Good Day Fellow Bloggers!
In this week's blog, we will be exploring mathematics in education in an attempt to answer many questions teachers may have in regards to teaching mathematics! This blog is duo-purposed: to both reflect on common questions in mathematics for educators, and to report my own personal focus in mathematics curriculum in the next few weeks as well as draw connections between the readings.
Before I begin my reflection on various questions about mathematics in the educational setting, I believe that it is important to reflect my own experiences of this week - that being in my first practicum, specifically in my grade eight mathematics class. This experience was a very insightful experience for me, as before this, I have never participated in a math class in any other position than through the eyes of a student. During the class taught by my advisory teacher, I was able to learn various teaching methods specific to mathematics for this age group, and I had a great time learning from the students. With this experience, I am able to provide some answer to the questions many educators have about mathematics.
Is There a Negative Opinion About Mathematics?
Unfortunately, I feel as though there is indeed a negative opinion of mathematics for both students and teachers alike. Many are students are intimidated by the subject and they feel uncertain about what appears to be a different language. As a result, when these students become teachers, most of them are still attempting to find some common ground of understanding, but feel intimidated by a subject that most feel they are not proficient in. However, I believe this negative opinion is in a transformation mode, as students are beginning to be taught how to organize their ideas, reason with them, as well as understand mathematical processes regardless of the question instead of simply memorizing as has been the norm in the past. As such, while there is still a negative opinion of mathematics, student and teacher opinion alike has been growing more confident in these last few years with the use of alternative methods to educate and learn.
- Small, M. (2013) 3 rd Edition. Making Math Meaningful to Canadian Students, K-8. 3 rd Edition, Toronto, Nelson.
Garelick, Barry. (January 30, 2012). [Online image]. Retrieved from
http://www.educationnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/math_education.jpg
How Do You Feel about Mathematics?
While I enjoy mathematics, sometimes I can find the subject a bit intimidating. Math is a subject of wonder; there are so many different formulas, expressions, and ideas which create another language. Some people might describe themselves as terrible at math, while others might say that they believe they are rather proficient at it. I believe I fall somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. With saying, I feel fairly comfortable in many mathematical practices, although there is much more I require to learn about the subject.
What Makes a Good Mathematics Student/ What Makes an Excellent Mathematics Teacher?
I believe these two questions to be (to a degree) interrelated, in that being a great student/teacher of mathematics does not simply require you to be proficient at memorization, it requires a much deeper understanding of the subject. Our math education textbook in chapters two and three really underline the necessity of truly understanding the subject to be excelling mathematic students and teachers alike. Chapter two describes mathematical processes that should be developed no matter what content is being taught (such as problem solving, communication, and reasoning). Chapter three describes the various assessments teachers should use for their students; stating that the type of assessment used should reflect the purpose for gathering the data. The relation between the two chapters (in extension the similarity between proficient teacher's/ student's) is that assessment comes in all forms, but that the methods used stay the same. The knowledge of this makes both a good mathematics student and teacher.
What Strategies Will I Use To Teach Mathematics in a J/I Classroom?
In the J/I classroom specifically, the strategies I intend to use include: allowing students to have fun, participate in interactive activities that promote learning through full-class participation quiz's that allow students to work in groups to determine an answer in a jeopardy-like setting, but also ensuring understanding of the subject through student-friendly means. I also would like to incorporate some traditional strategies such as individual homework sheets, but allow an interactive period for students to learn from one another, developing a sense of 'everyone can be proficient at a subject', to motivate students across learning boundaries.http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/math18curr.pd
What I hope to learn from this course is to be able to assist fellow teachers and students in accomplishing the complexities of mathematics by creating a more stimulative learning atmosphere within the curriculum. I for one have learned at astonishing rates when I was actually have fun with the lesson. Even if the subject was not my forte, it can be taught in an engaging manner. With several well-placed teaching strategies, the students of today's mathematics curriculum can overcome the difficulties previous generations have had in this field.
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