Teaching Math… Backwards
How many times have we heard kids say "what's the point?" or "When are we EVER going to use this?" It's the truth! Learning math is mundane and abstract when you're learning the fundamentals. It's the have-to-do subject I insist the kids tackle before they are "released" and run off to the want-to-dos. As the teacher, it's far easier to just give the lesson, hand out a worksheet, and say GO! It's just not how you develop an interest or curiosity for the subject. I studied math through university, and then used it at work. I understand it's practical applications and it's only when I had these applications in sight did I truly engage, internalize, and appreciate the subject. I don't want the kids to be turned off of it before they get to use it. So starting today I've started easing myself into unschooling. Yes, I know, *gasp*. Contrary to what many believe, unschooling isn't about waking up in the morning and letting your kids run around like animals until the sun sets. When done well, it requires a lot of thought, effort, planning and you can't get it from a kit. It requires you to think about and eek out as many subjects as you can from the stuff your kids are interested in, what you do in your day to day, or introduce an idea that gets them excited. We are beyond the math learned from the commonly used example of cooking and baking for my oldest so I have had to step up my game.
At some point this year, the kids and I will be doing a cross country road trip. They are really looking forward to it. I talked to them about a big project that we are going to undertake for this trip. I'm not going to reveal the details of it yet, but it is related to said trip (you'll just have to stay tuned!). I mentioned a feature that I'd like to include that would require a generator and needed them to help me figure out how to make it happen. My 11 year old, N, went straight to the computer to look up what a generator was and how it worked. They all watched a video and down the rabbit hole we all went. By the end of an hour, N had a great fundamental grasp of atoms, current and charge, and the role electrons, protons, and neutrons play in them. We learned about Coulombs and Amperes. She also now has a grasp of manipulating equations in order to solve for a variable. All without me poking, prodding, and nagging. All because she saw the point and she was learning with a purpose. A practical and tangible one. We will see what tomorrow brings, but for now, I have changed our approach and it seems to be working. I saw a spark of excitement from them all. Let's see if we can keep it going!
For anyone who is interested in the explanation of generators and the math behind charge and current, Khan Academy is just SO good!
The links:
How A.C. and D.C. Generators work
