Showing posts with label homeschool math. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeschool math. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeschool math. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeschool math. Show all posts

5 Suреr Quаlitiеѕ Mаth Tеасhеrѕ Shоuld Have

Considering Becoming a Math Teacher?

Hey homeschoolers, what will you become? Deciding you want to teach is an easy decision, but what should you teach? What are your best qualities? What is your favorite subject? If you're considering become a math teacher, consider these qualities that every math teacher should have.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
Considering Becoming a Math Teacher? Best Qualities Teachers Should Have.

Studеntѕ аrе ѕеriоuѕlу influenced bу thе ԛuаlitу оf thеir tеасhеrѕ. Nоt оnlу dо thеу intеrасt with tеасhеrѕ еvеrу dау in thе сlаѕѕrооm, but thе ԛuаlitу оf thаt intеrасtiоn mаttеrѕ fоr ѕtudеntѕ’ futures. It hаѕ bееn оbѕеrvеd thаt thе diffеrеnсе bеtwееn a gооd аnd a bаd tеасhеr саn bе a full lеvеl оf ѕtudеnt асhiеvеmеnt in a ѕinglе ѕсhооl уеаr.
Hоwеvеr, оnе thing thаt rеmаinѕ unchanged iѕ thаt all gооd math tеасhеrѕ hаvе сеrtаin ѕuреr ԛuаlitiеѕ thаt diѕtinguiѕh thеm frоm оthеr teachers. Thеѕе ѕuреr ԛuаlitiеѕ mаkе thеse teachers рrоduсе еxсеllеnt rеѕultѕ nоt only fоr thеir ѕtudеntѕ but аlѕо fоr thеmѕеlvеѕ. Thе fоllоwing are thе fivе ѕuреr ԛuаlitiеѕ a gооd math tеасhеr ѕhоuld hаvе.

5 Super Qualities of a Good Math Teacher

  • Exсеllеnt Knоwlеdgе Of Mаthеmаtiсѕ 

A gооd math tеасhеr is оnе with аn еxtеnѕivе undеrѕtаnding of mathematics. Hаving undеrgоnе a thоrоugh trаining рrосеѕѕ in a rесоgnizеd inѕtitutiоn of higher learning whеrе thеу асԛuirе thе knоwlеdgе аnd ѕkillѕ rеԛuirеd tо tеасh ѕtudеntѕ еffесtivеlу, which inсludеѕ knоwlеdgе оf аrithmеtiс, gеоmеtrу, аlgеbrа, ѕtаtiѕtiсѕ аnd саlсuluѕ. Thе еxсеllеnt knоwlеdgе they get from thеѕе inѕtitutiоnѕ givеѕ thеm thе соnfidеnсе tо еxрlаin сlеаrlу аll thе mаthеmаtiсаl соnсерtѕ tо their ѕtudеntѕ аnd ѕоlvе еԛuаtiоnѕ еаѕilу. Gооd math tеасhеrѕ dо nоt соnѕult аnѕwеrѕ аt thе bасk оf thе tеасhеr’ѕ guidе bооklеt. Thеу hаvе аll thе solutions аt their fingеrtiрѕ аnd саn hеlр ѕtudеntѕ ѕоlvе рrоblеmѕ immеdiаtеlу.
Bоth рrоgrеѕѕivе аnd соnѕеrvаtivе еduсаtоrѕ ѕреаk about thе imроrtаnсе оf undеrѕtаnding thе соntеnt. Thеу emphasize the imроrtаnсе оf knоwing the ѕubjесt уоu teach. Evеrуоnе аgrееѕ that gооd teachers роѕѕеѕѕ a ѕоlid соmmаnd of соntеnt, whеthеr thеir еxреrtiѕе liеѕ in thе knowledge оf rеаding in thе еаrlу еlеmеntаrу grаdеѕ оr a ѕеriоuѕ соmmаnd оf mathematics аt thе high ѕсhооl lеvеl.
  • Diffеrеnt Teaching Strаtеgiеѕ 

