Warm-ups in Math Education

According to About.com, Daily warm ups or do nows are tools that every teacher should have in their educational arsenal. Warm ups can be given to students at the beginning of the period to review a previous topic or to introduce new material. They give students something to accomplish of an educational nature while allowing the teacher time to take roll and perform other housekeeping duties.They can also reinforce the key points that you want students to remember. Therefore, every teacher can benefit from including warm ups each day.

Warm-ups in math education serve many purposes for both teachers and students. The purposes it can serve for the teacher are: Student assessment, focused students in the class, introduces or reviews materials, promotes individual and group work, and allows the teacher to complete clerical tasks. Warm-ups can become something the students expect when they walk into the classroom. They serve as a "jump start" for students.

The purposes it can serve for the student are: Allows practice or review of the material, test preparation, provides a stress-free environment for students to make mistakes, and allows them to work on individual or group work.

In my experience with warm-ups in the classroom so far, I have seen a few strategies implemented that I thought to be effective use of the time. The first was a warm-up activity focused on individual students. Students were to complete the task alone and then be ready to explain to the class their reasoning. The second was a group-based activity. Essentially the same idea as before, but promoting group work and roles as a focus. Material in the warm-ups was a variety of review and an introduction into new knowledge.

In all, math warm-up are good for both student and teacher. It provides that first 10 or so minutes of class to focus and initiate the "math brain." I know I will use warm-ups in my classroom.