Math- Pinterest     

Authors: Becca Morton & Carly Veum

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a content sharing service that allows members to “pin” images, videos, worksheets, and other objects onto their pin boards. Anyone can view the many pin boards on Pinterest even if you are not a member. It is smart to get an account so you can follow others boards that have useful content that can be saved and referenced to in the future at any time. There are different categories within Pinterest, in which boards are organized based on the specific content the board contains. Some of these categories include gifts, videos, animals, food, art, etc. The most important one that is relevant to the classroom is education. On Pinterest, teachers can create pin boards in which students can then use to learn about math and do activities that will enhance their learning. One these boards, teachers can pin videos, pictures, worksheets, and any other resources they want to provide their students to learn math. It is very easy and accessible for students to use and they will have an easy time navigating their way through. The links don’t take you to a bunch of different websites. All of the resources are on Pinterest, which is very helpful.

Application to teaching and learning:

1)      One important aspect that Pinterest provides helpful ways for teachers to teach math to their students. This link http://pinterest.com/pin/136022851216049782/ takes you to a video of a teacher that is giving instruction on how to teach calendar math. Teachers can use this to see how calendar math works and the best way to teach it, so that they can then teach it to their students in a fun and effective way. Pinterest not only helps teach students content, but also teaches teachers how to teach the content.

2)      Another important aspect that Pinterest provides teachers with multiple ways to teach a specific math area. For example, if a teacher was teaching her class how to add and subtract fractions and she demonstrates this one way to the whole class. There are some students who just might not understand the concept that was demonstrated to the class. The teacher then is going to need another way to teach the student and or students how to add and subtract fractions using a way that works for them. On pinterest there are several ways to teach different subjects and more specifically several ways to teach adding and subtracting fractions. The two links listed below are two different ways to teach adding and subtracting.

http://pinterest.com/pin/250020216784831250/

http://pinterest.com/pin/348888302352861722/

3)      One other way that Pinterest is an important aspect for teachers is the fact that it is a quick and easy way to come up with fun ideas on how to teach certain things. http://pinterest.com/pin/375417318907921136/ This link is a fun way to teach division by using snacks as the remainders. Children love food! So what better way to teach division then by using food! Pinterest allows teachers to be able to make their lessons more fun and intriguing for the children. This is also great to make sure that the students understand remember the concept because of just how fun the lesson was in the first place.

Links to use in the classroom:

1)      http://pinterest.com/k5mtr/

1. This link takes you to a pin board titled “K-5 Math Teaching Resources”. On this pin board are links to each grade level that provides math activities for students that are aligned with common state standards. It also has links to ideas for math projects and many other math activities. One of the links is called “Ten frames and Dot Cards”. This is a math activity with helps students to add and develop the ability to quickly see how many there are. There are pictures of dot boards students have done in other classrooms. It also provides pictures of step by step instructions on how to do this activity. Students can look at this board and learn how to do this activity by looking at the pictures of the instructions and examples. Then they can do the activity themselves, in the classroom. 

2)      http://pinterest.com/pin/365495325978794155/

1. This link is a YouTube video about shapes. The video is a song that teaches students all about shapes, including triangles, nonagons, pentagons, etc. The video is short but provides a lot of information about shapes and how many sides they each have, which is fun and entertaining for students. Students can access this video to learn all about shapes and their names, number of sides, etc. Then the teacher can assess them to see if they understand and comprehended the information provided by the video.

3)      http://pinterest.com/pin/565483296931947309/

1. This link is a Halloween themed worksheet to use in the classroom that teaches about math and assess students understanding. The worksheet provides a recipe of a Witches Brew and the students have to use this recipe to answer the question. Students can access this worksheet on Pinterest to use in the classroom and complete. They can just look at the worksheet on Pinterest and write down their answers on their own sheet of paper (will save printing paper J). There is a series of questions that has students adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. It is an ‘all in one’ activity that has students doing a lot of math and having them thinking and figuring out what the answers are. Then at the end of the worksheet, it asks students to create their own recipe for Witches Brew. This is a great activity to use in the classroom.  

4)      http://fivejs.com/teach-math-fact-families-number-bonds/

1. The link that is listed above shows the overall concept of number bonds. This idea was originally pinned onto the board "Elementary Math" by a teacher. The idea of this math concept is the number bond is a way to visually show a student how to add, subtract, multiply, or divide using this technique. As in the example for addition on the left, the student is taught to recognize that the number 7 is made of 3 and 4. Understanding that basic concept, the student is then able to see clearly the rest of the facts in that family, in both addition and subtraction. It works exactly the same way for multiplication and division. This overall concept is visually pleasing, easy, and in the end a very effective way to teach adding, subtracting, multiplication, and division. 

5)      http://www.teacher-support-force.com/teaching-math-with-art.html

1. The link that is provided above talks about the concept of teaching math with art. This is a great way to significantly improve retention of key concepts and vocabulary. Teaching math with art is also a fun and hands on way to get students interested in math. It can also be used in a more quick manner in the sense that white boards can be incorporated a way to quickly draw a picture using minimal time. It is also a way for children, who are more gifted in the art area, a way to shine even if their math isn’t quite there yet. 

(We had a bunch of pictures but couldn't figure out how to post them on here)