Greatest Learning Experiences This Semester

Where has this semester gone? As I sit back and reflect on everything that I have learned about mathematics throughout this course, I now have a better understanding of what math is and I have developed more of a liking to this subject than what I have before.

My greatest learning through this course this semester is a toss up between a few things that I have learned. However, when it's about teaching mathematics to children today, I have learned that you can have more than one answer for an problem and it is okay for answers to be right or wrong. I personally was never the biggest 'fan' of mathematics as I struggled with not understanding the material 100%. However when I got to university and was studying to become a primary/elementary teacher, I knew I had to force myself to try and work harder on my math skills because I knew I would be teaching mathematics to the future generations of this province one day. After taking this course, I now look at mathematics from a whole different perspective than what I was taught in the K-6 classroom while I was growing up. I was always taught and viewed math as being about rules, formulas, and there was nothing fun about it. It always involved worksheets, writing out formulas, and it just seemed as a daily routine in the class to me. Coming from a student who struggled with mathematics while growing up, I will be sure to look out and assist with my students who struggle with mathematics. As an educator, it is up to me to be a role model to my students and I want to be able to encourage them and inspire them to never give up on what is being taught to them. I want to ensure students that I am there to help them and I believe in them.  

What I have learned in this course has left an impact on me that will stay with me throughout my teaching career. I have learned how to make mathematics fun and how it is taught in the classroom today. I now see math as a subject that can be taught to young children in a fun and creative way and as a educator I will be sure to do this in my classroom. From taking part in our math fair and peer math teaching activities this semester, I have also learned how fun math can be taught in a engaging way for students. I think that these two activities were great, educational, and a exciting way to get students involved. I will be sure to perform activities like these as a math educator and show students is important and fun.

I really enjoyed taking this course this semester. I feel that I have gained more confidence in myself and although I do not feel that I have a complete understanding about mathematics, I definitely have developed a better understanding than what I previously have. I feel that I am now more prepared to teach mathematics to primary and elementary students. I am really looking forward to teaching mathematics when I become a teacher. This course has benefited me in many ways and I will put my math teaching skills to the test during my internship this upcoming Fall. 

K-6 Mathematics Resources

In Math class on Tuesday, the six tables in the classroom were turned into a grade level each representing grades K-6. At each table, both teacher and student Mathematics resources were placed on display. Seated in groups, we were asked to rotate and take turns at each table as our teacher timed us as we were given the opportunity to explore theses K-6 Mathematics resources. I felt that this was a great idea for us to do during our class time because it is important for us to become familiar with the material that we are going to teach when we become teachers. I have seen the Mathematics curriculum guides before and have used them as part of lesson planning for other courses that I have taken. I have also seen some of the Mathematics teacher and student resources during my observation days this semester and last semester but I have not got the chance to actually sit down and take a few minutes to review them by myself, so I thought this experience was nice to check out these resources in my own hands.

After reviewing the Mathematics resources for K-6, I really liked what was available for Kindergarten and grade one the most. I found that the student resources were very age appropriate and the teacher's guide was well written and easy to follow. The books that are used at both the Kindergarten and grade one level are very fun, colorful, and engaging for both the teachers and the students for reading. There are many lap books and small books which are perfect for small children to read. I also found that the font size used in the texts are big,bold, and are very in short sentences on each page along with pictures. These kind of aspects are important in the lower grades as it catches students' attention, and helps capture their interests. I found as the higher you go up in the grade levels, the resources available became more dull. Not a whole lot of color was used, and there were no lap books or smaller books available like there is in the primary grades. I feel that all resources for the grade levels from Kindergarten through six are indeed suitable for the grade level itself, but I also personally think that the resources present a number of ways and given more than one explanation of how to perform a task or how to determine the solution to an unsolved problem. I think that this is great because not all children learn and solve problems the same way and learn at different levels, so it is important to remember and teach by using different methods.All resources available at every grade are engaging for students. 

As a future educator, I think that it is important for teachers to be constantly reviewing and familiarizing themselves with the material being taught to students. We need to be able to know ourselves and our students in order to be able to teach and best suit every child's needs. 

My Thoughts On YouCubed!

