Hajer Yahya

TED 2250

Reflection 4: How can I create place-based learning experiences in my

classroom?

Place-based education is the process of using the local community

and environment as a starting point to teach concepts in language arts,

mathematics, social studies, science and other subjects across the

curriculum. Emphasizing hands-on, real-world learning experiences, this

approach to education increases academic achievement, helps students

develop stronger ties to their community, enhances students appreciation

for the natural world, and creates a heightened commitment to serving as

active, contributing citizens, (Place-Based Education: Connecting

Classrooms & Communities, 2004).

One example of community/place-based learning that I found

particularly interesting and inspiring in the Smith and Sobel book is

incorporating place-based education into the teaching of math. Arithmetic,

algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus can provide the means for

recording and expressing lessons students learn from studying both the

social and the natural environments around them, (p. 68). Mathematics

teachers can incorporate local concerns into the teaching of math and

connect the learning of mathematics to experiences that are familiar and

understandable to students to help them foster conceptual understanding

and interest. A lot of students nowadays hate math and they do not well in it,
so when teachers make math interesting to learn, students will be engaged

and will find it fun to learn.

I found this interesting and inspiring because I will be teaching math in

the future and I want my students to be engaged in learning math. I love

teaching math. It has always been my passion and I want to share that

passion with my students; I want them to learn to love math. My goal is to try

to show them how to use it in their everyday life and why they need math. I

believe I can do that by teaching math integrating place-based learning

which will help students become interested and see learning relevant to their

own experiences. Place-based education has the potential to engage

students with the mathematics inherent in the local land, culture, and

community. What I especially liked about the example above is using story

problems that students recognize as relevant to their own experience or may

encounter in their out-of-school lives as a way to connect them with outside

world. One problem Alan Dick presented in his book Village Math provides

information about mixing oil and gas in two-cycle engines and then asks

students to determine how much oil per gallon should be used if the ratio is

20:1, 50:1, and 100:1, (Smith, Sobel, p.68). Other similar story problems or

projects can be developed and used to connect mathematics to everyday

life.

Since Im majoring in secondary math education, I will be teaching

math. Secondary education is generally split between junior high

school or middle school, usually beginning with sixth or seventh grade

(around age 11 or 12), and high school, beginning with ninth grade (at or

around age 14) and progressing to 12th grade (ending at or around age 18).

So, I will be teaching different levels of students from 6 to 12 graders. My

students are diverse from different countries and they all learn differently.

There are some students who truly have a passion for math, but they are the

minority, some hate math and are only taking it because it is required, and

others are doing their best to understand math and improve in it. However, it

is my job to come up with innovative and creative ways to engage all

students, even the disinterested ones. Most students do not believe that they

will use what they are learning in high school math ever again. For that

reason, they feel like it is a waste of their time and often zone out. To solve

this problem, I will need to try and find a way to relate what they are

teaching to the real world. When teaching geometry, for example, I can bring

in the art of bowling to show why learning geometry is important. So, when

students can see that there is real-life value to what is being taught, they will

pay more attention and get involved. Other ways to engage all students are:

team activities that ensure student interaction, using props to demonstrate

formulas and method I will be teaching, and presenting students with

problems that can be solved in multiple ways to challenge them to see how

many they can come up with. Although it will be hard to create a classroom

with engaged and interactive students, I will put an effort to make a better

learning environment for my students and make math fun to learn.