there is 100% chance I am writing a blog right now ... (week 10)

     This week is all about probability! I actually like the topic of probability because I always remember doing fun activities such as rolling dice, flipping coins or playing carnival games. But using the actual mathematics behind probability is a bit more complex than just games!
     One of the things I feel probability really strongly assists in is demonstrating the relationships between numbers. When Michael did his presentation, he explained that most students can have some basic misconceptions about probability variations. If you flip a coin 500 times, you still have a 50/50 chance of it being heads or tails. There is not other option, and regardless of how many times that coin is flipped, the odds remain the same.
    Another aspect we discussed was taking this information and graphing it or placing it into charts. In my placement class, they are always using T charts or other visuals to show their work. The student seem to really thrive when they are given a clear display of the numeric relationships in chart format so I am constantly looking for new examples. I will definitely be borrowing these ideas when it comes time for my placement.

"Trapezoid" Varsity Tutors. 2016. Retrieved from http://www.varsitytutors.com/advanced_geometry-help/how-to-find-the-area-of-a-trapezoid

    In placement, the students are still working on area and conversion. They really like seeing relationships between numbers, and we have continued through math strings. One of my favourite lessons was based around an open problem with the grade 7's. I had the opportunity to split the class up with my associate teacher, and he taught the grade 8's a lesson, while I supervised the grade 7 math problem. He called it an "open problem" and it was basically a generalized question that there were no real, cookie-cutter answers to. I cannot recall the full question, but know the students had to attempt to find a formula that would calculate area of a trapezoid. There was not any more information given. From this, they split into pairs and tried to come to a solution. It was great to see the students work through the problem on their own. They did want help and guidance, but not too much. They knew to channel their frustrations, which was so great to see. I also liked the concept of giving students freedom to explore in mathematics. I feel that students need to understand and make up their own relationships when it comes to numbers. To see these students work through a problem with very little guidance, and come together to learn off of each other, was the kind of math problems I hope to implement in my classroom one day.
     I found this resource from the same author as our textbook, I would love to read more about open questions and see the impact they have on our students.