Math Magic Teachers Hints, Using Color

HINTS FOR MATH TEACHERS

1. Use Color

I have found that an essential part of my teacher stuff is a set of different colored markers.

When I am writing notes, I have an array of colors in front of me, and I change colors frequently.

Yes, it takes extra time to switch colors.

I can assure you I wouldn’t bother except for one reason: It helps my students learn.

2. Why Colors?

It keeps numbers and operations straight. It alerts students to changes in procedure.

It gives them a visual cue that a change has happened to the equation.

EXAMPLES OF COLOR USE

3. Let me give some examples of how this helps, using order of operations:
3 + 4 ÷ 2 -1 x 5

I can use colors here to identify the groups that we are dealing with. There are two groups: one MD and the other AS.

Write the problem substituting those colors:

3 + (4 ÷ 2) – (1 x 5).

That cues the student into looking at those two operations. They know to the do MD first, and the red points out to them which numbers are involved:

3 + (4 ÷ 2) – (1 x 5).
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When I rewrite the equation with the first step completed it is all in blue:

3 + 2 – 5

showing that all that is left to be done is AS.

While this may seem time consuming to teach such an elementary topic, it is worth it. There are students who suffer from various learning difficulties that cause numbers to 'swim.' Colors help keep the numbers anchored for these students.

When I get to more complicated subjects, numbers really come in handy. When teaching solving three equations and three unknowns, colors help immensely. They give the x, y and z variables.