Awesome Blog: Final Review Math

My Takeaway from this course!

There were a number of things that stuck for me in this course. The first of these was the discovery that the ability to do fractions in grade 4 would usually be the difference between excelling in math and having a tough time. The idea of arithmetic vs algebra also played a big role as the difference always occurred to me but I never thought of it to much. making sure students know the difference between the two and can use them interchangeably is important for the creation of their mathematical mind. Visual aids, different approaches and expanding their idea of math from a set of ordered equations to problem solving, critical evaluation and creativity is paramount in having students succeed with their mathematics. I learnt that there is no such thing as being either good or bad at math, and saying that I am not good at math on the basis of hereditary genes is more of a self fulfilling prophecy rather than a fact. Students who challenge themselves and make mistakes are expanding their mind and allowing themselves to know knew concepts and rewire their brains to take in the new information. Without mistakes there is no learning. I enjoyed the course very much as it showed me a different side to mathematics as well as demonstrated that as a teacher there are always things I can learn about how to help students succeed academically.

2 comments:

Unknown29 October 2018 at 06:53
Hi Robert,
The wonderful thing about the teaching profession is that it is a never ending learning process. I have enjoyed your written reflections and comments in class.
Good Luck,
Pat
Unknown29 October 2018 at 20:16
Hi Robert,

I also found the practise questions about arithmetic vs. algebra to be a relatively new concept, in terms of something to think about for teaching. I think it's important to try support the idea of growth mindset by helping students believe that they can achieve and by appealing to the many different ways to learn. I agree with you when you say "without mistakes there is no learning" and I believe that this should be a major message to pass on to our students!