My purpose in being a teacher is
twofold: 1) MATH IS AWESOME! And I want
to share that with kids and hopefully help some of them beat their math demons,
2) to help kids learn how to learn. As I
am sure many of you who are taking this class and 2252 know by now I am a bit
of math freak. I was born with a mind
for math and I should have seen it sooner and been a math major (but that is a
topic for another day). I was also born
with an ability to not only be able to understand math but to be able to
explain it in more than one way. I so
desire to find ways for kids to wrap their minds around math so it is not a
barrier to them doing other things that they desire to do. So many kids just automatically say they can’t
do math but I think that every kids can achieve success in math if only the
right train of thought is followed for their mind. Every math problem has an answer but not
every solution is the same means to that answer. . My husband and I can do the same problem and
come up with the same answer but I can guarantee we will not go about it in the
same way. Math is so individual in that sense. I think that if more people could see math
this way they might be more likely to try it and possibly enjoy it.
As we have said in class before we
really don’t remember too many facts from high school so perhaps the facts are
not the point of high school. Perhaps we
are learning how to learn in high school.
That is what I feel is my other purpose in teaching. As a teacher I am giving a mathematical
foundation for future classes yes but as I said previously I am also teaching
problem solving. If I can get you to
think that there is more than one way to get to an answer for a math problem
then perhaps you can apply that to other problems in life. If
you can’t figure it out try a different point of view.
I predict a close Super Bowl game
with the Patriots ahead most of the game, although not by much, but the Giants
will pull it out in the last five minutes and win by no more 7 pts. Most likely they will win by 3.
I think maybe you're on to something here. Texts books have increased in size since even my days in school. How can a teacher be expected to teach increasing amounts of facts and knowledge. Furthermore, I do remember the objects of knowledge I sought, I still retain, because I was given the tools and interest to follow my own ideas. I am going to explore this idea more- it seems more optimistic than the darkness that has arisen in my mind about education and teaching lately.
ReplyDeleteI am one person who remebers nothing from my high school math class. You are really lucky that you have the ability to explain math so well and that is probably why you did so good with the tanograms. I on the other hand did horrible with the tanograms even with Nicole's excellent motivation. I agree with you that we do learn to learn while we are in high school but I still wish that I had learned more sometimes. I am also really hoping that the Giants do not win this Super Bowl because I would really like some revenge against Eli Manning.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you put that: learning how to learn. We are learning our whole lives. UCLA basketball coach legend John Wooden said "When I am through learning, I am through." Yes, it is important to gain the factual knowledge we do in school. We will indeed use it later on in life. But what I believe we will use more is the skill we have gained in "learning how to learn". We should constantly be using those skills as we experience new things. Great thoughts Mariasol.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that math is one of the best subjects to learn and to learn to love. Math is the prime example of how you can come to the same answer through many different ways. This notion can be used in other aspects of life where critical thinking will be a benefit. If we could help establish the synaptic connections in a developing mind then there will be no desire left to be had or barrier that cannot be overcome. The idea that we can’t do something because it is too hard or that there is only one way to problem solve are two barriers that we need to bring down as teachers.
ReplyDeleteFor my classroom observation I observed a couple math teachers from the South Valley Academy that teach math in the school’s Interactive Math Program. This school approaches math as one subject in which algebra, geometry, trigonometry and calculus integrated into each grade level. There is an emphasis on problem solving, collaborative learning, and conceptual understanding. Here’s a link: http://www.sva.estylos.com.mx/acad.html
I was invited to a training workshop at SVA on Saturday, February 11th and I was told to let other people that may be interested in participating know. It is from 8:30am-3:30pm with an hour lunch and I think there may also be a stipend. If you are interested or want more info contact Karla Gade the Math Department Chair. Here’s the staff directory: http://www.sva.estylos.com.mx/abous.html
Learning how to learn during the time I was not in college is a brilliant way to describe that time. I agree with fellow classmates and feel you are on to something here as to the way you would like to teach your students. It would not surprise me any if any of my children did not come home to tell me about a new way of learning that they are doing in their classrooms developed by a person by the name of Marisol.
ReplyDeleteMath is awesome. I spent many years (nearly 35) as a Chemist, Scientist and Engineer. Math was the basis of it all. The funny thing about this was that I was a failure at mathematics until my senior year in HS, when it all became crystal clear. It wasn't the teachers, wasn't a textbook but a fundamental realization that math is a process (that process is to learn how to learn the materials), study the form provided and you can solve the problem by applying rules, theorems, properties and common sense. That's how I think-I exhibit, what people consider savant behavior, where I see color as numbers/letters, but, no-one could tell em how to do something productive with this talent-I figured it out on my own. Walking into a store with clothes of all colors is a mind numbing experience. I got beyond thinking of math as a single specific problem to solve and saw it as the the order and beauty of the universe. To this day, I still have these "that's cool moments" when I see math in action solving technology problems and applied to processes/phenomenons. I understand not everyone has an analysis oriented mind and I agree many techniques may be possible as long they are process/concept based. I agree and support that math must be applied to real time or active problems to be relevant, but, that "math is awesome" thing is a goal in itself. How we get there is a dissertation perhaps.I suggest that teachers need to break the societal norm/cycle that math is hard, that you can't learn it, and also that we expect kids to fail at it (unacceptable outcome).
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