Dals blog

  Recently, I’ve been noticing how frequently AI appears in classrooms and learning apps . It’s exciting, a little overwhelming, and definitely something worth talking about. As a teacher, researcher, and lifelong learner, I keep asking myself , is AI really helping students, or is it making them too dependent? The Bright Side  But Still....... ?????????

 

  Let’s face it. Sometimes teaching feels like a tornado! Students can get distracted or zone out, but that’s where the 5E model comes to the rescue! This simple and effective framework turns any lesson into an engaging adventure: This simple and effective framework turns any lesson into an engaging adventure: Engage – Kick things off with a fun question or story that grabs their attention. Explore – Let students dive in with hands-on activities or group work, giving them the chance to play and discover. Explain – Help them connect the dots by guiding them through the key concepts. Elaborate – Challenge them with some deeper tasks that get those wheels turning! Evaluate – Check in on what they've learned in a friendly and supportive way no stress involved!  With the 5E model, lessons become exciting journeys, and trust me, it makes teaching a whole lot more fun for us too!

The table below presents a brief history of  instructional models that influenced the development of the contemporary BSCS 5E Instructional Model from the early 1900s to 1960s.

  The 5E model is a simple way to structure math lessons so students don’t just memorize formulas, but actually explore, question, and discover the beauty of mathematics.

Let’s be honest. Graphs on paper can feel flat and boring.  Students look at them and think, “So what?”  But when the graph moves and reacts instantly… boom! They’re hooked. That’s where graphing calculators come in.  Here’s why students and teachers love it : Change a number, and the whole graph moves right before their eyes. Try different equations, and patterns start to pop out. Mistakes don’t feel scary because they can fix and test things right away. With graphing calculators, algebra and functions suddenly make sense. It’s not just about memorizing formulas, it’s about seeing math in action. And for teachers? Graphing calculators make it easy to create interactive lessons where students explore, discover, and even teach themselves . If graphs used to make students groan, graphing calculators will turn those groans into “Whoa, that’s cool!”

  Math.  The subject that can make even the brightest student suddenly “need” a bathroom break. Or doodle cats in the margin. Or stare out the window like they’re waiting for inspiration from the clouds. Why? 😖 Because abstract concepts can feel like learning a secret code without the decoder ring. If the teaching style doesn’t click with a student’s learning style, math quickly goes from “maybe I’ll try” to “nope, not today.” Then enter the unsung heroes of the classroom: manipulatives . 💪 Blocks, counters, algebra tiles, or the fancy digital kind they’re basically math’s way of saying: “Hey, want to play a game instead of memorizing rules?”  Suddenly, fractions aren’t just numbers on a page, they’re pizza slices. Geometry isn’t just scary angles, it’s building with Lego. But here’s the thing. Tossing manipulatives at students without a plan is like giving them a set of drums and expecting Beethoven. Fun? Sure. Productive? Not always.  That’s why structure ma...

  Life has its seasons, some light and breezy, others stormy and unpredictable.  No matter how much we prepare, difficult situations have a way of showing up at our doorstep. And when they do, our instinct is often to react quickly, sometimes out of fear or frustration.  But in those very moments, calmness is what we need the most. Staying calm doesn’t mean pretending everything is fine. It simply means creating a little pause.  Enough space to breathe, to think, to respond with clarity instead of haste. A tree doesn’t resist the wind, it bends with it.  Rivers don’t stop at obstacles, they flow around them.  Storms never stay forever, they pass.  There’s wisdom in that rhythm, a reminder that we, too, can anchor ourselves instead of being swept away. Here are a few gentle ways I’ve found helpful when life feels heavy.

  There’s something about a rainy day that feels like a gentle invitation to slow down. ⛆ The steady patter on the roof, the cool breeze 🍃slipping through half-open windows,🪟and the fresh scent of earth rising after each shower, all make the world softer somehow. I love how the rain transforms everything. Leaves look brighter, streets glisten, and even the air feels lighter, carrying that unmistakable smell of wet soil. It’s as if nature is pausing for a quiet breath, and I get to pause with it. These moments remind me that not every day has to be full of motion. Sometimes, it’s enough to sit with a warm cup in hand, listen to the rain, and let the stillness do its work.

