Kismalac. (June 21 2012). Illustration of 3 - 4 with a number line. Retrieved from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AdditionIntegers.svg
In my exploration of integers, I learned that I may need to
brush up on my skills. I got through the reading just fine, so I thought. I
felt confident enough in my ability to understand integers until it came to the
in-class presentations. For the most part, I understood how to do the work. However,
I had problems solving the one worksheet. I walked away from the class still
puzzled on how to solve the problem. However, luckily, that is just one problem
I had a difficult time understanding.
It was nice working in groups at our tables because you
realize you’re not alone when it comes to not understanding some of the
problems. I enjoyed helping a student understand one problem because it was a
simple mistake that was easy to solve. I felt a personal achievement being able
to help someone else understand a problem. I personally like the fact that me
helping them will allow them to solve similar problems like the one we solved
together. This just reassured me that I can teach math (maybe not all units as
of right now, but I am getting one step closer each week).
In addition to the course reading and in-class
presentations, I explored the links we were given to explore within Great
Games. You can also explore these games by clicking the following links that I
have provided below for you.
Orbit Integer
Spider Match
Orbit Integer is a great game because it gives you a
mathematical question along with four answers to chose from. The only setback
to this game is that it is a race. Players might be more concerned about where
they stand in the race, as opposed to getting the answers correct. I wanted to
see what would happen if a player got an answer wrong, so I played the game for
a second time and purposely chose the wrong answer to a question. The game
provides you with a bolded answer so that students know what the correct answer
should be. I think this is important because that way even if students are more
focused on how far they are in the race, they are forced to stop to see what
the right answer is, which could actually slow you down even further in the
race.
Spider Match is another racing game. This one was different
from Orbit Integer as it only gives you the answer, and you have to come up
with the equation. This game causes you to think more than the previous game. Therefore,
this game is more challenging because it forces you to slow down in the race to
think about which two numbers will give you the answer in the center of the
web. The answer does not change, so you have to come up with multiple equations
to give you that answer. However, you are playing against 3 other players who
are using the same numbers that are caught in the web to solve your problem. Therefore,
this is the racing aspect of the game because they can take those numbers for
their equation before you get the change to do so.
Lastly, walking away from these games, I realized integers
are not something that you should fear in math. Integers can be quite easy to
solve, if you pay attention to the positives and negatives that come before the
number. I think this may be the biggest downfall for some students, that they
perhaps are just reading the equations incorrectly.
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