Thursday, May 8, 2008

I'll Never Need to Remember This Stuff-Teach Real World Skills & Learn How to Mix in Math

This session was presented by Martha Merson Program Director for TERC an education research and development organization. http://www.terc.edu working with a grant from the National Science Foundation. http://www.nsf.gov/

The Mixing in Math focus is on improving math skills and math literacy in everyday, ,unstructured informal settings. http://mixinginmath.terc.edu

The session began with hands on activities displayed around the room from noting if you had eaten breakfast to estimating sugar content in cereals. The discussion demonstrated how these simple games and displays are teaching math skills; measuring, estimating, data collection, grouping, sorting, weighing, graphing, ratios, matching and sequencing.

There was much discussion of how to incorporate library resources while using a math activity. Always link activity with a book from "One Grain of Rice"-Demi, to "Can You Quess""-Brian Sargent and "Ten Minutes till Bedtime"-Peggy Rathmann. Great book display ideas such as cooking, nutrition, animals, museums, zoos...and the list goes on. Display table or math activity question at point of entry to regular storytimes is a great idea for kids to look at while they acclimate to their surroundings and communicate with the other children as they wait for the program to start and buys the librarian those extra few minutes that are always needed!

"Librarians can readily bring their own creativity to Mixing in Math, making the activities come to life with their favorite fiction and non-fiction books". Debbie Foley/Newton Free Library

"Embedded in these activities are science, math, literacy, and also the process skills you have to develop just to be successful in an academic environment.". Diane Miller/St. Louis Science Center

Most importantly, we use math skills everyday and kids are very willing to engage...keep it FUN, FUN, FUN!!

joan h

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