Ready to learn 5 ways you can make learning fun this week? Remember those classes in school that you dreaded going to? I never wanted my class to be one of those! I struggled in the beginning but I feel like I now have a pretty good handle on what I can do to make learning fun and they are all centered around just 5 ideas. Ready to learn 5 ways to make learning fun? Let’s dive in!
One of my favorite math games is Bingo! It is low prep and kids love a little competition!
With face-to-face learning, we play it using printable bingo cards, but I had to get a little more creative once we moved to virtual learning. With virtual learning, we use digital bingo cards that work in Microsoft Powerpoint and Google Slides. Check out the video below to learn more about how to play digital math bingo.
Before playing, set a timer for 5 minutes so your students can fill in their printable or digital bingo cards with the answers. After the timer goes off, check to see if anyone needs more time, and then it’s time to play!
Using the calling cards, display one question at a time, how long you display each question depends on the skill and the class. After a few questions, I usually get a pretty good feel on how much time they need. Some students may not finish a question, and that’s okay. I usually do not tell them the answers because they can self-check based on whether or not the answer is on the bingo card.
However, I do ask if anyone needs me to show them how to do the problem. If that’s the case, I will walk them through setting up the problem and the steps but still not tell them the answer.
If you are interested in bingo games that are both digital and printable, check them out here.
I love music. Outside of heavy metal and rock, I pretty much listen to everything. My top favorite genres are r&b, hip hop, and pop music. My students quickly learn my love of Whitney Houston because I play “I wanna dance with somebody” constantly! It is my go-to. Seriously, it is an instant mood and energy booster AND gives me an excuse to dance around my classroom while students work. I usually play music at the beginning and during class. My students get so excited that they ask if they can make song requests, so of course, I take their requests! As long as it is appropriate and clean, I will add it to a playlist. If you have extra free time, create a separate playlist for each class period.
If you have Spotify and are interested in some classroom-appropriate songs, check out my playlists here.
If you get to know your students, you can incorporate your students’ interests into class! Plus, once they know you care, they are more likely to engage with you. An example of this is by asking an attendance question about their favorite tv shows, books, anime, video game, etc.
After you know their interests, incorporate the names of characters from their favorite tv shows or books into math word problems OR add your student names to math problems! For example, I know one of my kids loves LEGOS so I created a math equation about him and his LEGOS.
I’ve noticed that my students LOVE talking about themselves and their interests so it is a sure-fire way to get them talking.
If you’re interested in a free Google Form to get to know your students, grab it here!
As a math teacher, I am no stranger to students lacking confidence. I recently noticed one of my students would only submit blank assignments. When I asked her why she told me that she was really afraid of being wrong. This let me know that I needed to celebrate mistakes a little more!
So I pulled out one of my favorite tricks, “My Favorite No”. It is a form of error analysis that works well as a math warm-up.
To do it, each student answers one problem on an index card. Students then pass the index cards in and I look through them to find my favorite mistake (or favorite no)!
Virtual learning: Desmos would work really well, use a sketch screen to have students show their work or use a virtual whiteboard like awwapp.com.
At this point, I will rewrite how the student worked through the problem.
As a class, we discuss what the student did well and then go into where the mistake happened!
Tip: Act really excited for the mistake by saying something like…”This mistake is awesome, we can all learn from this!! Thank you!!”
It’s great because many students make the same mistake and they actually get excited and say “that’s mine!!”
My student who was too afraid to be wrong has stopped submitting black assignments and started participating in class!
As a kid, I always loved when my teachers talked about their lives outside of school! I got so invested in learning about my teacher’s kids, pets, and hobbies. Kids love to know that you are actually a human that doesn’t actually live in the school. I like to connect with my students by getting to know their interests but also by sharing mine.
You can connect your own personal experiences to the lesson or just randomly tell them a short story!
One of my students enjoys Grey’s Anatomy just as much as I do and now it’s our thing! So whenever you can, sprinkle a little bit of YOU into class!
As you start to incorporate these ideas to make learning fun in your classroom, ask yourself, “Am I excited for class today?”.
If the answer is no, your students likely won’t enjoy it either.
Thank you for being here!
Welcome to my Blog!
I started The Sassy Math Teacher in 2020 to help teachers like you increase classroom engagement and teach with confidence!
I also love to share about my life as a teacher including my favorite outfits, home items, gadgets and trips!
