There are so many great things I have learned this semester with regard to teaching children mathematics. Growing up, I was always taught there was one right answer in Math, although there may have been many ways to go about it. I realize now, thanks to this course, that this "correct answer" thinking can really damage children and their view on Mathematics. As students, we always look to the teacher for the right answer and we never question their solutions, especially in Math.
This semester, I have learned that it is important to ask open-ended questions and let students figure the answers out for themselves. We never really think for ourselves anymore, and I think this frame of mind has a lot to do with that. As I have mentioned before, I was always good at math in school and I was always confident enough in myself to answer the teacher's questions, but I have realized that there are a lot of students who fear speaking out in class because they are afraid of being wrong. During our team teaching, myself and Abby presented the problem and asked the "students" to quietly work either by themselves or with a partner to find a solution. When we were asked if they were right, we asked them what they thought. Then we would ask them what they did to get the answer and asked them if this obeyed the restrictions we had given them. Not directly saying "yes, you're right" or "no, that's wrong" really frustrated some people - because we are used to being one or the other. It is important to teach children how to think for themselves and to be confident enough to argue that the answer they have is valid because of the way they approached the problem.
I have also learned that math can be so much more than a textbook or a worksheet, thanks to the Math Fair. There are SO many fun activities for children that involve many of the math outcomes in the curriculum guide. These "games" would be a great way to engage all children in learning math since they don't actually see it as learning, but having fun instead. Plus, hands-on learning is great for students who have trouble reading or writing, or both!
I will most definitely be using open-ended questions, shying away from "correct answers", and games in my classroom in the future when teaching my students Math! This course has enhanced my love for Math and I am more confident now than ever that I will be able to teach the subject, thanks to Dr. Mary Stordy and Education 3940 :)
And of course, you know I can't do a final blog post without some hilarious math jokes! Hope you have enjoyed reading my Math Blog as much as I have enjoyed blogging about Math <3
(Hint: The square root of a negative number is "i")
