My experiences with math, for the most part, have all been very positive. I enjoyed doing math problems in elementary school and it was something I thought I was very good at. I was initially attracted to this subject because of its relative objectivity in comparison to my other subjects. I liked that there was usually just one correct answer to every problem. In grade school, I distinctly remember participating in an SSR math program where students could work ahead in various math subjects by completing math problems at their own pace. I was an extremely motivated student and I enjoyed working through this program independently.
In high school, I took four years of math and considered it to be one of my favorite subjects. I seemed to have a knack for memorizing formulas and if I followed a series of methodical steps I was usually rewarded with a “correct” answer. I truly thought I had a mathematical mind and eagerly signed up for calculus (Math 124) as a freshman at the University of Washington in Seattle. This is when I learned that my mathematical ability wasn’t quite as strong as I had originally thought. This was truly a crossroads for me in my mathematical career. After struggling in my calculus class (and eventually dropping it) I realized that it made more sense for me to take business math because I had aspirations of becoming an accountant. I then enrolled in a beginning algebra class (in which I did well) before moving on to business calculus (math 157), since I was planning to get a Bachelor of Arts in business (as opposed to an engineering degree). I did well following my “new path” but realized that I didn’t necessarily have the “mind for math” that I originally thought I had.
Eventually, after getting married and having a family, I began volunteering in the classrooms where my children attended school. It was during this time that I became involved in a program called Math Adventures. This program offered math enrichment activities to students in grades K- 6 and was originally set up to help students expand their mathematical thinking and to promote the idea that Math is fun. While volunteering, I lead many math enrichment activities. Resource materials were available to plan lessons but I often searched the internet for new ideas and/or developed my own. I also spent a great deal of time planning activities to ensure that all of the students in my classes fully engaged in them. This experience, as a Math Adventures leader, was one of the critical incidents that lead me to make the decision to return to school to get my teaching certification. I so enjoyed teaching, and math (at least at the younger grade levels) was one of my favorite subjects to teach.
The above is an except from the math autobiography I wrote for my Mathematics Methods class. After turning in this assignment I started to reflect on the reasons why my experiences in math were all so positive throughout school. One of the reasons, I believe, were the teachers I had. Their enthusiaum for math seemed to rub off on me. As a future teacher, I hope to continue to pass along this enthusiasm
to my students. One of the things I'd like to take into my classroom is the use of games to reinforce mathematical concepts. For the most part, all kids love to play them so this seems like a logical approach to take. My experince volunteering as a Math Advertures leader has convenced me that this is an effective method of teaching when trying to reinforce math concepts. These "games" can also sevrve as a reward for good behavior in a classroom, which is an added bonus for any teacher.
It will be my job to ensure success among my students. I've found, in my main placement, that when students figure out or solve a math problem on their own they gain confidence and thus have a positive experience. I believe students formulate their opinions about math at a very early age so it will be important that I quickly identify all my "struggling" math students so I can work with them in an attempt to avoid this "negativity" surrounding math.
No comments:
Post a Comment