Today, was my first time viewing YouCubed and I think that it is an exceptional and excellent resource for teachers to use in their classroom for coming to understand the teaching of mathematics to children. Designed by math specialist, Jo Boaler, YouCubed is a nonprofit organization that provides free and affordable K-12 mathematics resources and professional development for educators and parents. YouCubed offers explanation videos, tips, mathematic games, and other resources that can be used for teaching mathematics for any grade level from Kindergarten up until Grade 12. Mathematics is always changing, YouCubed is a great way for teachers to keep updated on different mathematics strategies or to refer to something for further explanation to students. This can also be helpful to parents at home who assist their children with their math homework and see how to complete a certain problem that their child has for homework as YouCubed gives a brief explanation on how to solve something and it also provides steps in how to complete it. In today's world, technology plays a huge role in our daily lives and the young generation of today rely on different forms of technology to complete a lot of tasks. Therefore, I think that technology is very beneficial and important to use in the classroom. As part of teaching mathematics I think that it would be very useful to include technology as it is a great way to show children how fun mathematics can be. I think that mathematics should be taught to students in a simple and fun way. There are always going to be students who struggle with mathematics and who find it difficult to understand how to solve a mathematical problem by solving the answer by doing the one equation given and there is only one correct answer. By teaching mathematics with using technology such as, YouCubed, a child may find this more appealing rather than just solving problems all the time by using a pencil and paper. Children may  develop a better understanding of various mathematical concepts that gives them the opportunity to learn and explore about mathematics in a more likable way. As a future teacher, I want to make mathematics fun in the classroom and I personally think that YouCubed is a wonderful way to help teach mathematics but also make it a more exciting and interactive learning experience for students at and grade level. This website is a excellent tool for teachers, students, and parents and I would be sure to use it as a valuable resource in my classroom!   
      

My Response to Ken Robinson's TED Talk: Do Schools Kills Creativity?

After watching the video of Ken Robinson's TED Talk in math class, I agree with Robinson and his views on many things in the education system in today's world. This was actually my first time being introduced to Ken Robinson and I found him to be very interesting. Sir Ken Robinson is a very engaging speaker, and international advisor on which he talks about education in the arts to government, non-profits, education, and arts bodies. By watching this short video clip, he has passed along a message that will stick with me throughout my teaching career. 

Robinson says that 'fear of going wrong kills originality'. I really liked and agree with this statement because young children, unlike many adults are actually not afraid of being wrong about something or making mistakes. In today's society, children of young age do not fear of saying the wrong answer or speaking what is on their mind. However, as many of us get older we tend to not shout out what we are thinking as much because we are afraid if what we are going to say is not correct, that it is wrong, or wondering what others will think of you and your answer. We need to not be afraid of saying something wrong because this is part of our nature and is part what makes us so original. Robinson states that we have reduced intelligence to academic ability and we need to be more of ourselves and express our creativity. As a future educator, I think it is important for teachers to teach students to never be afraid of making mistakes or speaking their thoughts out loud in the classroom when asked a question. Students should be aware that everyone makes mistakes sometimes and that that is okay. Teachers need to make sure that their students are comfortable with themselves and in the classroom and that fear is something that has to be overcome. 

Overall,I think that in this video Robinson makes a lot of statements that should be viewed by educators. Also, I think that this video should also be watched by young adults who are 'in the dark' of what they want to work at, thinking of what goals they want to accomplish in their lives, or basically just deciding what they actually want to do in their lives. I would also recommend this video to be watched by any future educators like myself because after watching this video it made me feel more confident in myself about becoming a teacher and although times are rough and it is not easy of trying to get that degree in your hand, or wondering if you would get a job when you graduate, you should never give up and that hard work truly pays off. I am glad that my Mathematics professor showed this video in our  the classroom to future educators, as my Mathematics prof showed our class. Ken Robinson presents himself well in this video and gets his main messages out to people. He is a very smart and intelligent man and I have realized and learned a lot from him by watching this video clip.

What is Mathematics?

In my opinion, there is no correct or wrong answer to solve any math question. To me, Mathematics deals with the logic of shape, quantity and arrangement. Math is all around us as it plays a huge part in our daily lives with just about everything we do. Mathematics helps us understand the world around us by learning about and using patterns, arithmetic, and geometry. Mathematics deals with data, measurements, observations, and problem solving. It is about learning new things and then given the challenge to solve the answer to a question. Mathematics is a way of looking at life because everything you use in life can relate to mathematics. Mathematics is one of the subjects I have personally always found challenging and a little difficult. With all the many types of questioning, I have always struggled with learning math. However, as a future educator I have realized that I will need to teach this subject to my students and it is up to me to understand mathematics and develop a liking for this subject because I am responsible to educate children of the future generation. 

When I think about what actually mathematics is, I think of how mathematics involves different kinds of thinking capacities such as; numerical reasoning, quantitative reasoning, linguistic reasoning, symbolic reasoning, spatial reasoning, logical reasoning, diagrammatic reasoning, and many more I am sure but I do not recall off hand. There always has to be a solution to solve a problem, therefore you must learn how to find the answer through a mathematical process. In mathematics, you can have more than just one way of solving a problem to find the correct answer, it is just the process of breaking it down in to steps. If I were to think mathematically, it would be to find out the solution to a problem. If I had to solve a problem I would need to know a equation or some form of process to solve it. It is important for mathematics to be demonstrated in a classroom to students which then teaches and allows students to practice what they have been taught. 

