17 August 2013
Today’s lesson was very enriching and interesting. I had lots of fun. It
was worth it to come to class on a SATURDAY morning. We did 2 interesting
activities.
1. Card Trick
I had seen this trick before and is always curious to know how to do it.
When Ms. Peggy told us to find out the trick behind the card trick, I was very
keen. After much trial and error and trying to ways on how the trick works,
finally, my partner and I unveil the “secret” behind this trick.
Well, it was not something amazing and “magical” though but the
satisfaction that I gained was great. All I can say is that the trick is all
about MATH.
2. Paper Cutting
This is another interesting activity. I didn’t expect a simple cutting
activity can also be a math problem solving exercise. This activity is a group
one. We had to predict and guess on what the paper will look like after being
folded for the 4th and 5th time and cut at its right
angle corner. The results look intricate if the paper is folded more times.
However, there is a “trick” to it.
All you need to learn is to VISUALISE AND FIND THE PATTERN.
If you can visualize and see the pattern, you can easily predict and
guess the pattern that will surface after cutting the paper which had been
folded many times without having to have the concrete materials.
Ms. Peggy also touched on differentiating instructions. Instructions can
be differentiated by
-
Content
-
Process
-
Product
This is differentiation in instructions are to cater to children’s individual
needs. It helps in enhancing each child’s fullest potential without
pressurizing them. This is because the instructions and activities are planned
according to their level of understanding.
All in all, the 6 sessions on Elementary Mathematics with Dr. Yeap and
Ms. Peggy were very fruitful and meaningful. I gained many useful knowledge
from them and it was very refreshing to be learning math again – in different
yet interesting ways.