Healy & Fernandes (2013) focus on teaching geometry and geometric concepts to blind students. Although geometry is typically a very visual domain, their research aims to interpret how students are perceiving geometry and concepts like symmetry when they aren’t able to see the shapes that they are working with. The study found that in tasks involving symmetry, students developed strategies to understand through tactile experience. The research also challenges the assumption that blind students follow the same learning trajectories as their peers who are not blind. The students who were mentioned in the study showed unique approaches to learning geometry which were specific to their own individual contexts.
Although I don’t have much experience teaching students with such significant needs as the ones within Healy & Fernandes’ study, the application of the methods and practices employed within it are similar to those which teachers in generalized elementary environments employ for their students all the time. Multimodal teaching strategies such as activities that involve touch, movement, and other sensory engagement benefit all students. I try to incorporate hands-on manipulatives and visual aids in order to provide a more holistic learning experience.
My team partners and I are taking a bit of a new (to me) approach to science this year – arranging pre-made modules with specific activities for each concept ahead of actually teaching the concept. In small groups, depending on their interest, students access slides, videos, and have a choice of activity for each learning outcome from the curriculum. For example, a group of students might choose that day to engage with the idea that “air takes up space and has mass”. That group of students will spend some time on their own discussing the topic and watching some videos, and then will have the opportunity to choose which pre-arranged hands-on activity they can engage in to experience the concept in a tactile way. This element of choice and multimodal exposure is an individualized approach that acknowledges students’ differences and preferences for engaging with learning. I act during these blocks as a facilitator and guide, prompting discussion about the concepts that are being explored.
My question is:
1) In what ways could you take some of these ideas about multisensory mathematics and incorporate them into a Physical Education class? Or within your teaching context, how could you take a physical activity and have students engage in the mathematics surrounding it?
Your approach to teaching science sounds a lot like how my math classroom is taught. I deal with a lot of attendance issues at my schools due to circumstances that often are not the children's fault therefore I designed a class that was inclusive to those students so they didn't feel as though they were missing out on whole lessons and end up failing units. I'd love to see how you bring in more of a hands-on approach to this and exactly what you do to hopefully make mine set up even more engaging!
ReplyDeleteThe question that you asked, "how could you take a physical activity and have students engage in the mathematics surrounding it?" really resonates with me. This year our school has been discussing how we can bring numeracy into all classes, similar to how literacy is embedded throughout all subjects. One subject area that I have disregarded throughout this has been physical education. Your question really makes me think about how these explicit connections to make can be made while teaching sports. Having students think about angles, etc. This is definitely an area that I would like to explore further.
ReplyDeleteWe're going skiing/snowboarding at Winsport on Monday and I've been planting math concepts in the kids' heads in advance of the trip so that they are thinking math while they're on the hill! I think there are so many connections between Phys Ed and Math!
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