Math is often one of the hardest subjects to learn. Teachers know rules that can help students, but often they forget that those rules become more nuanced than presented.
‘Mathematics involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces and measures.’ (EYFS, 2014, pg. 8). The Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework suggests that these areas of learning and development should be done through planned, purposeful play and also through both adult-led and child initiated activities.
The Vietnam War is like one of those things you read about, act shocked, and then forget about it and move on with your life. The novel, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, is a collection of war and post-war stories told by the narrator Tim O’Brien. The many stories give a glimpse into the lives of the soldiers during and after the war. Through the experiences, inner thoughts, and descriptions, O’Brien can capture the emotional weight of war on these young soldiers. O’Brien’s varying amounts of details and strong imagery suggest the emotional burdens of life one carries around, while also showcasing the power of shame.
Introduction This essay aims to report on how an educator’s mathematical content knowledge and skills could impact on the development of children’s understanding about the pattern. The Early Years Framework for Australia (EYLF) defines numeracy as young children’s capacity, confidence and disposition in mathematics, and the use of mathematics in their daily life (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), 2009, p.38). It is imperative for children to have an understanding of pattern to develop mathematical concepts and early algebraic thinking, combined with reasoning (Knaus, 2013, p.22). The pattern is explained by Macmillan (as cited in Knaus, 2013, p.22) as the search for order that may have a repetition in arrangement of object spaces, numbers and design.
Prior knowledge and understanding- children need to have prior knowledge to enable them to understand the ideas presented. Understanding- children need vocabulary related to the ideas presented Context- the mathematical concept must be understood by the child/children they need something to relate to, to back up what they are being presented with. Resources available-
Teaching Mathematics is, in essence, breaking tasks into a series of sequential steps and communicating the steps with others, which is much like writing algorithms. I have experience communicating and collaborating with diverse groups of people at many educational levels, and I know how to write documents suited for a variety of audiences. Parents, students, and the community as a whole are the “customers” of any school, and I have learned how to work well with all of these groups. Planning is one of my strengths, which I balance with staying flexible. Attention to detail and thorough documentation are areas I excel in, and I am good at finding novel approaches to solving problems.
As a future teacher, I will always have good intentions for my students. I will recognize their abilities and encourage growth while having a positive approach. I will teach in a variety of ways that is beneficial to my students. If they are having difficulties learning the material, I will change my teaching strategies until progress is achieved. I will include every student; the quiet will be heard, the misunderstood will be redirected and the gifted will be rewarded.
psychology would be my most challenging. All though it my favorite subject it’s not an easy class. I have a really hard time with the terms used in psychology. I got a D on my first text which was very depressing, but now I know what to expect and I now know what kind of notes I should be taking.
We talked about all of these foreign concepts I had never heard of. At first, I had a difficult time wrapping my head around the class with all these new formulas, rules, and definitions. Grasping the concept of getting my homework done every single night was also difficult and frustrating. I did learn better time management in this class though. I also learned the basics for my future math classes.
The first week was relatively easy and I had no worries, but then the second week came along and changed my perspective of the class. The heavy amounts of math were not my favorite. I was sufficient in math, but this was more complex than any other math I had experienced before. I struggled on the first couple of quizzes and tests. I started to become discouraged with my capabilities.
Common Core Standard • What common core standard(s) does this lesson address? • How do you know the students need this lesson? • Unpack the standard(s) by identifying the strategy(ies) or skill(s) 1.OA.A.1 - Use addition and subtraction within 20 to solve word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using objects, drawings, and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem.
Part B Introduction The importance of Geometry Children need a wealth of practical and creative experiences in solving mathematical problems. Mathematics education is aimed at children being able to make connections between mathematics and daily activities; it is about acquiring basic skills, whilst forming an understanding of mathematical language and applying that language to practical situations. Mathematics also enables students to search for simple connections, patterns, structures and rules whilst describing and investigating strategies. Geometry is important as Booker, Bond, Sparrow and Swan (2010, p. 394) foresee as it allows children the prospect to engage in geometry through enquiring and investigation whilst enhancing mathematical thinking, this thinking encourages students to form connections with other key areas associated with mathematics and builds upon students abilities helping students reflect
Up until this time, I was unsure as to what I wanted to study in college. I came to the realization that I want to become a teacher, ideally in mathematics. I believe a teacher’s role is to lift up her students, help them gain confidence, and give them unlimited opportunities to succeed and most importantly, celebrate one’s differences. When I become a teacher I will always make sure I help all of my students and give them all the same opportunites to do what they want. Not having certain opportunities because of my size has truly affected me, and I would never want a student of mine to feel defeated.
I find that the beauty of math is in the process, and if students learn to care more for that instead I think they will understand more math. While being stressed is definitely my biggest weakness in math my biggest strength would be conceptualizing problems in new ways. Often when I was in college of high school when math becomes more complex and there are more than one way to solve the problem I would enjoy exploring that. I would try and look for the most effective way to solve problems it helped me to avoid the trap of getting the right answer being the goal. This is something that has definitely got stronger the more math I master.
