Flow

Have you experienced a state of flow through certain experiences? 

I have experienced flow when rock climbing. I enjoy climbing the different routes and working out both my brain and body. I will run into obstacles both mentally and physically as I climb. But the challenge, as well as the music in the background, keep me going until 2 hours have passed and my hands are blistering.

What prompts it? 

My rock climbing flow is very inline with the videos we watched on the idea of Flow. I will keep trying harder and harder problems, but eventually I reach a point where I can go no further and don't have either the technical skills nor the expertise to solve a problem. I lose all flow as my self-efficacy of the task at hand drops. Once I feel like the task is so challenging that no amount of effort can solve it, my engagement drops.

Likewise, if the gym is ever so busy that I can only squeeze in to do the easy routes, I also don't enter into a state of flow. The task is not challenging enough and so I do not end up engaging with it.

Is it sometimes connected with mathematical experiences?

One can definitely use math while in flow while rock climbing. Recognizing the distances between holds and using spatial awareness to project one's self on the wall are two ways my mathematical mind gets activated in flow.

On a more general note, I often find that when I am facing a challenging math problem, I often enter into flow. The only issue with my current sources of math problems is that I find them either too challenging or too easy. But on the occasions where I find a perfect problem I can lose and entire day playing with it.

Class Summary/ Blog Reflection

 Looking through my blog posts, I have unlocked memories of the earlier days of this course when we were in the garden in the early fall days. I also got to take another look at the art projects that we did over the span of the semester. So much has happened that I can barely keep track of it all, so hard to process. But as I read the blogs I get to remember the things we did.

My favourite part of the course happened early on when we reading the Skemp article. By breaking the idea of knowledge into that of instrumental vs relational understanding unlocked something in my brain. It was a new way of thinking that had never happened before. Because of having this reading early on, I was able to see the lessons and projects through the lens of instrumental vs relational understanding, and that enormously helped me through the course.

I also liked the math art projects that were related to the curriculum we would be teaching in the schools. While we learned a lot of art ideas, it will be a bit of work to find the time to implement them in our classrooms. I would have loved more lessons like the GCF/LCM dances that I will be able to implement in my practicum seamlessly.

Unit Plan & Lesson Plans - Exponents and Prime Factorization

Sorry for the quality of the class notes, the pen did not convert to Google Docs well. During the classes, students will be given the blank notes at the start of class. As a class we will work through the notes together, with the green writing being the targeted information I want to convey with students.

Unit Plan

Lesson 1 - GCF/LCM

Lesson 1 - Class Notes

Lesson 2 - Prime Factorization

Lesson 2 - Class Notes

Prime Factorization Art

Lesson 11 - Encryption in Math

Lesson 11 - Class Notes