct column!

Finally, to finish off the lesson, it is important to apply it to the real world in order for the children to see that what they are learning has value. Some of my favorite examples of applying the place value system include applying it to math problems involving money, showing the students how it can make multiplication easier, and finally they can use their base ten blocks or other manipulatives to apply this concept to numbers. Follow this link for a great lesson using base ten blocks!

If you’re completely lost or your kids aren’t picking up on the topic liked you’d hoped here is a step-by-step list of ideas that could make the lesson smoother! Link!

The Classes That Lead to the Classroom—Why are they so hard??

When I was 8 years old there is nothing I wanted more than to be a teacher when I grew up. I had a profound respect for my teachers and thought they had superhuman powers. As time went on, and I continued to grow up, I wanted to be everything from a doctor to a chemical engineer. Yet somehow after two semesters at college I suddenly found myself in a major that I never imagined would be my niche—accounting! My class schedules have been extremely rigorous and I will graduate with 150 credits in just four years. This means 18 credit semesters and summer school! Usually for summer school I just take general classes that seem like they’ll be a walk in the park—so I enrolled in Math for Elementary School I.

Boy was I WRONG! This math class is hard. I figured we would be just be learning the best way to teach certain math topics in the classroom—wrong again! I have been challenged in many different ways throughout this class! I have relearned many math concepts and learned countless new ones. I have been struggling through math problems for the past eight weeks when I thought this class was going to be about helping future students when they are struggling with things like adding, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Topics that I can handle!

This last week of class it has dawned on me that there is a reason I am being forced to struggle through all of these topics, even when there is no way that they would be taught in an elementary classroom. The kids are going to feel the same way about addition as I feel about making repeating decimals magically turn into a simple fraction. They will feel challenged just like I am and I am learning how to cope with these feelings now so that I can help them in the future.

I have always respected teachers but after this class I respect them even more. This class has made me want to get into a classroom and impact children’s lives. And I am doing just that—I have signed up to teach a financial literacy class to kids during the last month of summer.

Not just anyone can be a teacher!

Hats off to you!