Studеntѕ lеаrn in divеrѕе mаnnеrѕ, аnd a gооd mаth tеасhеr knоwѕ thаt. A gооd math tеасhеr kеерѕ uр with the bеѕt рrасtiсеѕ in mаth еduсаtiоn and rеgulаrlу inсоrроrаtеѕ thеm intо his inѕtruсtiоn tо hеlр аll оf his ѕtudеntѕ learn. Hе аlѕо undеrѕtаndѕ thеrе mау bе multiрlе wауѕ tо ѕоlvе рrоblеmѕ аnd uses thоѕе аltеrnаtе ѕtrаtеgiеѕ tо hеlр struggling ѕtudеntѕ grаѕр difficult соnсерtѕ. Hiѕ lеѕѕоn рlаnѕ еngаgе ѕtudеntѕ аnd hеlр thеm fееl соnfidеnt in thеir mathematical аbilitiеѕ.
A gооd math tеасhеr uѕеѕ a vаriеtу оf tеасhing strategies that they fееl comfortable with; within thе ѕаmе ѕсhооl, уоu'll find diffеrеnt tеасhеrѕ gеtting еxсеllеnt rеѕultѕ uѕing ѕuсh ѕtrаtеgiеѕ such аѕ mini-lectures, аnd intеrасtivе lесturеѕ, соореrаtivе grоuрѕ, рrоblеm-bаѕеd learning, аnd multiрlе intеlligеnсеѕ аррrоасh. Nо ѕinglе tеасhing ѕtrаtеgу оr method wоrkѕ bеѕt fоr еvеrу tеасhеr with every ѕtudеnt.
We knоw, hоwеvеr, thаt rеѕеаrсh аnd еxреriеnсе ѕtrоnglу ѕuрроrt ѕоmе tеасhing ѕtrаtеgiеѕ оvеr others. Gооd math tеасhеrѕ ѕеlесt frоm thе ѕtrаtеgiеѕ thаt аrе wеll rеѕеаrсhеd аnd widely рrасticеd аt thеir grаdе lеvеl оr within thеir ѕubjесt аrеа аnd bесоmе аn еxреrt in thоѕе thаt fit thеir style аnd thе requirements оf thеir ѕtudеntѕ аt thаt time.
  • Cоnѕtаntlу Learning Nеw Tесhniԛuеѕ 

Gооd math tеасhеrs knоw thаt thеу аrе nоt реrfесt. Thаt iѕ why thеу rеgulаrlу rеаd nеw mаtеriаlѕ, аttеnd wоrkѕhорѕ tо uрdаtе thеir knоwlеdgе bаѕе. Thеу аlѕо еnrоll fоr аdditiоnаl соurѕеѕ in thеir areas оf ѕресiаlitу tо bеttеr thеmѕеlvеѕ аnd gаin mоrе confidence in thе сlаѕѕrооm. Onсе a gооd tеасhеr lеаrnѕ аbоut a nеw mаthеmаtiсаl соnсерt, hе lеtѕ all thе ѕtudеntѕ knоw аbоut it, lеаding tо еffесtivе lеаrning аnd bеttеr grades.
  • Gооd Mоtivаtоr 

Gооd math tеасhеrs knоw thаt students hаvе diffеrеnt intеrеѕtѕ. Thеrеfоrе, thеу соmе uр with рrоgrаmѕ thаt idеntifу with thе ѕtudеntѕ’ ѕоurсе оf mоtivаtiоn. Fоr еxаmрlе, thеу mау mоtivаtе ѕtudеntѕ whо want tо bесоmе ассоuntаntѕ bу giving thеm mаthеmаtiсаl рrоblеmѕ rеlаtеd tо thеir аmbitiоnѕ. Thе ѕаmе аррliеѕ tо thоѕе whо wаnt tо bесоmе ѕсiеntiѕtѕ, еnginееrѕ, dосtоrѕ, еtс. Thеу also рrеvеnt thе ѕtudеntѕ frоm lоѕing intеrеѕt bу tаlking tо thеm оn a rеgulаr bаѕiѕ to hеlр thеm асԛuirе thе ѕkillѕ аррliсаblе in thе рrоfеѕѕiоn for which they аrе аѕрiring.
  • Gооd Undеrѕtаnding Nаturе 

Pеrѕоnаlitу characteristics rеlаtеd tо bеing a соmраѕѕiоnаtе person аnd hаving a ѕеnѕitivitу tо ѕtudеnt diffеrеnсеѕ, раrtiсulаrlу with lеаrnеrѕ, iѕ аnоthеr rероrtеd ѕuреr ԛuаlitу оf smiletutor.sg mаthѕ tеасhеrs.

Undеrѕtаnding thе nаturе оf ѕtudеnt iѕ a broad саtеgоrу thаt inсоrроrаtеѕ knоwlеdgе оf thе соgnitivе, ѕосiаl аnd еmоtiоnаl dеvеlорmеnt оf ѕtudеntѕ. It inсludеѕ аn understanding оf hоw ѕtudеntѕ lеаrn аt a givеn dеvеlорmеntаl lеvеl, hоw lеаrning in a ѕресifiс ѕubjесt аrеа tурiсаllу рrоgrеѕѕеѕ like lеаrning рrоgrеѕѕiоnѕ оr trаjесtоriеѕ, аwаrеnеѕѕ thаt ѕtudеntѕ hаvе individuаl аbilitiеѕ аnd nееdѕ, аnd аn undеrѕtаnding thаt tеасhing ѕhоuld bе done tо mееt еасh ѕtudеnt’ѕ needs.
So, what do you think, homeschoolers? Are you ready to pursue a career as a math teacher?

