Application Problems

When teaching math, students find it very hard to stay engaged and often think the material they are learning is pointless. They find the content irrelevant to their lives which causes disinterest leading to disengage. This leads to distractive behaviours which prevents learning for themselves and others. 

I created a real-life problem called a "photo problem", shown at the bottom. To create one, you just have to take a picture of anything and find a way to create a problem around it or relate it back to a mathematical concept. I took a simple picture of my family drinking tea and chatting. It can really be anything, as simple as an everyday activity. I related it to math by creating an action, like shaking hands, and asking how many handshakes would there be if each person (6 people) shook everyones' hand only one?

Doing this will always create a great problem for students to work on because it relates directly to their lives. They will feel they are not even doing math but rather they are just solving a life problem. It is also very easy for them to imagine what is happening, instead of wondering what the question is asking or what it means. It also keeps them interested and engaged because it is relatable, which also makes it fun for them to participate in.  As a teacher, it is a great idea to present these types of problems as a minds-on activity at the start of class to allow students to think about what the answer may be on their own, with or without previous knowledge. I encourage you to implement these types of problems within your classroom to enhance student learning. 

There are 6 people in a room. Each person must shake everyone's hand only once. 

a) How many handshakes will there be?

b) How many handshakes would there be with 35 people? 

c) Can you think of a general formula in terms of n for the number of handshakes