 Hello, my name is Kayla Mercer. I am a fifth year student at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador where I am studying to become a Primary/Elementary school teacher. I am twenty three years old and I am originally from a small town called Upper Island Cove, Newfoundland but I currently live in St.john's. 

I am currently doing my observation days at the school I went to in my hometown when I was in primary/elementary school and it is going very well. I also plan on doing my work term there in the upcoming fall semester. Ever since I was a young girl, I have always wanted to be a teacher when I grew up. 

As I got older and graduated from high school, I decided to follow my dream and become a Primary/Elementary teacher.Throughout this course I hope to learn about the many mathematics techniques that are out there and learn how I will be able to teach those strategies as a future educator to students in the primary and elementary grades.

 In my free time I like to; spend time with my family and friends, exercise, walk my dog, play guitar, relax, travel, and my absolute favorite thing to do is to go shopping! I am always up for trying something new and learning new things.

My Math Autobiography

  • Reflecting back to when I was in Primary/Elementary school, I remember mathematics being very engaging and my teachers were always creative and full of excitement when it came to teaching mathematics. I learned mathematics by watching the teacher demonstrate in front of the classroom on the chalk board and would practice the skill many times to make sure that all students develop a understanding of what was being taught and what was expected of students to perform. It was important to pay attention to the teacher because students needed to apply their understanding and skills to solve a range of problem solving questions. Interaction with other students was also important,as well as working independently. Math textbooks were always used as a great resource for guiding students' learning. 

  • My best memory surrounding mathematics in my primary and elementary years is that most of my teachers who taught me in this subject were always very helpful to me when I could not solve a problem on my own or had a question if I did not understand anything. Most of my teachers who taught me mathematics during my k-6 years in school got my interest in wanting to do good in the subject. However, I had a bad experience with one teacher for two years in elementary school who just expected students to know everything about mathematics and any question was asked was not explain clearly of what to do. The teacher simply did not show any passion of why they enjoyed teaching mathematics. Now as an adult, I am going to be teaching mathematics to young children from kindergarten to grade six and I will teach my students about the subject and make sure that they have a understanding of what is expected of them to do. I will assist any student who requires extra help, offer tutorials and basically help my students learn about mathematics and that it can be fun.

  • I always enjoyed mathematics and learning about the subject and I would always study for it and practice solving work problems but I was never the best at math. I always struggled a little with mathematics even to this day. I try my best with learning about it and I will teach it to my students as a future educator but it has never been my favorite subject in school.

  • When I was in primary/elementary school, assessment was usually presented in assigning students homework by providing them with worksheets or giving students tests on what they have learned which usually consisted of story problems(elementary school). Also, it was very common in both primary and elementary school to assign in class work and assign students into small groups to solve problems or complete an activity by using counters for addition or subtraction or money pieces to solve how much each piece represented for example. Assessment focuses on what students know and what they are able to do. Assessment is about the collective impact that a program has on a student's learning and can be performed in many ways.

  • When I reached high school, mathematics became more of a challenge to me as I found it to be more complicated and I struggled with learning and absorbing the material more than what I did in primary, elementary, and junior high school. I did academic mathematics in high school and although I passed and got both good and average grades, it was never my best performing subject. As much as I tried to like it, I never could. I went to tutorials, and would always try my best at completing the work but I always felt that I wanted to do better. My high school mathematics teachers also influenced me to do well except in grade twelve when the teacher I had gave me low confidence in myself. However, after completing high school and moving on to university I knew that if I wanted to become a teacher I needed to do mathematics no matter how much I did not like it. In university I completed two mathematics courses that are required to complete before applying for the faculty of education. The courses were Math 1050 and Math 1051. I found Math 1051 to be a more of interest to me than Math 1050 and I think that was just because of what was covered, how it was taught, and what it consisted of. I pushed myself to do good as I became determined to do it as I did not want it to interfere in stopping me from becoming a primary/elementary school teacher.             

  • Today, I feel that although mathematics is still not my best performing subject, I want to learn more about it and really try my best at performing and demonstrating mathematics. Knowing that I am going to be teaching this subject to young children, I want to be able to show them that I am passionate about my career as a teacher and I want them to learn in the best way possible about mathematics. I want my students to know that although mathematics can sometimes be difficult, it could also be fun. When you put your mind to anything, you can do it! Through this course I am hoping to build confidence in myself about doing mathematics as I will do my best and do well.