As another semester comes to an end and I sit back and reflect on all that I learned, I think I have really been opened up to a lot more to what mathematics really is and what it can look like in the classroom. I have to say, it is very different than what I experienced in the classroom.
I guess I have always had the mindset, as shown to me through my education so far, that math basically is what it is. What I mean by that is that math always looks the same, the formulas and rules are there and we have to present them to students and give them the strategies they need to work them out through practice, practice and more practice involving worksheets and text books.
Wow, was I ever wrong.
I have to say that the aspect of this course that will truly stick with me is that I now understand what mathematics really is and how it can look in the classroom. It can be dynamic, creative and offer students choice and a place to explore and find answers for themselves. As the teacher, we are there to support and encourage and not to tell students if they are right or wrong. In life, we know there is typically never only one correct way to arrive at the best answer and the same is true for mathematics.
The approach taken to teaching us how to teach mathematics to children has really impacted me personally and how I now look at education. Being a teacher is never about being above your students or being the person with all the right answers. It is about being the person who offers endless opportunities to find their way through a problem and to show them the many possibilities.
What I have learned here gives me a lot of hope as I prepare to move into my internship and shortly after into my future career. The types of attitudes shown to me here in this course, I think, can be transferred to any subject area within the curriculum. I have to say this semester has really opened my eyes up to what it means to teach mathematics and to teach in general.
I think I definitely have a way to go before I am fully comfortable with all of this, but I definitely feel a little more prepared after this course. It's been an amazing (and I have to say unexpected) experience that will stay with me as I continue on!
:)
