Beattie Elementary School, Kamloops, B.C.

Reflection on Dr. J’s presentation from Beattie Elementary. 

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At the start before he started I got a sense of First Nations and I knew it was to do with math but I didn’t expect some of the things that were about to happen. For example: We were witnessing and participating in math through the whole presentation. He showed us pretty cool methods throughout and very astonishing paper crafts related to math. He also had a sense of humor which made the presentation more enjoyable. I had to ask him for notes to get prepared for high school so he gave me his email and he is going to give me a challenge. I’m pretty excited.  He showed us that math is everywhere in the world and it came from a long time ago.

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I think this was a very valuable presentation it taught me important things about how math applies to everyday life. It also taught me a new level of problem solving. He talked a lot about history of math in different cultures which was a fun and unexpected and was very cool. He taught us some interesting patterns and what they applied to in real life. 

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 Today I really liked that we all got to have the privilege to hear and see Dr.J talk to us about how math is in everything we see. I loved that almost everything he was telling us we had to figure it out by asking lots and lots of questions. I liked how he was teaching us and at the same time was making jokes and making us laugh. One of my favourite activity that he did with us was when we got do different patterns with the folded paper, I also liked how he taught us how to do the finger method with any number under 1000. It was cool how he somehow fit a lot of things in his presentation that we were learning but didn’t now that we were. I loved that he fit in Aboriginal heritage into it and how he taught us that math has been around for years and it's in everything we see. It was cool that one of Dr.J’s old students got to come with him and do the presentation with him and speak to us about what he does in his university. A reason why I would love for Dr.J to come back to our class is because he could teach so much more that he has learned, and we can do lots more fun and educational activities. 

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I thought that the presentation was super engaging and interesting. I have never seen our class so quiet and listening so well. The presentation was super fun because he made it personal and relatable which always makes it easier to listen! The magic tricks were so fun and mind blowing! I had lots of fun learning new math tips and tricks like the finger method. I also learned about the fibonacci sequence which was very cool and the chess board made it easier to visualize!If I could see the presentation again I totally would!

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I really liked the presentation because it was very educational and fun! I was very surprised about some of the things he told us too! He included a lot of information about his personal life along side the fun,interesting and humorous way he taught us math strategies. He really made us feel comfortable and understanding about the topics he was telling us about and I really appreciated that! His way of teaching was really great because it was very interactional for us! I really liked how we got to learn about different patterns with the folding and cutting experiments and I liked how he showed us some things that his students actually made and learned from him. It was really good because he talked a lot about university and how if you work really hard you can be very successful in life. He referred to some things in nature and I thought that was very cool because now we have something to look for in everyday life! He taught me a lot of new strategies and I had fun! The presentation was very well done!  

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I found his presentation to be personal. He talked a lot about his Dad. I enjoyed making the crafts. It didn’t feel like math. Math was used in First Nation culture. Listening to the presentation made me think I might like University. Math can be fun and it’s not just in school!

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I liked when we did the puzzles that I liked that part most because I have seen most of them.  I wish we did more math puzzles. I also liked how he used shapes to make photos like twitter apple to show us that math is used for a lot of stuff like art logo’s and other stuff. Way better than just telling us. I also liked how he told us about himself to start puzzle like his car and parking puzzle his dad was good at chess and then the chess board puzzle. It was cool when he showed us how to cut paper in the middle and it will be in one.

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What I liked about Dr. J’s presentation. I liked everything about the presentation. I liked learning about new math concepts, and I liked learning about him. Dr. J taught us everything really well. He connected everything in a way that was fun for us and helped us understand what he was saying. He used comedy that was hilarious for people our age. My favourite part of the presentation was doing the math problems in the beginning. I liked solving the problems, and also learning to look at things in a different perspective, for example the problem with the parking lot where the numbers were upside down I was trying to find a pattern when all we needed to do was just look at it differently. I also really liked how he taught us about his background, which made it so much cooler to see how he went from a small town in Bosnia to teaching 500 students in a big university in a city like Vancouver. I liked how he taught us that post-secondary education is important. I really liked the presentation.  One other thing I like that wasn’t part of the presentation but I still really liked was how excited Mrs. D got super excited to see Dr. J and how they started talking in their native language. That was super cool to watch and hear.

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What I liked about what Dr. J talked about is that he made us do this very interesting puzzles which were a lot of fun but also made us do math at the same time without us even knowing that we were doing math. I also like how he would enjoy teaching and doing the math with us and would get involved, he would also tell very interesting stories about math and his personal life. What I liked the most about Dr. J is that he was very passionate about his job and teaching kids about the different forms of math and patterns. I also like to call him Dr. J because it’s cool and I can’t remember his full name.

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I like he made cutting paper to turn into cool things that blowed my mind and teaching us in a way that I forgot that we were doing math. All along and he also taught us that math is everywhere. And Wherever you go to the store or evening with all the shapes and I also like that he was very open to us. And made it really fun to learn.    

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I really enjoyed Dr. J’s presentation It was educational and fun, he taught us in such a way that he kept us interested and wanting to know more. I learned a lot about the history of math and how math has helped us survive even though we didn’t know it. Math is all around us we just have to find it. I liked how Dr.J incorporated his life stories to help us visualize how math works. I thought the “thinking games”He played with us really made us think and the fun little crafts he taught us really blew my mind In general I really enjoyed Dr.J’s presentation it was very well done. 

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I really liked this presentation because he taught us that math has been around for hundreds of years I mean I already knew this of course but I didn't know that math formulas are everywhere even in pinecones and broccoli. He also hinted that creativity is also as important as logic. The way he told us creativity is just as important as logic is when he showed us the puzzles on the smartboard when you first look at the car one you are confused because there is no sense just random numbers but to the creative mind all you have to do is turn the board upside down and there is your answer. He also told us about how if you work hard enough you can really succeed at your goals and dreams. I think when he showed us how to make the paper sculpture like crafts everyone was  amazed because it was super cool what you can make only cutting in a single line. When he brought out all of the sculptures and cool expandable balls I think everybody had fun passing them around and trying to figure out how to make them. I think this lesson was fantastic and well done. 

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I was extremely impressed with Dr. J’s presentation.  My students were 100 % engaged in the whole thing.  It was a perfect balance of hands on and thought provoking.  I also loved how First Nations Culture was woven throughout the presentation.  Many of my more challenging students were completely focused and excited to participate.  I would highly recommend this presentation to others.  Thanks for sharing with my class.

Beth Morgan

Grade 7

Beattie Elem.