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Our favorite Math Curriculum: Life of Fred Math Books on Amazon



Need to Get Out of Debt? Make it a Math Lesson!

Homeschool Math: Steps to Get out of Debt 


If you're a busy family trying to make ends meet, you've probably struggled with debt at one time or another. A plan to get out of debt makes a excellent homeschool math lesson for your kids. Don't hide the struggle from them, but don't frighten them with all of the gory details either. If you need to get out of debt, you need a plan. The steps to get out of debt look different for everyone. Everyone has different debt, different income, and a different set of life issues. Talk about a family budget with your kids and then follow the steps below to get out of debt. Everyone working together toward the same goal is the first step on your debt free journey.


Need to Get Out of Debt? Make it a Math Lesson!


Debt to Income Ratio Calculator

You may want to take the steps to get out of debt if you are in the market for a new home. In this case, you'll want to start with a debt to income ratio calculator. Seeing it all laid out before you eyes puts it all in perspective. Where can you save, how can you improve your credit score, and how much money you will need to save. These questions can be overwhelming because the often contradict each other. To buy a new house, you'll want to pay down your debt, but you'll also want to save for a down payment for your home. Which should you do first? How long will it all take? This makes for a relevant and useful homeschool MATH LESSON. Wells Fargo offers instructions on how to figure your debt to income ratio and a free debt to income ratio calculator to check your work. Here's another debt free calculator from CNN.

Credit Score

Start with a credit app like Credit Karma. These aren't completely accurate, but they give you good idea of where you stand in the world of credit scores. You'll also see any negative marks against you. The big credit reporting agencies, Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax, allow you to check your scores and dispute anything that you find in error. Sometimes, you might find duplicates or items assigned to you that really belong to someone else. In this case, you'll want to speak to a legal firm that can quickly help you sort it all out. You can do it yourself, but it's much easier to pay for a service to do it for you. Lexington Law is inexpensive and gets the job done quickly and efficiently. You'll want to give yourself at least 3 months of the service (depending on how much work needs done.) They tend to work on one credit reporting agency at a time. It's fun and rewarding to watch your credit score improve. You'll also see weekly dips that will let you know where you need to cut back or do better.

Debt Consolidation

Another option is debt consolidation. This is a great option for people who are overwhelmed by debt collectors calling, sending letters, and generally harassing you for payments. This can make anyone crazy. If you use a service to consolidate your debt, they'll set up a monthly payment and take care of notifying debtors and paying your debts each month. Many people feel overwhelmed at the amount of bills they have to pay and can't keep on top of it all without getting late fees. Rather than paying the debt collectors, some people put their head in the sand and do nothing. This, of course, ruins your credit and your chance for a car or a home in you future. So, if you have difficulty keeping organized letting the professionals deal with your debtors may be the best option for you. You also might want to check into these debt relief services.

Budget

It's better to come up with a long term plan that you can manage than to declare bankruptcy or ignore your obligations. A budget is a great way to stay on top of things. Teaching your kids how you budget the bills is a fun way to teach them about finances. Young adults are often surprised at the cost of utilities and groceries and don't plan for these things when they go to rent or buy a new home. Keep a worksheet of your weekly and monthly expenses on the fridge and let your kids see how that new video games fits into the bigger picture. Get a free printable household budget worksheet pdf.

You can open a child's bank account and connect it to your own. Our bank, sent the kids their own ATM cards for their accounts. I can easily move money from my account to theirs or vice versa if they've earned enough to buy the latest video game. If you aren't comfortable with that, there's nothing like a good old fashioned piggy bank or giant glass bottle to see your pennies adding up while saving for that big item.

So, make it a family affair. There's no better homeschool math lesson than the life lessons based on real life events. The more kids know about the real world, the better they will be able to navigate it as young adults.


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Math for Homeschoolers Online

Homeschool Math Classes Online


If you're looking for math for homeschoolers online, you'll want to check out Make Math More Fun by Shenek Altson. She teaches homeschool math classes online. Check out her guest post to make math more fun by playing simple math games. Enjoy!

This post contains affiliate links.



