Reflection:
Mathematics is a subject which continues to undergo heavy criticism and disapproval from a wide audience ranging in race, gender and age.The belief that math is a subject enjoyed by few and hated by many has been ingrained into the minds of individuals and has created the idea that it is a concept which “comes easy” or “naturally” for those lucky few. This negative connotation has left many individuals, like myself, to grow anxious and nervous when having to deal with math and instead of trying to improve their knowledge they choose to ignore it all together. Unfortunately I myself have always had a negative opinion in regards to mathematics as I have never enjoyed learning about it due to my own personal struggle with comprehending different concepts.
Through my years as a student I have realized that in order to succeed an individual must be dedicate to continually update and improve their skills, be flexible to learn new concepts and be open to share their findings and beliefs with others. Students need to demolish their fear around math and realize that everyone can succeed, that there is hope for those who struggle or need extra help. An individual is their own greatest enemy, if they continually convince themselves that they cannot do something they are inevitably setting them self up for failure. As well teachers must be willing to provide the necessary means of support for their students and continually update their own skills. Teachers act as the most influential figure in a student’s academic year and in order to ensure their success they must be willing to accommodate their teaching strategies and provide necessary guidance for all. When an individual cannot grasp a concept, instead of growing angry or nervous it is a teacher’s responsibility to change what they are doing to satisfy their personal needs. As well, teachers must make math not only understandable but fun for students. From both personal and observational experiences I have learned that there is not one concrete way a student learns. This means that educators must be willing to create a variety of teaching strategies and techniques to fulfill all individual needs. This is what I will strive to do as a J/I mathematics teacher, I will make sure that I offer my students a variety of ways to come up with a solution as well provide a variety of ways to teach them. I took math up to grade 12 so feel that I have a sufficient amount of information however do realize I need to refresh myself on both the simple and complex concepts.
Report
The areas of mathematics curriculum that will become my focus in my learning over the next few weeks will be how to develop interesting and informative problem solving questions which encompass a specific unit or concept that students will understand and enjoy. I feel that in order to engage individual interest educators must create a curriculum which satisfies a multitude of audiences. When an individual can relate to what is being taught their level of productivity increases which impacts their ability to succeed. I feel this is often the greatest struggle for instructors as it may be difficult to convey interest in a subject loathed by many. By the end of this course I hope to gain a better understanding of how to make math real so that my students will be encouraged to thrive.
After completing this weeks readings I realize that as an educator we must be willing to reconstruct the face of math. The article Hollywood’s Math Problem written by Carolyn Y. Johnson acts as an informative piece which emphasizes the idea that math has been given a bad reputation due to the fear and anxiety associated with it. In order to change this mindset educators must be willing to change their ways and accept new ideas and ways of teaching into their classroom. I will definitely remember what Johnson wrote as I feel it to be excellent insight for the expectations of the twenty first century educator.
https://www.pinterest.com/DDibley/quotes-for-math/
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