How to make maths fun?

Corkgirl18

I'm teaching maths for the first time this year and am looking for ideas of how to make maths class more dynamic.
The only maths classes I've experienced are the -teacher does an example of a question on the board, then the students try some questions type.
Do any maths teachers out there have any ideas or online resource that they can recommend to me to make maths a little more exciting and engaging?
I have 2nd years, TYs and 5th years - All higher level.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

evolving_doors

Supplement with material from the Project Maths site (in the T&L plans).

Give them text-heavy problems where they have to select the correct data to solve the problem... the converse is to strip it back to just a picture and they come up with their own guestimates to apply their knowledge. Have a look at this TED talk HERE, skip to 6:20 for his methods on 'formulating problems' as opposed to going through the procedure for the solution. I think if you give the class more open ended challenges it makes for more discussion/team work etc.

Doing examples on the board and getting the class to copy similar problems will kind of 'get you through the course', but I think things are changing so the students expect a bit more interaction and discovery. Talk to some of your colleagues about how they approach a topic.

I think there's a google group for maths teachers but i've never went looking!... ok I just went looking and here it is HERE.

The 'show example and repeat problem' method just kind of hits the middle ability, the higher set are bored and the lower set are lost.

Corkgirl18

Gebgbegb wrote: »

Supplement with material from the Project Maths site (in the T&L plans).

Give them text-heavy problems where they have to select the correct data to solve the problem... the converse is to strip it back to just a picture and they come up with their own guestimates to apply their knowledge. Have a look at this TED talk HERE, skip to 6:20 for his methods on 'formulating problems' as opposed to going through the procedure for the solution. I think if you give the class more open ended challenges it makes for more discussion/team work etc.

Doing examples on the board and getting the class to copy similar problems will kind of 'get you through the course', but I think things are changing so the students expect a bit more interaction and discovery. Talk to some of your colleagues about how they approach a topic.

I think there's a google group for maths teachers but i've never went looking!... ok I just went looking and here it is HERE.

The 'show example and repeat problem' method just kind of hits the middle ability, the higher set are bored and the lower set are lost.

Thanks a million for all the advice Gebgbegb! I didn't really know where to start so I really appreciate it. I'll definitely check out your links and ideas!

evolving_doors

It kind of depends on what course your school are following too though. Is it the common introductory course laid out by the project maths plan. I think the text and tests series follows this
Or it might be 'follow the text book'... I.e day 1,chapter 1, page 1 and keep ploughing through the individual topics from left to right.
you would really need to find out what has to be covered to make sure the 2nd yr teachers don't have to be picking up the pieces next year. then if you know you are hitting the targets, you will have a bit of time to experiment.

zeffabelli

As a parent I have made math exciting by demonstrating in real life how we would have nothing without math and how it's the language of science.

Our homes, our art, our clothes, TV everything is filtered with science and math.

So if you make art and science exciting, you make math exciting.

However there is a general problem with excitement and the expectations of bells and whistles. Some things you just have to learn.

When we had to learn times tables, the teacher brought in a big bag of sweets and did a super fast quiz where she'd ask questions really fast and you'd have to yell out the answer and dhed throw a sweet out to who got the answer right.

ballyargus

Students like technology. Digital tools can spice things up for them.

Or, if that's not an option, look into classroom gameification.