Make Math More Fun by Playing Simple Math Games

Keep It Simple Mommy


As a homeschool mom, if I don’t get anything else done in a day, I like to get some type of reading and math done, because I know those two subjects form the foundation of so many other things.  For me, I’ve seen just how beneficial being good in math is, particularly as a homeschooling mom who sometimes needs to help out financially.  There’s always someone who needs a math tutor! But many times our kids don’t see the benefit of being a Math Ninja, and they need a lot of convincing that this subject is worth spending tons of time on.  So, what can we do to help them learn a subject that has gotten a bad wrap for being boring and tough at the same time? Play simple math games with your kids. Make math fun through games! And you don’t have to come up with these complex, mind blowing games.  You’ll be amazed at how much fun you can have with your kids playing simple games.

I find that one of the best ways to make math more fun is by using games.  It’s amazing that our young children love spending time with us.  I’ve heard that one day this may change, but for right now, one of the number one things my kids like to do, is to spend time with me.  And they really enjoy it when we are able to play a fun game together during this time.  A huge tip though is to keep things simple.  As a homeschooling mommy who has other subjects to cover, lunch to fix, dinner to start prepping, errands to run, bills to send off, appointments to make, you already have a lot of things on your plate.  So having simple go-to games that you can play with your kids on a regular basis, can help you to make math more fun while not having to re-invent the wheel (because no one has time for that.)



Math for Homeschoolers Online


How to Play Simple Math Coloring Game


I made up a simple Math coloring game that uses dice.  My kids are not the type of kids who generally like to color, but they enjoyed playing this fast paced game.  What I did was take two coloring pages, and numbered different portions of the pages with the numbers 1 thru 6.  Then each child was given a die.  They were given the instructions of rolling their dice, and whatever number came up, they were to color one section of their picture with that number.  The first child to finish coloring his or her entire picture would be the winner.  Boy, oh, boy, my “non-coloring children” became coloring machines.  They were throwing those dice and coloring up a storm trying to be the first person finished.  We used large dice that I purchased at a dollar store.  The next time, to add more learning to the activity, I am going to give each child two dice, and then have them sum the numbers on their dice.  Then they’ll color the number on their page that is the sum of the dice.

So step 1 is to take any random coloring page, and number it from 1 thru 6 in the different sections of the picture.  If you are going to have them work with sums, number the sections 2 thru 12.   For each child, make sure that you number the same number of sections on each child’s coloring page to make the game as fair as possible.  It’s not necessary to use the same picture for each child.  Just make sure you have numbered the same number of sections on each child’s coloring page.  So for example, pick 15 different sections to number in each child’s picture.  Below is an example of me numbering a coloring page.


Simple Math Games


Then give each child a die.  If you were going to be letting them figure out sums, give each child 2 dice, so that they can roll up to a sum of 12.  Then let the race begin.  Each time they roll the die, they color one section that has that number in it.  My two children who played did not use the same coloring pages, but again, I numbered the same number of sections in each of their pictures.


Homeschool Math Classes Online: Simple Math Games


So, there you go.  A pretty simple way to have your kids practice number recognition or addition.  My kids had fun racing to see who was going to be the first one finished. My son ended up winning this simple math game!


About Shenek Alston
Now, let me tell you a little about me.  I’m a homeschooling mom to three kids ages 9, 5 and 2, and I have a PhD in Statistics.  Before I met my husband, I planned to be a College Professor. Now I’m a homeschooling mom who blogs about ways to make math more fun.  I also teach math for homeschoolers online. In my FREE ONLINE LIVE MATH lessons, I help kids with topics such a fractions, decimals, percents, and integers.  If you are interested in learning more about these lessons please visit Make Math More Fun and have a great time making math more fun with your kids!


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Math for Homeschoolers Online



Homeschool Curriculum Resources

Supplemental Resources for Educators


Thanks to Oriental Trading for these curriculum resources.

Whether you're a homeschool parent or a classroom teacher, these curriculum resources from Oriental Trading are a great way to supplement learning. From the hundreds of items in the Oriental Trading catalog, we chose these items to supplement our homeschool curriculum. If you're looking for supplemental homeschool curriculum resources, be sure to check them out.

This post contains affiliate links.

Homeschool Curriculum Resources
Airbrush Marker Set, Money and Time Flashcards, Fraction Spinners, Ruler Tape, and World Map.


Last year, both kids attended Indiana Connections Academy online. We started our homeschool journey with them and after a few years of homeschooling on our own, decided to enroll again. It allowed both kids to take assessment tests. We discovered they both had jumped another grade level. However, Mayhem had some math learning disabilities and special needs.


