This is an interesting one for me. Some would describe it as eccentric or even unusual. I am teaching mathematics from grades 8 -12 and, especially at the intermediate level, I strive to make the mathematics learning as relevant as possible to the daily lives of my learners. I use materials such as wal mart receipts, they or me supply, sears catalogs, when I can get them away from my wife, recipe books, food, road trips to stores , ramps, hockey rinks and even 2 and 4 stroke engines on occasion. The students need to see mathematics functioning and explaining daily events and occurrences in their lives in order to make that deep connection to the concepts being taught.
We play all sorts of games from cards to jeopardy to bingo in class. This makes the learning experience fun as well as meaningful. I regularly encourage their participation in school run or nationally run mathematics competitions and showoff their results at the end. I hold an annual pi day in March where all 7 - 12 students participate as teams in a mathematics scavenger hunt. Everyone gets a mathematically inspired prize at the end with the winners getting a little extra of course. My 3103 classes run the show, from budget, shopping, cooking ( pies and pizzas of course), to creating and hiding both the questions and solutions to the mathematical scavenger hunt questions.
Active engagement, enjoyment and ownership are at the hearty of my mathematics teaching philosophy.
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