Entrance Slip #4 - Biting Birch Bark

The text takes an interesting approach to using the body as a tool in learning mathematics. I think first and foremost having the students physically involved makes them more engaged, as they are actively moving and following instructions. Comparatively, in a class that's mainly lectured focused, students may take away 'how to copy down what the teacher wrote' instead of absorbing class material. When we involve the body, and the student doesn't know what comes next, they may be more actively engaged and intrigued to see what the end result is. This is outlined in the section where some of the students were asking what the point of this exercise was; this wonder and confusion actually drove them to be more actively engaged in the lesson and continue to learn. As an activity, the students weren't bogged down to writing down notes, which doesn't work for all students; each student learns a different way, and switching up a teaching style is important to keep the student interested in the material. The connections and linkages can be formed from school material to the activity, after the activity is over, and it will allow the students to form a better understanding of the physical applications the material may have. 

I think the integration of movement as a learning resource should be implemented more in the classroom. Most students dread taking notes and see it as a waste of time, so having a fun activity can make the difference for certain students to actively listen. Growing up, I never experienced bodily experiences as a learning resource, except for in PE, but there are definitely applications. I think the most applications come from physics, but physics is an applied mathematics, so maybe we can work it in from that angle! Also bodily experience doesn't necessarily have to relate to moving around and being physical. In the case of birch biting, we're using our mouths as a tool; there's an endless number of activities you can do that would constitute under 'bodily experience', I just think it should be away from scribbling notes.