Webinar Follow-up: Math in Context: Math for the Workplace

This discussion will focus on questions, key concepts, and resources from the Webinar, "Math in Context: Math for the Workplace." 

Please feel free to share any questions that you have for Michael Matos from his webinar, 9/7/18, he will be responding to your comments from Sept 8 - 10.

Thank you for your participation!

Brooke Istas
Math and Numeracy COP Moderator

Comments

Hi, Michael. First, thanks for sharing  the practices and resources that you described in today's Math in Context: Math for the Workplace Webinar. I appreciated the clear content and  pace of your presentation, along with the examples that you shared on contextualizing math instruction to integrate the interests and occupational paths of learners.

You described wonderful resources and practices to engage students in connecting math skills to everyday needs and potential occupational requirements. Hat's off!  While engaging students in the tasks you described, do you also target reading and wiring skills in your objectives? In other words, are students required and assessed on their ability to read and write as they acquire the terminology expected in solving problems? I know that some writing instructors require that student actually write problems for others to solve.

I am a strong believer in integration, and it sounds like you are, as well. What reading and writing activities would you suggest to have math instructors also integrate reading and writing skills into their practice? Describe equations? Verbally solve problems step-by-step? Create problems for others to solve collaboratively?

I've also used the amazing tools in Excel to create or have students create Excel "interactions" to portray math processes in determining how fractions, percentages, interest rates, and other common calculations develop. Any tutoring sites on those? I love Excel tools that go far beyond spreadsheets! 

Thanks for a great presentation and the rich resources you shared! Those are great gifts to all! Leecy

 

Hello Leecy,

Thank you for the kind words on the presentation. I have students write their own word problems and share them with the class. I have developed a number of writing practices and skills that lead to the finished product. The word problems are later added real-life items to engage and bring to life the activity and the word problem. The students use these realia pieces in conjunction with the word problem, I have also used manipulative shapes where students can write the steps used to solve a problem and then have other students manipulate the shapes in the correct order sequence.to solve the problem.

Those are perfect ways to integrate academic skills into occupational and real-life interests, Michael. Thanks. Do you or others here have additional ideas on how writing instructors might integrate math concepts into their instruction? Writing problems and describing steps to solving equations would certainly work both ways. Leecy

Yes, the webinar was recorded and will be posted on the LINCS YouTube Channel once it has been formatted correctly.  Here is the link to the channel:  https://www.youtube.com/user/LincsEd

I hope things get less hectic for you soon!

Hello all,

The PowerPoint has been posted, it is posted in .pdf format so you can print it off.  Here is the link to it:  https://community.lincs.ed.gov/document/math-context-math-workplace-ppt