Week 2 Math Reflection
1:19 PM
I have been feeling a bit more comfortable with Math and coming to terms that it really isn't as bad as I thought it to be. When I was in elementary, there was a big focus on "this is the right answer' and not "what is your thinking toward this problem?" If I had teachers that were patient with me and understood that there was more than one way to learn, I think I would be a better math student today and not want to cry when I see an algebra equation.
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| MacEntee, Sean (2011, June 10). Maths. [Online Image]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2cKQoJN |
Will my experiences make an effective Math Teacher?
How I felt when I was younger versus how I feel as a teacher candidate is different. I have been in the struggling students shoes and I know exactly how it feels when you just cant grasp the idea of x and y. The curriculum for math is changing and teachers are understanding that they need to modify their teaching to accommodate all learners. Us teachers have a unique opportunity to reinvent the curriculum and bring new ideas to the classroom and have children want to learn math again.
In order to to teach and inspire students in math, you need to have students that will try to have an open mind. “Toward a Practice-Based Theory of Mathematical Knowledge for teaching" written by Deborah Loewenberg Ball and Hyman plays off that idea and suggests that "work requires
teachers to think carefully about a particular mathematical idea together with something
about learners or learning. In other cases, the work involves teachers in a kind of
mathematical reasoning, unencumbered by considerations of students, but applied in a pedagogical
context."
As a teacher, you have to always keep in mind that you have many different learners in your classroom. Not every student is going to pick up on your lesson the first time. You need to have visuals to accommodate the learners who need to see the problem in order to understand it. You also have to keep it fun. Incorporating games such as Demolition Division for a student who needs to practice their division might learn better because it doesn't seem like work.
If I can incorporate Pedagogical Content Knowledge along with my own life experiences into my lessons to make my students feel confident, then teaching math might not be so bad at all!
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