Reflecting on my experiences from primary/elementary school is usually a challenge for me. It is difficult to look back on my experiences as a young child and view them through a totally different perspective. As a student going through grades K-6, I was not totally aware of the purpose of learning certain things- for example, I knew we studied math because we had to, because it was something everyone did. Looking back on my experiences now (as a teacher-to-be) will help me realize the views, emotions and ideas about math education in the lives of primary/elementary students.
• Mathematics was everywhere, in each of my classrooms going through K-6. There were always posters that depicted math problems, solutions and math topics. The walls in the classroom would be plastered with math paraphernalia. Also, there were always carts and supplies that were used for math, such as those yellow cubes used for doing equations, that were visible in the room. Everywhere you look in a primary/elementary classroom, you see math physically portrayed, ready to be absorbed.
• My best memory surrounding math would have to be when I was chosen to take part in an enrichment course outside of class. Myself and a few other students would leave the classroom with another teacher to learn about and do "more advanced" math problems. I loved this because I felt that in order to be chosen, I had to be really smart. It definitely affected my confidence in math, urging me to learn more.
My worst memory involves learning about Problem Solving. I remember starting an entire unit on solving word problems in grade 4 or 5 and hating every minute of it. I had a lot of trouble understanding these problems and therefore was often not successful in completing them.
As an adult, reflecting on these memories reiterates how important being successful in math is to young children. The memories that are the "best" are usually when a child is successful and the worst memories involve "failure". I would say this still holds true today- when I understand math, I love it but when I struggle- I dislike it.
• I feel like I was "good" at math. For the most part I grasped the concepts and moved forward at the speed of the classroom. I would say that my marks on my tests and my ability to complete a problem suggested by my teacher in a short amount of time made me feel confident in math class.
• The role of the teacher in math class was to: explain a topic, provide examples, give out practice problems and circulate around the class in order to help students. This was the basic structure of the math classes I remember. I think many teachers saw math as a challenge to teach due to the amount of material covered in each grade and the problems that often developed from students frustrations.
• Math assessment in primary/elementary were mainly in the form of tests. After a math topic had been taught, practised and studied, a math test would follow to gauge final understanding. Throughout the topic, we would have worksheets and oral math problems to complete.
• I remember having issues with math as soon as I went into Junior High. I remember in grade seven , I got the lowest mark I ever received - a 23% on a math test. All throughout Junior High I struggled with math; I had tutors and extra help from teachers but the material was not "clicking". Eventually, something must have "clicked" because after grade nine I started to excel in math and it was that way all through to grade twelve. I blame that period of total frustration and confusion on the cursed hormones...
• In university I took Math 1090 and Math 1000. I enjoyed calculus and understood it fairly well but I stopped after those courses in order to complete other required prerequisites for the Education Faculty. I did not choose to complete any math electives because I chose to focus on French as my concentration area.
I feel that my education experience in math has been fairly positive and encouraging. I know that math is everywhere and is in everything we do. It would be impossible to get through a day without using some part of my math knowledge. I know that even though I may not be capable of understanding the world's most complicated mathematical problems, I am confident and comfortable with teaching my future students the mysteries of math.
No comments:
Post a Comment