1. Peak Experience
I think one of the high points is my math life has to go back to the beginning of when I concerned myself someone who could excel in math. It was in 4th grade in Mrs. Miles class when I learned how rewarding math could be.
Side note on what she taught:
Mrs. Miles had just taught us a trick to multiplying two digit numbers that are the same and both end in 5 (EX: 25x25). What she taught us the the last two digits will always be 25 (5 times 5 equals 25). For the 10s digit place you would add a 1 to one of the ten's place and then multiple the number together. The 25x25 problem would work like this:
25x25 -> 5x5=25 ->25 would be your tens and ones place in answer. 30x20=600. 600+25 equals 625.
Anyways, Mrs. Miles had a competition to see who could do these multiplication problems the fastest. It was set up that the winner stays and the loser goes. I was one of the first students chosen to to go to the dry erase board to participate in the race. I ended up being undefeated. No one ever beat me at the race. Mrs. Miles even called a teacher to show her how fast I was at it. I still remember the trick and even though next week we moved on I still felt proud knowing I was the best in my class.
2. Nadir Experience
My worst math experience had to be taking my first calculus test. I was a freshmen and my study habits were not as good as they are now. I thought I was prepared but when I opened the test there was nothing I really knew how to do. I failed the test. I think I only knew 3 problems and guess the rest of them. (I got a 55 on the test so I was lucky with my guesses). When I turned in my test I felt so disappointed in myself because I have never failed a test in my life up to that point. I didn't know how to really handle it.
I ended up barely passing the second test and then I started to look for resources to help improve my grade. I went to class, office hours, tutoring sessions, and went over my homework at least two times to make sure I understood the material. I ended up passing the class with flying colors but I had to really become involved in my learning.
3. Turning Point
I think I always felt this way but I never had a term for it. This summer I took my Foundation math classes and my professor used the term "lazy mathematician."A "lazy mathematician" is a way to look for the easiest way to solve a math problem. Finding a pattern, knowing tricks, or short cuts to solving a problem is what makes a "lazy mathematician." Of course, it is essential to understand the concepts of math because a lazy mathematician has to understand the concept if they want to find the easiest way. My foundation math classes this past summer helped me define how I like to do math. I think to see what the problem is asking and the best way to solve it.
4. Other Important Events
8th Grade Math
When I was in 8th grade my math teacher was not to fond of me. I was the one to blame. I will admit, I was an immature student. I did however do all that was requested and did it to perfection. I always had a 100 or above in math for a grade.
What really upset my teacher was when she would hand us worksheets that we would complete, I would finish them before she was done teaching us how to work the problems. I would always turn in my paper as soon as she finished her lecture. I would have the entire period for free time because I would finish my work. After awhile my teacher decide she needed some way to keep me busy. To take away my free time my teacher would have me teach the class or go around the class and check other students work. I didn't mind though because it kept did keep me busy.
SIMMS - Systemic Initiative for Montana Mathematics and Science
My 9th and 10th grade year, my high school block took SIMMS for math. It was the most challenging years of math I have ever had. Through SIMMS I really learned how to be a problem solver when it comes to math. The SIMMS website is: http://www.montana.edu/wwwsimms/ if you would like more information on it. My teacher had us work on unit that would have us lead to math concepts. Instead of giving us the math concept our teacher had us figure it out ourselves and then teach us the concept. The unit were very challenging and really helped me with critical thinking skills. I really enjoyed the math classes and liked how I had to figure out what the concept was instead of it being given to me.
5. Greatest Challenge
As far as being a student my SIMMS class were the biggest challenge because it really made me push myself and made me think critically.
As a preservice teacher (and I'm sure this will arise again when I'm a teacher), I find that the right way to reach a student can be difficult. My first student internship in a 2nd grade general education classroom, I found myself trying to help a few students try to catch up on some of their math skills. I was only with the students twice a week and I'm not sure their teacher was doing her best to help these students. When helping these students I found myself becoming stressed that I couldn't help these students fast enough. It was like each week these student struggled more every time I saw them. I think a lot had to do with my teacher and it made me sad knowing that their teacher would do nothing to really help them. I feel like there are some good teachers out there and some bad teachers out there. I hope I'll be one of the good teachers out there that can notice when students need help and have the ability to help them in math (and any other subject for that matter).
6. Special Education Teacher
I have wanted to become a special education teacher ever since my mom started to work with students who were medically fragile. I was really inspired by my mother's students and really wanted to work with students with special needs. I really felt like my mom's student change how I look at things and makes me humble for anything that I'm able to do.
For teaching math, I feel like math is just another form of critical thinking and problem solving skills. You can memorize concepts, shortcuts, and be flawless when it comes to arithmetic but if you don't know how to go about a problem then you can not implement anything you know. Having experience with different problems really helps but being able to problem solve and think critically is the most important part. Doing math is a way of thinking more than it is computing numbers in my opinion.
While I too enjoyed math growing up, I feel like I often identify with the term "lazy mathematician." I am constantly trying to solve problems the fastest way possible to reach an answer. While speed may be somewhat relative to success in real-life math application, such as determining the amount for a tip, understanding the method used often proves of greater importance in teaching math. As teachers, we must be ready and willing to serve our students according to their needs. It is important that we search out options for our students and are aware of the multiple solutions available.
ReplyDeleteI also can relate to your feelings of inadequacy in the classroom as an intern. With only two days in the schools that semester, I often felt as though I was only masking the problems I encountered. I provided students with a quick trick or hints to the answer, rather than taking the time to sit down and explain a concept from start to finish. I hope that in our own classroom we have the ability and schedule to allow for quality math instruction.
I'm jealous that you always knew you wanted to be a special education teacher, that's pretty awesome. I'm also impressed that you were able to turn around your test grades by getting help--that's something I have always struggled with.
ReplyDeleteI too had to become more engaged with learning math once I got into high school. I use to be able to just get by with an A or B, but once I entered high school I realized I was going to have to study more than what I was use to. However, studying was sometimes not enough (especially if the material was not clear to me). So I had to start going after school to get help from my teachers, and I'd even go to past teachers that knew me already and the style of learning I had.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this post, Jackie. Thanks for getting so detailed, especially about the multiplying by 5's trick. Why don't you show that to the class one day? It'd be cool for the class to see you teach something that you not only remember well from your own learning experience, but that you really, really kicked-butt in.
ReplyDeleteI love the term "lazy mathematician". Thanks for sharing that Jackie, and thanks for picking up on it Christi! Lazy people are the people who invent the things that make our world easier. Maybe I'll steal the term and say that we should all be "lazy teachers", trying to figure out the patterns and the methods behind how to do things so that we can do them more efficiently and easier.
Oh, and thanks for sharing about your Calculus experience. I'm glad Ashley agrees too. Sounds like it was a big moment when you learned that you had to work at your learning too. It's a great story that pairs nicely with your 8th grade experience, where your teacher saw that you obviously were ripping through the work and gave you more busy work, rather than engage you and help your mathematical thinking develop.
And thank you very much for sharing about your mother, Jackie. What an incredibly special inspiration. You've already seen how hard it is to work with students who seem to struggle more and more each week. It's not easy work, but it sounds like you've been able to see the richness in it through watching your mother.
Oh, and the SIMMS curriculum is great stuff, Jackie. I'm glad to hear that you got a few years to work with an integrated modeling math unit in high school. When hearing what your other students say about their own mathematics learning, do you feel that the you had a very different experience?