Brain Gym - Math 6/7/8: Math Talks, Critical Thinking Skills, Problem of the Day
In this ongoing class for Grades 6, 7, and 8, learners develop number sense, practice mental math strategies, improve critical thinking and visual spatial skills, and apply math concepts to real-world situations by solving word problems.
Kate Hoefert
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(371)
What's included
1 live meeting
45 mins in-class hours per weekClass Experience
US Grade 6 - 8
This class will help your learner improve all facets of their math brain. Each class will be broken into three parts: Math Talks, Critical Thinking Skills, and Problem of the Day. Middle school math gets so complicated that using calculators is typically the most efficient strategy... except when it isn't. The Math Talks portion of this class will ease your child's reliance on calculators by helping them become a human computer. Math Talks are focused 10-minute discussions and instruction on mental math strategies for integers, decimals, fractions, rational numbers, and order of operations. Learners will solve 3 to 5 mental math problems, exploring multiple ways to solve and discussing the most efficient strategies. The purpose of Math Talks is to provide learners with multiple strategies for solving so they can use the one that works best for them. The Critical Thinking Skills portion of class will alternate between solving logic problems, identifying and extending patterns, and improving visual-spatial thinking and memory. While not always numbers based, this part of class will strengthen the logical-mathematical portion of your learner's brain. The final part of class is the Problem of the Day, the connection between learning math and using math. Learners will apply math skills to real world situations through a complex word problem. Different ways of representing the situation and solving the problem will be encouraged. MT (Math Talks), CTS (Critical Thinking Skills), POD (Problem of the Day) -Week of Sept. 12: MT - addition strategies, CTS - visual patterns, POD - percents -Week of Sept. 19: MT - addition strategies, CTS - visual memory games, POD - ratios -Week of Sept. 26: MT - addition strategies, CTS - number patterns, POD - perimeter and area -Week of Oct. 3: MT - subtraction strategies, CTS - auditory memory games, POD - decimals -Week of Oct. 10: MT - subtraction strategies, CTS - visual patterns, POD - metric conversion -Week of Oct. 17: MT - subtraction strategies, CTS - visual memory games, POD - multiplying fractions -Week of Oct. 24: MT - multiplication strategies, CTS - number patterns, POD - volume -Week of Oct. 31: MT - multiplication strategies, CTS - auditory memory games, POD - circumference -Week of Nov. 7: MT - multiplication strategies, CTS - deductive reasoning, POD - area of a circle -Week of Nov. 14: MT - division strategies, CTS - visual patterns, POD - ratios -Week of Nov. 21: NO CLASS -Week of Nov. 28: MT - division strategies, CTS - visual memory games, POD - discounts -Week of Dec. 5: MT - division strategies, CTS - number patterns, POD - percent change -Week of Dec. 12: MT - order of operations, CTS - TBD, POD - TBD END OF SECTION
Other Details
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined January, 2021
4.9
371reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Maryland Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education
Eighteen years as a public school teacher in Maryland and two years as an Outschool teacher have provided me the opportunity to teach learners from diverse backgrounds with a variety of learning styles. I began my teaching career in elementary school, teaching all subjects and earning my Masters of Education with a certificate in Gifted Education from Johns Hopkins University. Later, I added both Middle School Math: 6-9 and ESOL Pre-K-12 certifications to my professional certificate. Most recently, I taught middle school math, working with both accelerated students and those with Special Education needs. Because of my varied experiences, I have many strategies to help all kinds of learners.
Math is my passion because while there may only be one correct answer, there are often many different ways to solve the same problem. Exploring those different ways and finding a method of solving with which each learner feels most confident is what I love to do. I like to incorporate hands-on strategies, games, and interactive activities into my lessons to make math less scary for reluctant mathematicians and more engaging for everyone.
When I’m not thinking about math, I enjoy baking, cake decorating, drawing, working in my vegetable garden, and sewing. In my spare time, I can be found hiking, kayaking, bird watching, doing a puzzle, or assembling furniture. I look forward to meeting your learner!Reviews
Live Group Class
$15
weekly1x per week
45 min
Completed by 8 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-14
1-8 learners per class
