To begin this essay, I will like to discuss two of my positive experiences dealing with mathematics. Some may say that they hate mathematics because it deals with numbers, functions, algebraic equations, etc. They may even say, “It’s complicated. When I will ever use radicals and long division in real life?” However, I actually like mathematics. Matter of fact, I love it since I started kindergarten. Whenever I hear the word, “mathematics”, it reminds me of counting, graphing, and calculating real numbers. First, my mathematical life all started in kindergarten when I was six years old. I was introduced to counting, spelling, and writing out numbers from one through ten. I remember enjoying mathematics in kindergarten because my teacher …show more content…
I am not talking about doing basic mathematics problems and teaching the class how to do it all the time; I mean having a group discussion or a game show contest like the Jeopardy. Truthfully, I hate coming to mathematics class knowing already what the routine is: sit down, bring out last night’s homework, check homework, ask if there is any questions about the homework, start a new lesson, do several example problems with the new lesson, do class work and complete homework for the following night. It gets so dull and repetitive that I doze off, depending on what type of topic it is or if there is an upcoming test or exam I need to do well on. Not that the topic is uninteresting but the routine sometimes bores me, and makes me not want to learn. Sometimes I have to force myself to participate only to keep myself awake. I can tell that the class gets tired of the daily routine when they are caught reading another book, dozing off, sleeping, doing homework for another class, talking to the person next to them, or even not paying attention or “daydreaming”. It makes me laugh and sad to notice that more than half of the class is not paying attention, but that is reality. And it is even funnier, and depressing, when the teacher does acknowledge the class not paying attention but continues to talk until class is over. Sometimes I do wish that there is a teacher who “jazzes it up” by having different routines each day. I prefer to have group discussion one day, game contest another day, or even go on the computers to learn the new topic the following day. Trust me, I have experienced days when I learn my mathematics best also. I remember in middle school my Algebra teacher, Mr. DeFrancesco, would make the class active by having group discussions, contests, game shows, etc. I did so well in that class that I was probably one of the few students with an A in
More courses should try to incorporate 5 minutes of the class to get students focused and ready to learn. Sometimes students are too preoccupied with other problems that they do not focus on the present moment; making them less likely to focus on the course.
...students, class is something they have to go through, and as soon as the bell rings everything is over.
Mathematics has become a very large part of society today. From the moment children learn the basic principles of math to the day those children become working members of society, everyone has used mathematics at one point in their life. The crucial time for learning mathematics is during the childhood years when the concepts and principles of mathematics can be processed more easily. However, this time in life is also when the point in a person’s life where information has to be broken down to the very basics, as children don’t have an advanced capacity to understand as adults do. Mathematics, an essential subject, must be taught in such a way that children can understand and remember.
Math is not a scary thing. It can be fun and highly useful. In researching adult learners who return to college, I found a quote by Einstein saying (2015), “Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics. I can assure you that mine are still greater.” In Einstein’s humility, it was heartening to know we all have our weaknesses. It was even more hopeful knowing his historical mathematical strengths. According to Erskine (2015), “While the overwhelming majority of Americans, 93 percent, agree that strong math skills are essential to being successful in life, nearly a third say they would rather clean the bathroom than solve a math problem.” We all know how socially acceptable and funny it is to be bad at math. Although Erskine stated it too, she is right. However, I feel the tide is turning. It is becoming increasingly acceptable to improve oneself. I am looking forward to using the EdReady program for my Algebra, Calculus and Trigonometry skills. In bringing this essay to a close, there is always a practical and approachable way to have better math comprehension. Math does not have to be scary. This is my math life
Mathematics education has undergone many changes over the last several years. Some of these changes include the key concepts all students must master and how they are taught. According to Jacob Vigdor, the concerns about students’ math achievements have always been apparent. A few reasons that are negatively impacting the productivity of students’ math achievements are historical events that influenced mathematics, how math is being taught, and differentiation of curriculum.
After his visit to a Shell Research Laboratory, my high school teacher in math told us in class that he was so happy with his education, because mathematics had helped him to understand the explanations and demonstrations that had been given by the Shell researchers. He said, "If you master mathematics then you can understand everything." That was certainly an exaggeration, but it nevertheless sounded like a golden message. Since I definitely wanted to have a better understanding of what was going on around me, mathematics seemed the obvious way to go. Also, if it was not much beyond high school math, then it was pretty easy in addition. What could one wish more? So I enrolled in every advanced math class offered in our high school. Pretty soon I discovered that mathematics was much more than a set of principles that helped one to solve intellectual riddles. It was not a finished system that one could aim to master after some limited time, but it was really a way of thinking, a means of expressing creativity: endless, an old established science, but still fresh and with undiscovered green meadows, nearby and far away.
