Martina Hren, OŠ Pod goro Slovenske Konjice
Students learn mostly from their own actions therefore I decided to hand learning over to the students. Within the project ATS we carried out several activities – students collaborated with each other, formed criteria of textual tasks in groups and decided what elements an appropriate mathematical textual task in eighth class should contain. Further on they have researched and used different sources during creating textual tasks. As the final activity they made comments to each others textual tasks and using the sandwich feedback method they focused on positive things and suggested improvements. We did some things using paper (writing criteria) and we also used ICT, first Moodle platform and then platform Mahara for writing textual tasks and giving feedback. My aim is for students to see the meaning and importance of mathematics in everyday life because this is the most important thing for me as a teacher. I would like to encourage the students to think and to contribute their ideas to more quality lessons and effective use of mathematics outside of school. Most often mathematics is unpopular because it is seen only as a school subject, but by creating textual tasks and thinking about different mathematical problems in real life students can discover that there are numerous mathematical challenges and that mathematics is all around us. Students made textual tasks by abiding the criteria formed in the beginning of acitivty. The results are original and diverse textual tasks – both arithmetical and geometrical. Students also learned with collaboration because they had to think about the meaning and main point of their school mates tasks and give feedback in an appropriate way, they also learned about critical opinion. Next time I would put the emphasis on the communication, giving feedback and argumentation, because students are still weaker on this area. The aim of this article is to set out the importance of knowing that some students do not find mathematics understandable and logical without seeing the examples from daily life and handing learning over to them. Doing this easily is to awaken their creativity and encourage them to add their own examples and help others gain better knowledge.
