Hands-on Learning with a Digital Twist

Hi, friends! I hope everyone had a wonderful start to the new year!

This week we are going to start right off and talk more about digital math resources. I bet almost all of you have had to do some form of digital learning this school year. It probably included worksheets, remote activities, digital games, and other digital resources. 

If you weren’t familiar with digital resources, I’m sure you are now. I’ve had feedback that some teachers have struggled with digital learning in the subject area of math, specifically geometry. I’ve also had a few who are struggling to go beyond math worksheets for virtual learning, and some teachers are having a hard time using digital resources to extend hands-on learning. So, I thought we would start the year off by diving into how digital math resources and hands-on learning can complement each other. We are going to cover in-class learning, digital learning, and a combination of the two.

HANDS-ON LEARNING

Being able to create opportunities for learning concepts through hands-on activities in the classroom is what we do best as teachers. Hands-on learning is especially great for teaching geometry skills. Pattern blocks, as you all probably know, are fun to use for making shapes and designs. I also have lots of real-world manipulatives for my classroom. Everyday objects are the easiest to use and find. I also get so excited when I find cute, small objects in the “dollar spot” area of Target! Do you get that same feeling? That’s a whole blog post in itself.

Anyway, there are tons of items that you can use for great hands-on activities. We all know how children love to play with playdough. We may not love it when it gets ground into our carpets, but we can easily use it to teach children how to identify and create shapes. Designing shape mats for children to use as a guide when forming shapes is a great way to assist them. Straws and popsicle sticks allow children the flexibility to make a variety of shapes. 

Scavenger hunts are also a fun way to help children learn how to identify shapes. Ask children to search the classroom or playground for items that resemble shapes. Don’t forget to point out shapes, and ask students its name. This also builds language skills. Make sure you are asking them how many sides and corners the shapes have that they create. Learning the attributes of the shapes helps students learn shape recognition and supports further learning.

LEARNING AT HOME

All teachers strive to build a home-school connection for their students’ learning. Digital learning is no exception. We’ve had to get a little more creative with how we involve families with on-screen lessons, and we also want to reassure families that their children aren’t spending all of their class time on the computer. Again, here is where digital learning and hands-on learning can work together. 

There are many hands-on math activities that can go along with the digital learning that you send to your students. Children can search out shapes throughout their home on a shape scavenger hunt. This is an interactive activity that families can do together. Creating a lesson that involves naming a shape displayed on the screen and then going to search for that shape in their home provides students with an engaging way to build geometry skills. Mealtime can also provide families with opportunities to teach their children geometry. Sandwiches can be cut and divided into different shapes. Offer families visual vocabulary cards to print or create on their own to help at home.  

So, you see how digital resources are here to stay? Even with a transition back into the classroom, you have many ways to continue to use all of the great digital math resources that you have. You also have some great reasons to seek out more digital math resources. Speaking of…

My most popular digital math resources for geometry skills are my bundles. Students can use these colorful resources to understand closed and open shapes. Make sure that digital math resources for geometry have moveable objects. This allows students to learn how to make shapes out of other shapes. Students also need to learn how to partition shapes into equal parts. Activities should help students become comfortable using words like halves, fourths, and quarters. Digital resources can also incorporate digital pattern blocks into the lessons. These “blocks” allow students to drag and drop a variety of shapes to create other shapes and patterns. Continue the learning by asking your students to recreate the shapes and patterns using real-world shape blocks.

As students get older you still want to look for resources and activities that are colorful and engaging. Pipe cleaners can still be fun for older students, and it can help students form shapes in a new way. Don’t forget to introduce younger students to more complex shapes through vocabulary and visuals. This introduction will help 2^nd graders when they are ready to identify and draw these more complex shapes. Look for digital resources that make geometry fun with a variety of characters and objects for students to manipulate.

Everyday objects, such as pizzas, can be used in digital resources to help with the learning of partitioning skills. Learning can be extended by incorporating a pizza into a meal for hands-on learning. Everyone loves pizza! Have a class pizza party and enjoy a fun treat while teaching your students geometry!

The bottom line is that learning can and should be fun. My final tip is to practice the lesson beforehand. If you are bored and lose interest, it’s more than likely that your students will also. 

Comment below with your favorite hands-on activity for teaching geometry skills. Let’s discuss how we can use digital resources to complement each activity. I love to hear your ideas!

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Talk to you next week!

Jess @ Savvy Apple