Aside from taking the tests, you have to sit through classrooms that bore both the student and the teacher. John Taylor Gatto, a retired school teacher, claims that this is true “Boredom is the common condition of schoolteachers, and anyone who has spent time in a teachers’ lounge can vouch for the low energy, the whining, the dispirited attitudes, to be found there. When asked why they feel bored, the teachers tend to blame the kids, as you might expect. Who wouldn’t get bored teaching students who are rude and interested only in grades.” Gatto makes an important point about kids who are only interested in grades.
As he rambles on in a monotone, they are obviously messaging one another on their laptops” (Berlinerblau 18). Even though college kids are paying for their education, if the classes bore them, they either don’t show up or they don’t pay attention. During lectures, a lot of kids either fall asleep, start daydreaming, or become completely zombie-like, zoning out the professor and just sitting there and staring-- obviously not listening. While reading the chapter, “Evaluation of Teaching and Learning,” found in the textbook Science Teaching Reconsidered: A Handbook, one can notice that it’s completely for lectures.
What do you like about math? Which math books or textbooks have you read or used? Which one is your favorite? Please tell us about your math experiences (if any) at summer camps, online programs, etc. *
...re encompassing way, it becomes very clear that everything that we do or encounter in life can be in some way associated with math. Whether it be writing a paper, debating a controversial topic, playing Temple Run, buying Christmas presents, checking final grades on PeopleSoft, packing to go home, or cutting paper snowflakes to decorate the house, many of our daily activities encompass math. What has surprised me the most is that I do not feel that I have been seeking out these relationships between math and other areas of my life, rather the connections just seem more visible to me now that I have a greater appreciation and understanding for the subject. Math is necessary. Math is powerful. Math is important. Math is influential. Math is surprising. Math is found in unexpected places. Math is found in my worldview. Math is everywhere. Math is Beautiful.
Tying us down to aour classes all the time is not effective in bettering our education. I have a saying that only those who wish to learn will. A student who is bored in class gains nothing but years from his or her experience. This builds a negative connotation with school, and this, above all else, is most detrimental. We must build interest and somewhat ironically we must break the regime.
As a secondary subject, society often views mathematics a critical subject for students to learn in order to be successful. Often times, mathematics serves as a gatekeeper for higher learning and certain specific careers. Since the times of Plato, “mathematics was virtually the first thing everyone has to learn…common to all arts, science, and forms of thought” (Stinson, 2004). Plato argued that all students should learn arithmetic; the advanced mathematics was reserved for those that would serve as the “philosopher guardians” of the city (Stinson, 2004). By the 1900s in the United States, mathematics found itself as a cornerstone of curriculum for students. National reports throughout the 20th Century solidified the importance of mathematics in the success of our nation and its students (Stinson, 2004). As a mathematics teacher, my role to educate all students in mathematics is an important one. My personal philosophy of mathematics education – including the optimal learning environment and best practices teaching strategies – motivates my teaching strategies in my personal classroom.
Did you know that the first few minutes of class is the only time a student listens to their teacher? A student listens to a 60-90 minute lectures from classroom to classroom for 200 school days. But a student cannot focus their attention for that long so they ended up losing their attention somewhere else. Someday, this may be a trouble to their parents. Students lacking concentration may cause failure in planning for their future.
Imagine sitting in a class, completely bored out of your mind. This is not difficult considering everyone has taken a class like this somewhere along the road of their education. Not every class can be exciting and we should know that. Now imagine every class is of this level, with no “break”, or elective, classes incorporated into your day. Although this may not apply to all private schools, there are many that focus on specific topics. So even though the...
Being a person that started off loving mathematics and experiencing different things I can say my beliefs have changed, but are back to where they began. I believe when it is time to teach mathematics this specific subject is going to have students on their toes ready to learn. As stated in my previous autobiography, “mathematics serves as a good subject for people to understand because it is something that follows you after school”, this particular statement serves as true because numbers and operations are real world things that humans