W33k 3!

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Hey Math Friends,

Welcome back to my blog! I would like to start by pointing out that interesting image because it ties in with this week's math concept. The image is that of an x-ray like picture of a human brain with math symbols surrounding it. To me this image represents how using math picturing math as symbols engages our brains at a deep level. This is precisely what we focused on in our math classes this week.

Math and Science (and Your Brain)

As a class we watched a short and interesting video on how connections form in the brain due to the stimulation that occurs when we are practicing math. Check it out in the link above! Additionally, Small (2016) states that, "more and more there is an understanding that students can and should deal with meaningful mathematical situations even if they are complex. Brain research (Caine and Caine, 1991) has established that multiple complex and concrete representations are essential for meaningful learning".

We learned that when students can perform math tasks, they are predominantly activating their right-brain. This is due to the fact that math is content heavy and requires logical thinking and a step process along with an eventual correct answer. Right-brain students perform well in math because they can perform well on math assessments that are naturally more rigid. Now, the interesting aspect is when students begin to activate both hemispheres of their brain and begin using their left brain when solving math problems! When students think about numbers in an abstract manner as symbols and then actually visualize numbers, graphs, processes, this engages the left-brain and makes the entire brain active and engaged!

Since I am a biology major, I love this kind of research and would like to quickly comment on what exactly happens in the brain. According to scientific research, the brain activates and creates pathways that cross between hemispheres and those pathways encompass the entire brain rather than one hemisphere at a time. This is how students learn math the most thoughtfully and carefully. Using the idea of symbolic integration into math is the most powerful form of math learning! For example, students can use their imagination and symbolize math strands like fractions and even algebra! The basic and key steps are to visualize, draw and estimate! The more creative the student gets, the better it will be for their math learning process!

This was a pivotal lecture and video for me personally. I cannot wait to try using this technique more in my own math inquiries and I cannot wait to incorporate them into a classroom! I believe students will be hesitant at first because the task of visualizing numbers and abstract math concepts might be daunting. I completely understand! I will actively try to find resources regarding how exactly students can begin to grasp this idea and use what they learn and like for their own benefits. For now I found a blog that has some interesting 3D and animation visuals at:
http://visualizingmath.tumblr.com/tagged/visualizingmath!
It is definitely a good start and I will look for more tutorial-like resources that can couch the mind of students!

I cannot wait to see how learning this great research-based technique will improve my own math skills and the math skills I will aim to instil in students! I'll keep you posted, that's for sure.

S33 y0u s00n!

Teddy