We were introduced to this new site, called YouCubed, which I am fairly certain that in today's classroom, if you were to write this word upon the board and ask children what they thought it was, they would reply that you misspelled the word YouTube. I'm not sure if anyone else noticed this resemblance to the famous site, but I have to admit it was one of the first things that stood out to me.
Anywho, YouCubed is a "nonprofit providing free and affordable K-12 mathematics resources and professional development for educators and parents". This site recognizes the new movement of teaching math to children in a revolutionary way in which it claims students will thoroughly enjoy and lead to math empowerment. The material that are located throughout the site are made by international researchers and educators all focused on teaching math in a new innovative manner.
FYI: Jo Boaler is a Stanford University math specialist who has become a driving force behind math change in the United States and beyond; she is leading the YouCubed project.
There has been no doubt a change in the way of teaching mathematics in our schools throughout the province in the past number of years. Even since I have left school, I have had calls from my younger cousins' mothers who are begging me to help with the math homework that my cousins have brought home. Often the topic at my grandmother's weekly Sunday dinner, is how they have changed math to make it much more difficult and back when they went to school, they were taught how to do it and that was it. Obviously they are unaware of the importance of teaching children to be greater thinkers.
I am extremely interested in this site and the possibilities that it could bring into the classroom. It will be a great resource or tool to include both in the classroom and for parents once it becomes fully operational. I think it is great that they have the site organized into different grade levels and has a separate page to help support parents (which I think my aunts would benefit from!).
To be able to give students "the path to a better understanding" is what ultimately
teaching should be all about.
Here is the link for anyone who wants to check it out:
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