A Year in the Life: Ambient Math Wins the Race to the Top!
Day 219
For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.”
And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times. Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful.
Today’s post fits the old adage, “A picture is worth 1,000 words.” This picture was taken at the beginning of a Grade 3 class I taught. Here’s what we did that day:
Gathered 12-15 bales of hay at a class parent’s home and garden.
Half the class harvested veggies and half started building the hay house.
The other halves made a yummy veggie soup and finished the hay house.
We all ate soup for lunch then designed and built the door as a group.
This is the very best of third grade!
Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal. Tune in again tomorrow for more Grade 3 fun!