Math? Fun? What is wrong with YOUR left brain?!?

Those of us who thrive on numbers, calculations, and abstract concepts are left-brain dominant. Those who love art, music, and are good at facial recognition and spatial abilities are right-brain dominant. This can often be determined by which hand you write with; lefties are right-brained and righties are left-brained. (Strange, I know.) See this informational link to learn why. Try also the Split Brain interactive learning game (just for fun).

So, from a person who resides mostly in her right mind (*wink*), I can say that geometry is SO much easier than algebra. Math is a struggle for me because I am slightly dyslexic and very literal. Abstract things escape me unless I have a strong conceptual understanding and first hand knowledge. Don't get me wrong, I love math when I get it. It just takes me forever to get it. NCTM Illuminations sent me a link to this math game called neXtu and I think it is a great avenue into math for kids who function like I do; mostly artistically and emotively and concretely and not very numerically.

Read more for a link to the neXtu game, as well as some other math game links for number fun!

A phonics instruction idea...

This entry will be quick and to the point (possibly even scattered), but I want to get the idea down and may have to come back for editing.

I am currently attempting to earn my reading endorsement and have to take a literacy assessment class. My professor, Deborah White, and the author of our text book which I would highly recommend because it is straight forward and full of practical techniques (Assessment First published by Scholastic), gives instructions for using alphabet charts while teaching phonemic awareness to students on page 65 (*gasp!*). In short (very short), she and her students chant the alphabet while looking at visual representations of each sound. Her example is "A, a, apple /a/, /a/, /a/. B, b, ball /b/, /b/, /b/." This activity benefits students because it addresses multiple ways of learning, it supports English Language Learning, and boosts motivation and interest. But I think there is a way to highlight these benefits. I will explain...

More Multiple Literacies resources... Rap, Baby!

One of the cohort in my bachelor's program used a graphing rap song to solidify graphing rules and concepts with her students as she worked with them on graphing. First she explicitly went through the lyrics with them and had them rap together once. Then, as they worked in groups or individually she has the song playing quietly in the background. There is a bit of rote memorization with this particular approach, but the brilliance is that students had a positive interaction with the material. The remembering was easy and therefore the reasons behind the concepts became the focus. She could say "remember when the song says ____? What they mean by that is ____________." The other approach to this could be to have students deconstruct the text (why does the song say that?). This last approach is inquiry based and is most successful.

Students who reside primarily in their right brain are governed by musicality (among other things artistic). Rap and rhythm tap into right-brain intelligence to strengthen comprehension. ESOL students often benefit from music and rhythm because it gives them a quickly retrieved association to attach learning to. below are some content rap resources to support classroom learning...

Multiple Literacies are So Cool! - Glogster and graphic novels.

Multiple Literacies = any way humans create and exchange meaning.

I have spent some significant time looking into various ways that students can interact with text online. The most exciting find is something called a Glog. It is an online interactive presentation poster (like the old tri-fold poster-board kind - only better). Go see a really nice example of this about astronomy. This is a fantastic way for students to present their learning for a research project, be it group or individual. Students can "gallery walk" other class presentations and get a personal "tour" of the site. This allows for presentation and talk around the learning, and we all know that the more we let ELL students talk the better they will be. On edu.glogster.com watch the video of Eileen Doherty's 4th grade class for an idea of how to use glogster in your classroom. Watch the video below for a how-to tutorial.