Pictured above: Shannon Harmon, a doctorial student at the University of Mississippi, discusses patterns with 5th Graders Carly Hill (left) and Shannon Boyd (right).
Dawn Stroupe’s 5th grade students at New Albany Elementary School had a fun-filled day of math activities on Wednesday, September 15. The lessons and activities were a part of the PrIME (Promoting Innovations in Mathematics Education) initiative.
Stroupe attended a two-week long PrIME workshop this past summer at the University of Mississippi (UM) and will continue these workshops for the next three summers. The PrIME workshops are designed for educators who teach 4th – 8th grade math. Dr. Angela Barlow is the director of the project and helped facilitate the day’s activities and lessons, while Shannon Harmon, a doctoral student at UM, taught the lessons.
Eleven teachers from the northeast Mississippi region and that attended the workshop with Stroupe were there to observe Harmon’s lessons. Action lab students from UM and student teachers from Blue Mountain College also observed the afternoon’s activities.
The 5th graders worked in small groups and used manipulatives to solve problems, determine patterns, and create T-charts. Stroupe said she is excited about the PrIME project and the fact that her students are enjoying problem solving activities. “The purpose of PrIME is to teach students to be problem solvers, rather than problem doers,” she said.
Pictured below: Shannon Harmon, center, and Dr. Angela Barlow, right, watches as 5th Grader Bo Campbell explains his answer to a problem.
