Podcasts are a great way to learn new knowledge and content. Below I will summarize for you some of the podcasts I listened to that specifically talked about math and math education.
Making Math Moments That Matter I thought this podcast was very informative and helpful. Both of the hosts were entertaining; Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr are funny and know what they are talking about. Both men are teachers, specifically math teachers so they have a lot of experience. The specific episode I listened to had to do with 3 Act Math Tasks. I was intrigued because my cooperating teacher for a field my sophomore year of college had used one of these; I had co-taught the lesson with her. The title of the podcast episode was "3 Act Math Tasks Aren't working"- and I wanted to know why they thought that. So I went ahead and listened to the whole episode and was intrigued by what I heard. It sounded like both teachers felt like it was a waste of time- while engagement was high, students weren't really learning and were spending all class on one problem. They also talked about evaluating resources online and resources that you get from conferences. If you would like to listen to the whole episode I put the link to the Math Moments website below- I thought it was very informative and interesting.
https://makemathmoments.com/podcast/
Seminars
Seminars are another great way to get some professional development in. While this professional development opportunity I took a part of didn't specifically have to do with math, it did have to do a lot with teaching. My college campus held a "Trauma Informed Teaching" seminar in one of the auditoriums. A woman from the local schools came to speak with future teachers and gave us a lot of insight into what may be happening outside of school in a students life and how that may affect their schooling. I thought it was very informative; it is sad that as teachers this is the reality that we have to deal with situations like this but as it is, we have to be aware of things going on outside the classroom. I think the biggest thing I learned was just to be sensitive and aware. Some students I have may have gone through a lot in their young lives and may just need extra care. Paying attention to signs of trauma and reacting accordingly are so important. So while this professional development opportunity didn't specifically have to do with math, it is definitely applicable to a math classroom.
TED X Talks
Ted Talks are another great way to grow yourself not only professionally but in many other areas of your life. There are motivational speakers, practical speakers, and informational speakers on many different topics.
Dan Finkel: 5 Ways to Share Math with Kids In this Ted Talk, Dan Finkel talks about 5 different ways to make your math classroom more engaging. He starts by saying to start with a question. By doing that, you get the kids thinking. He then says that thinking only happens when we have time to struggle. This idea of productive struggle piques the student's interest and makes them want to solve the problem at hand because now they are curious and determined. With this being said, Dan also mentions that we as the teachers are not the answer key. He reinforces that it is okay to not know all the answers and that you don't have to give your students the answer to a problem. If none of you know the answer, that gives your students a chance to talk the answer through and debate various possible answers and solutions. Fourthly he says to "Say yes to student ideas." He reinforces that this does not mean you have to say that every student idea or answer is right; it simply means that you give voice to every answer and idea presented. It means not shooting down a student as soon as you realize their answer is wrong. By doing this, students can again engage in friendly debate and figure out the answers together. It also allows every student to feel heard and that they have a voice. Finally Finkel reinforces the idea of play. Math should be fun and shouldn't be a chore. I liked this Ted Talk and think every math teacher should listen to it. I know I will definitely be taking these ideas with me into my classroom.
The link to the Ted Talk is below. https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_finkel_5_ways_to_share_math_with_kids