  Vacations have their own rhythm, but nothing compares to a rainy one.  The world slows down, and so do I.       No bells ringing, no lesson plans waiting, just the gentle drumming of rain on the window.                       I curl up with a blanket and a book I’ve been meaning to read for months. A cup of tea keeps me company, steaming up the air just enough to feel like a hug in my hands.        Sometimes I doze off,  Sometimes I listen to the sound of raindrops tapping their own little melodies. There’s a magic in rainy vacations for teachers.                                 We spend the year giving energy, direction, and structure,  but here, the rain gives it all back. It teaches me to pause, to breathe, to enjoy the slowness.                ...

This week, I had the chance to sit in on a Grade 7 mathematics class, and it reminded me why I love observing lessons just as much as teaching them. The topic was t he area and perimeter of composite shapes . The teacher began with a quick warm-up. Students sketched the outline of a park combining rectangles, triangles, and semicircles. It was simple, creative, and instantly set the tone for a problem-solving mindset. What stood out most was the way the teacher balanced structure with freedom. There was a clear learning path, step-by-step guidance, and a checklist for formulas. However, within that framework, students were encouraged to choose their own dimensions, name their park, and even add fun elements like fountains or playgrounds. I noticed a few things  Student ownership builds engagement. When the task felt “theirs,” they were more invested in solving it. Quick peer check-ins caught mistakes early and boosted confidence. Real-world framing matters. Framing the lesson a...

  Practical Measurement Activities That Turn into Mini Adventures What starts as a simple measurement activity can quickly turn into a full-blown classroom adventure, especially when rulers, tape measures, and teamwork are involved. It was a Grade 6 math lesson on perimeter and area. I wanted students to see measurement as more than just numbers in a textbook, so I told them: “Today, we’re going to measure the entire classroom.” There was an immediate buzz.  Suddenly, math was no longer about worksheets, it was about exploring our own space. We split into groups, armed with rulers, measuring tapes, and clipboards. One group started at the back wall, another tackled the windows. In contrast, a third group became fascinated with measuring every single desk.  Pretty soon, questions started flying. “Do we measure around the teacher’s table, or count it as part of the floor space?” “What about the carpet? Does that change the area?” A group accidentally measured in feet i...

  Some of the best “aha” moments in math don’t come from me, they come from one student explaining it to another. It was a Grade 9 class on simultaneous equations. We had worked through several examples together, but a few students were still looking at their notebooks like the equations might magically solve themselves. Instead of explaining it again in my teacher voice, I decided to use one of my favorite strategies:  “Explain it to your friend.” I paired up students, one who had just solved the problem correctly and one who was still unsure. I told the “teacher” in each pair: “Don’t just give the answer, show your friend how you thought about it, step by step.” The room buzzed with discussion. I saw hand gestures, pencil sketches, and even some made-up analogies.  In less than five minutes, several students who were confused had their own lightbulb moments . When students explain to peers, they use language and examples that make sense to them, sometimes simpler a...

It was Thursday evening, and I was catching up on emails before heading home. My eyes were already tired from staring at spreadsheets and lesson plans, so when I saw “Thank you” in the subject line, I almost skipped it, assuming it was an automated response. But I clicked anyway. It was from a parent of one of my quieter students, the kind who rarely speaks up in class but is always attentive. She wrote to tell me that her child had come home that week, excited about our new math project, explaining it to the family over dinner. She said, “I’ve never seen him talk about math with this much energy before. He even tried to teach us how to use Desmos. Thank you for helping him see himself as ‘good at math’ for the first time.” I  must have read it three times.  It wasn’t about grades or test scores; it was about a shift in confidence. And that’s the part of teaching we don’t always see immediately. That email reminded me that the little adjustments we make, choosing a new acti...

  Visual Thinking Strategies for Problem-Solving Sometimes, the fastest way to a solution isn’t with numbers, it’s with a pencil and a quick sketch. It was a Grade 7 word problem about two trains leaving different stations at different times and traveling at different speeds.  You could see the tension on my students’ faces.😬 The moment they heard “trains” and “speeds,” some mentally checked out. I could have launched straight into equations, but instead, I asked them to draw it.  At first, the sketches were simple: two lines, two arrows.  Then details started to appear,  distances marked, times written, a little “timetable” doodled in the corner. Once they had the situation on paper, the problem stopped being a jumble of words and became a picture they could “read.” Students began to talk about where the trains would meet, how much distance each would cover, and what time that would happen. By the time we wrote the equations, half the problem was already ...