Tips, Tools & Tech for the Busy Teacher: Asking Questions & Human Rights Education in Math

Our library is subscribed to the digital and print format of Mathematics Teaching Middle School (MTMS) and Mathematics Teacher (MT), publications of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Of course, these resources were requested by our Math teachers a few years back and since then, they have been using the magazines and journals for teaching and instruction. What I like about MT and MTMS is that it has articles that discuss mathematics conceptually.

Take for example the issue of MT last October 2018. It has a discussion on human rights, human rights education and how allocation of resources like food production can be taught through math. Food is an experience common to all, likewise the access to food supply is a basic human right. Food shortage is a global problem. In an article by Blair Izard, Teaching Human Rights Through Mathematics, these personal and global issues on food are discussed with matching equations to show data and numbers that establish reason, logic and clarity. Honestly, my comprehension reached a bottle neck when Izard presented a set of equations. I leave that to the Math teachers!

What really piqued my interest was Izard's methods of discussion before engaging students in the equations she shared in the article. She began with the question: When will a community first experience a shortage of food? This led her students to wonder and ask for more information like, population and the amount of food a country produces. This led her to draw out more questions from her students and even added hers to the discussion such as,  what is one way a country could potentially run out of food? and what information would you need to know to determine whether a country might run out of food?

Allowing her students to understand the needed information to answer the questions, she provided the information on population and food supply. After which, she presented the equations so they can solve for answers together. There is further explanation on her methods and how in the middle and at the end of the class, they were still in discussion of their answers. There are concepts in the lesson as well as mathematic skills, drills and cooperative and collaborative experiences for students.

Asking questions and techniques to facilitate this experience in a math class is also a featured article in MTMS as the October Issue highlights three best practices on teaching inquiry. These are: funneling, focusing and IRE.

Funneling is the technique teachers use through sequencing questions to lead students to a specific answer or conclusion. Focusing is a strategy where the teacher listens to students and their questions, helps them think through their questions and encourages them to press on the important ones so that their thinking is guided towards answering or finding solutions to it. IRE is an acronym that stands for Inquire, Respond and Evaluate. Teacher inquires on a topic, a concept, a math equation and students respond by answering the teacher through discussions, drills, models and even more questions. Teacher then evaluated the response using a pre-determined criteria or standards.

These are higher order thinking skills that need to be done on a regular basis. Integrating this in class as a thinking routine or a method of inquiry that will help build students' critical thinking skills as well as their emotional stamina. Note that the teacher is always present in the strategies,  techniques and methods presented. This only goes to show that teachers do teach concepts and skills, but they are companions of students in the journey of inquiry and thinking processes.

Now I am beginning to look at Math from a different perspective!

Convo on Makerspaces 3 of 3

Here is the last installment of my convo with Micaela Ramos of Big Pond Enterprises on Makerspaces.

MR: Kung may time po ako baka pwede po ako bumisita sa library niyo ma'am para makita ko yung Makerspace niyo in action  kasi kadalasan po iniisip 3d printers agad or complicated tech pag gagawa ng makerspace sainyo po simple lang, replicable, doable  kaya po ako na-attract.

ZG: Sure pero, vacation na namin.

MR: Will you continue it po sa next school year?

ZG: Yes. Mga STEM practitioners kase ang nag start ng makerspace

MR: Totoo po.

ZG: Public Librarians adapted it in their services and programs to help promote STEM and make the library a hub for learning. School librarians adapted it also. Kase, makerspace is perfect instructional tool for K-12 learners.

MR: Bakit po siya naging perfect ma'am dahil po sa skill set na na-dedevelop? Or as a "practice-ground?" for students?

ZG: Yes. As well as independence and ownership of one's learning. It is also a form of play. We learn a lot thru play, especially for students learning STEM concepts.

MR: True po.

ZG: I also believe in contextualization (of learning).

MR: Ano po ang ibig sabihin niyo sa contextualization Ma'am?

ZG: Context ng learner.

MR: I see po.

ZG: Contextualize learning activities and experiences based on learners needs and modalities

MR: Parang ang Makerspace po ang venue para po doon? tama po ba?

ZG: Yes. It's not the Makerspace that's the bida. It's the learner.

MR: Very good point po.

ZG: So the design of the Makerspace must be contextual to the learner's exeperiences. That's how I see it. That's how I do it.

MR: Nabago po ang understanding ko sa Makerspace thanks to you Ma'am. Very good points po. Siguro po kasi masaydo po akong nakafocus sa Makerspace itself rather than the real purpose of the space. Ma'am thank you very much po for engaging in a conversation with practically a stranger. Salamat po for entertaining my questions and for your invaluable insights. I hope we could collaborate in the future! Now I have another way of looking at Makerspaces.

ZG: Small thing. Welcome!

To follow is a write up on the Makerspaces I set up in our school library.

Convo on Makerspace 2 of 3

Here is Part 2 of the Makerspace convo I had with Micaela Ramos of Big Pond Enterprises.

MR:I see Ma'am. Napakaganda po ng efforts po ninyo. I would like to help encourage po sana other libarians to follow your example. Kailan niyo po nalaman yung concept ng "makerspace"?

ZG: Maganda ang layon mo. I am so busy that all I can do is blog about my activities, projects and programs. 2013 ko pa nalaman (ang tungkol sa Makerspace). Actually, ang Makerspace is not a new concept. It is similar to Learning Centers Approach to teaching and learning.

MR: Wow, i-research ko po iyan.

ZG: Knowledge is not contained in one discipline. If we look at a Makerspace as a new innovation, we are constructing our way of knowing and understanding the concept of learning and experiential teaching.

