In week six we cooked up some mathematical fun when being introduced to activities that help to teach Rate, Ratio and Proportion. One presenter made recipe cards for the class, and then instructed us to double and triple the recipe. The recipes she introduced were fun, and something that students could realistically make at home. I also liked how this doubled as a practical example of how ratio and proportion are used in our everyday lives.
Robert Brazile. Food is Love? Feb. 15, 2014. [Online Image]
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This is definitely an example that I would use in my class. As a teacher, I could ask my students to find a recipe at home and double, triple or quadruple the recipe. Another fun spin on this activity would be to actually cook a recipe. This could be cold baking (no cooking required) or cooked if desired. This doubles as a fun and yummy reward that highlights the everyday uses of mathematics.
This then leads me to the question asked at the end of class How can I ensure that my students develop a conceptual understanding of ratio, rate and proportion?
First, I must teach my students to attend two quantities at the same time. Next I must teach them how to form a multiplicative comparison of two quantities (ie. comparing a 15 inch rope to a 10 inch rope, understanding that the 15 inch rope is 1.5 times as long as the second). Third, students must learn to form a composed unit (ie. 3:2 to describe a class that has 3 girls for every 2 boys). Also, teaching students to repeat (multiply) or break into equal parts (divide) ratios to create equivalent ratios will help ensure that students have a strong conceptual understanding of ratio, rate and proportion.
Another fun yet practical activity that the professor presented to us was based on identifying curriculum expectations for various grade levels. She made this into a matching game, where we had to match a math problem to the grade level expectation. Working in pairs, we made a few mismatches, however, once I completed and corrected my answers, I found this very rewarding and insightful.
Until next week!
Ashley
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