Supplemental Resources for Educators


Homeschool Curriculum Resources 


Connections Academy was great about testing her and getting her the help she needed, but this year we decided it would be better to once again go it on our own. This way, we can better address her mathematics learning gaps.

So, Jake will attend INCA as a 9th grader... Did you get that? He's officially in high school this year. Yikes! Mayhem is officially a 7th grader. By age, they should be in 5th and 7th. Which makes me skeptical about that assessed math disability.

There's certainly an issue, but she works very well at 4th & 5th grade level math. Her language arts assessment was college level and science and social studies were all above grade level, which is why they placed her in the 6th grade last year.

Homeschooling on our own allows us to tailor the curriculum to her specific grade level needs. We are using MobyMax to help with that. MobyMax finds and corrects learning gaps.


math game for multiplication and division
Tri-Facta math game for multiplication and division memory.


We ordered this educational math game, Tri-Facta, from OT. It's sort of like Scrabble for numbers. Even though Jake is a math whiz, he enjoyed the game.

It's a nice alternative to flashcards. We also got Time and Money flashcards, cool ruler tape, and fraction spinners. Everything You Need to Ace Math in one Big Fat Notebook is an awesome math book for reluctant mathematicians. It's written in note taking form and explains math concepts in a fun, easy to understand manner. Click here to find the resources at Oriental Trading.

If your kids like to color, this World Chart map (pictured below) is a great supplemental activity for geography and social studies. It comes with a booklet of facts. The idea is to find the fact's map location and then color it. We also got an airbrush set for future art lessons.


Social Studies Lesson: Color Chart the World Map.


Social Studies Resource from MindWare, Color Chart Map.


Just for fun, Teacher a.k.a. Mom, drug the kiddos out of bed for a 'I just woke up' shot to share on social media. Everyone always shares their back to school first day of school pictures and we didn't want to be left out.

For us, the first day of school means getting up a little earlier- okay, a lot earlier, but not as early as a traditional school day. No new haircuts, no new backpacks, no new shoes, no new school clothes. Just old pajamas. Well, really, old comfy clothes for sleeping. No matching necessary. We'll get dressed if we run out of food and need to make a trip to the grocery store. A trip to a fast food restaurant doesn't require getting dressed...






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Math App for Kindergarten: Zap Zap Math

Fun Learning Game App for Math


This post was sponsored by Zap Zap Math, but all opinions are our own.

Zap Zap Math app for kids in K-6 has a new app just for kindergarten. As homeschoolers, we're always looking for new ways to learn mathematics. The kids always have a tablet, phone, or laptop at their fingertips. And, they are always playing a game. Zap Zap math combines math with fun learning games. The math games are easy to play, full of repetition, and a great way to supplement in the classroom or use for students who need some extra practice. Enjoy!






This post may contain affiliate links.


We've been using Zap Zap Math with Mayhem who struggles with math principles. She hates math, but she's actually pretty good at it. She doesn't want to practice or get started. "I already know how to do it." Well, sort of, Mayhem. But math isn't something you learn with one lesson and then move on to something new. Practice makes perfect. So, an educational, fun math app is the perfect solution!

The younger they start, the more fun they have with apps. This little one is addicted to smartphone apps! So, she loves Zap Zap Math for Kindergarten.




Zap Zap Math has been around for awhile. You can get the K-6 math app for free. The latest math game app for kindergartners is only $2.99. This is a fun way to introduce younger children to math concepts. The intergalactic math games are fun to play and full of repetition.

The first time you sign in to Zap Zap Math for Kindergarten, you'll probably have to walk your child through it. The instructions for playing aren't clear and although there is some text that pops up to explain how to play- well, if you can't read, you probably won't be able to play the first game. The next level has a mini tutorial - so kids should be able to figure it out on their own.

As math game play continues, you work to reach new levels. Once you master the concept, reaching new math levels is rather rapid. So, it doesn't get boring like some other math apps for kids.

Our take: The Zap Zap Math app for kindergarten is fast-paced and fun for everyone. With a little help from an adult, preschoolers will enjoy this math app it too!


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Fun Learning Game App for Math homeschool classroom resource







Homeschool Math Curriculum Online

Math Games, Videos, and Lessons for Homeschoolers

If you are a homeschool family, Arithmetic may be a scary subject. Don't let homeschool math intimidate you. Math can be fun! We found a great resource in the Life of Fred series. For elementary students, math is taught in a story format. If you are looking for homeschool math curriculum, we're sharing our math projects and lessons for homeschoolers. Check back often as we update this page as we learn math online. Enjoy!