MR: Tama po kayo ma'am. I am trying to understand the concept more.

ZG: You look at the principles and philosophy behind a Makerspace. Then you can be more creative in setting up Makerspaces. The hardcore practitioners of Makerspaces may not approach its planning and implementation the way I do. I am weird hahah. And sometimes, unorthodox

MR: You make perfect sense to me ma'am. It means you truly understand the basics.

ZG: Simple lang ang buhay. Besides, it's short too.

MR: I agree po!

ZG: Keep it simple and short! But look at connections and patterns.

MR: Ma'am, thank you for your invaluable insights. If ever po, will you be willing to be interviewed for our company blog or perhaps conduct a seminar?  Continue po ma'am. Im' really interested in your POV.

Part 3 will be about the contextualization of Makerspaces in libraries.

Zarah

Convo on Makerspaces 1 of 3

I am sharing this exchange of conversation I had with Micaela Ramos of Big Pond Enterprises over at Messenger. Our topic is about Library Makerspaces.

Micaela Ramos: Hi Ms. Zarah! I read your blog on the makerspace you created in your library. Naimpress po talaga ako! I'm also a librarian from UPD but now working in a publishing company. Interested po akong malaman kung kamusta na po yung makerspace niyo ngayon? mas naggrow po ba? Thank you  po for your time!

Zarah Gagatiga: Same reception. Nagdagdag ako ng DIY Zen Garden this time. Nagustuhan rin ng mga students.

MR: Wow Ma'am ang galing niyo naman po. Mas involved na po ba yung faculty sa pagbuo ng makerspace or efforts niyo lang po lahat?

ZG: I think a makerspace is more successful if it is integrated in a subject area or content. Hindi pa rin sila involved.

MR: Ano po mga efforts niyo to get them involved? resistant po ba sila or busy lang?

ZG: I think initiatives like this need deliberate planning with faculty. Yung ginawa ko kase, under student services. Yung guidance counselor namin ang mas involved. What she did was to refer students to the stress buster table so they can make the art. And everyone is welcome to do it.

MR: Ma'am paano po kayo nagpropose sa student services? kinailangan niyo pa po ba ijustify? or sarili niyo na lang initiative tapos nagwork na lang kayo with the library's budget?

ZG: I didn't propose anymore. I know the thrusts and programs of the school, both academics and students services so, I plan my programs around it.

Part 2 of this convo is about the principles and pedagogy of Makerspaces.

Q & A on Supplementary Materials in the Classroom

With permission from the interviewer, I'm posting the set of questions she sent and my answers.

1. Why is it important for a teacher to use supplementary materials in the classroom?

Information and knowledge are not confined in textbooks. Supplementary materials (to me, it would mean teaching tools, instructional materials, AV teaching aids, etc.) offer a wide range of ideas, concepts, perspectives and ways of creating and communicating information and knowledge. Using supplementary materials challenges teachers and students to go beyond the prescribed curriculum. So, it's like putting into practice the learned concepts, skills and values in real life.

There are many sources of information and knowledge and these come in various formats. I think teachers need to continuously learn how to use these formats and media in teaching, as well as, identify effectively information and knowledge they can use in instruction.

You may look for this longitudinal study online, What Reading Does for the Mind by Anne E. Cunningham and Keith Stanovich, that discuss the effects of providing a variety of instructional materials (print, non-print, AV, online resources, social games, etc.) to students. One of the results is that, by exposing students to different learning and instructional resources would lead to the development of strong verbal and linguistic skills. Language is a cognitive process, so thinking skills are strengthened when teachers use many tools for teaching alongside sound pedagogy.

I use this research often in my talks among librarians to encourage them in building a collection that adheres to different learning styles and providing library services and programs to teachers that would challenge their pedagogical beliefs, assuming that, teachers still subscribe to old and routine methods.

2. What guidelines/criteria should a teacher follow in choosing which ones to use?

a. Knowledge of student/learner - Teachers must know who their students are. And they need help to be able to know them - parents, guidance counselor, school leaders. It takes a village to raise a child, so goes the African proverb.

b. Curriculum and context of the learning community - This will help the teacher, and those helping him/her teach well, get in touch with internal resources and external ones.

c. Pedagogy - There are specific instructional aids and teaching tools that match a particular teaching approach, technique, method and strategy.

3.  What are the today's limitations to your choices of supplementary materials available today in your subject area?

As a school librarian, budgetary constraint is a limitation. To remedy this problem, I source out from outer libraries in the academe, public, corporate and government agencies. Interlibrary loan and library consortia are ways to fill the resource gap as well. There are many online resources, but students need models and guides to use them responsibly and effectively. I still feel that, we need more print materials in the mother tongue and local knowledge. For example, our school is in Binan, Laguna. I am building a Filipiniana collection, but I feel I need to start developing a collection that has info and knowledge on Binan as a city and Laguna as a province. Our school may be an IB World School, but global education and international mindedness begin with an understanding of local history and local knowledge.  The issues and problems that affect the world are the same in the local and national levels.

This would mean, I need to develop a strategy to start a library collection that touches on these concerns. By collection I mean physical, virtual and intellectual kinds.

4.  What are your particular favorites among supplementary materials you have used?

Print format - I like recommending to teachers good fiction that has the theme of their unit of study. I also suggest creative non-fiction to ease big concepts in the content areas. Literature mirrors life :-)

Online formats - EBSCO and Project Muse are current favorites

I'm using Prezi for my presentations in class. I think I'll be a Mac user forever because the apps and ease of use that it offers is just right for a busy person like me.