Apps to support creative and critical thinking in mathematics. This slide share offers ideas for fostering inquiry, generating ideas, reflecting and analysing. Explicit teaching of higher order thinking skills is required for our students and there are iPad apps to help support this process. This is my presentation for the SchoolstechOZ 2014 Conference http://www.iwb.net.au/schoolstechoz.htm

1. Fostering Creative & Critical Thinking: Using
iPads for Primary Mathematics
By
Joanne Villis

2. What is creative and critical
Thinking in Mathematics?
According the Australian Curriculum, there are four
interrelated elements:
1. Inquiring (identifying, exploring and organising
ideas)
2. Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
3. Reflecting on thinking and processes
4. Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning
and procedures

3. Creative thinking?
Video on next slide.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0iXEIpgzNk

4. Critical thinking? Video on next
slide.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdxEAt91D7k

5. iPads and Numeracy skills?
According to the Australian Curriculum the
Numeracy learning continuum is organised into six
interrelated elements:
1.Estimating and calculating with whole numbers
2.Recognising and using patterns and relationships
3.Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios
and rates
4.Using spatial reasoning
5.Interpreting statistical information
6.Using measurement

6. Taxonomy source:
https://www.fractuslearni
ng.com/wp-content/
uploads/2014/08
/bloom_taxonomy_1280.p
ng

7. How do iPads fit in with the
curriculum?
iPads can be tools to support higher order
thinking skills. I have witnessed a shift in the
use of iPads in education. Initially teachers,
including myself, had a strong desire to have
all the good apps they could find.
Now, it is a matter of using a few good apps
and using them well.

8. What has changed in relation to my
teaching of mathematics?
It has been linked to other curriculum areas

9. How do you integrate iPads and
Mathematics across the curriculum?

10. 1. Begin by teaching de Bono’s 6
thinking hats or Bloom’s taxonomy.
http://www.leechon.com/focus-ideas-847.htm

11. Higher Order Thinking Skills
Bloom’s Extended
Digital Taxonomy
Lower Order Thinking Skills

12. 2. Start with your iPads’ features
(a) Camera function both photo and
video

13. 2. Start with your iPads’ features
(b) Press the home button and on/off down button
at the same time, a screen shot will be sent to your
photos. This saves you
money as you often don’t
need to upgrade apps. In
addition, with drill
and practice apps you
can keep a record of
student’s achievements by
taking a simple screen shot.

14. 3. Recommended apps
a) Explain Everything
Explain Everything is an easy-to-use design, screen
casting, and interactive whiteboard tool that lets you
annotate, animate, narrate, import, and export
almost anything.
Skill
Number
Pattern
Fractions
Spatial reasoning
Statistical information
Measurement
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/explain-everything/
id431493086?mt=8

15. 3. Recommended apps
b) Edu Creations
This app is a free version of Explain Everything but it
has some limitations. It has an online community in
order to share and access resources.
Skill
Number
Pattern
Fractions
Spatial reasoning
Statistical information
Measurement
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/educreations-interactive-whiteboard/
id478617061?mt=8

16. 3. Recommended apps
c) Screen Chomp
Screen Chomp allows students to explain everything and
to share.
Skill
Number
Pattern
Fractions
Spatial reasoning
Statistical information
Measurement
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/screenchomp/id442415881?t=8

17. 3. Recommended apps
d) Red Dragonfly Challenge
The Red dragonfly mathematics challenge is an English
adaptation of a classic Japanese mathematics problem-solving
book, known as the Math Brain Quiz (Red) or
more commonly as the Red book, by Mr Yasuhiro
Hosomizu.
Skill
Number
Pattern
Fractions
Spatial reasoning
Statistical information
Measurement
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/red-dragonfly-mathematics/id432706674?mt=8

18. 3. Recommended apps
e) Math Doodles
The mathematical puzzles allow users to play, explore, and
experiment with mathematical concepts, while developing and
strengthening their strategy and problem solving skills. Math
Doodles challenges are designed to allow for multiple solutions and
strategies. There isn't only one correct answer. Also available online
at http://www.carstensstudios.com/mathdoodles/mathdoodlesDemos.htm
Skill
Number
Pattern
Fractions
Spatial reasoning
Statistical information
Measurement
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/math-doodles/id526959716

19. 3. Recommended apps
f) 5Dice
A math game intended for upper elementary and middle
school students that helps students enjoy practicing their
order of operations. The game encourages students to use
higher order thinking to solve the "target" number by
working backwards given the answer but not the equation.
Skill
Number
Pattern
Fractions
Spatial reasoning
Statistical information
Measurement
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/5-dice-order-operations-game/id572774867?mt=8

20. 3. Recommended apps
g) Math Learning Centre Apps
These are all free!
Skill
Number
Pattern
Fractions
Spatial reasoning
Statistical information
Measurement
https://itunes.apple.com/au/artist/clarity-innovations/id496057952

21. 3. Recommended apps
h) Color Towers
Color Tower is a colored block building game. In the
lower left corner a blueprint is given in each level that
needs to be constructed.
Skill
Number
Pattern
Fractions
Spatial reasoning
Statistical information
Measurement
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/color-tower/id442501822?mt=8

22. However, there are some things an
iPad cannot do…Video on next slide.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwAuTbx3xKE

23. The video on the previous page was
shown in a presentation yesterday.
Below is demonstration of what you
should not do with an iPad/iPhone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbKGrtpgBtA

24. An iPad cannot replace a teacher, the human
connection. However, we need to accept that we
will make mistakes and that is OK. Lets learn
technology, together with our students.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFnMTHhKdkw

25. Created by Joanne Villis
http://intertecheducation.edublogs.org/
http://www.pinterest.com/joannevillis/
Images:
http://pixabay.com/

26. Thank you to the Sponsors