Hello and welcome to my blog! Here I invite you to join me as I continue to document my path in math where I have taken a short break but looking forward to get back on track to learning the new effective ways of teaching math.
Coming into teachers college last year, I was very nervous to teach math as I thought it could be tricky to teach and I am not too confident in my own knowledge. However, last year taught me numerous ways to create an engaging math class through the use of manipulatives, hands-on activities, and student centred learning which sparked my creativity side. After learning this, I was excited to try this new approach in my placement for my Grade 6 class. Luckily, I was able to implement a lot of these new teaching strategies where it allowed me to be creative. I absolutely loved teaching this subject (something I never thought I would say) and I received a great amount of positive feedback from the students where they never thought math could be so much fun. This moment made me realize how important it is to create that enjoyable and engaging environment as it has a large impact on how it motivates them to learn helping them grasp new concepts. This year, I look forward to learning even more strategies to use that help contribute to create an engaging class where my students will enjoy math.
As one week has gone by, I have already learned a lot, but with the mentality that comes with learning math. Growing up, math was always portrayed as being boring as I recall doing worksheet after worksheet. This made it hard for me to stay focused and motivated. An important idea that was made clear to me during our Math Mindset Modules is having that “I can” attitude that comes with having a growth mindset. The video states that anyone can learn math and mistakes and challenges is where we learn the most. I believe this is important for students to know so they do not give up on a concept or themselves during a challenging time and should know they can do something and succeed. How you mentally think affects your abilities to accomplish something so this video explains that if anyone has the ability to learn math when they put their mind to it and actually believe they can. Therefore, we as teachers should create that environment where we stress to our students that anyone is capable of learning math and welcome mistakes. If we do these things, students will be more willing to make mistakes and learn from them helping their brains grow. As Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus always says, “take chances, make mistakes, get messy” holds true to this statement as she encourages students to not shy away from trying something new and that it is ok to make mistakes.
I cannot wait to continue my path in math where I will “take chances, make mistakes, get messy” in order to learn and improve my teaching methods to make them even more effective in the future.
Hey Lianne,
ReplyDeleteLike you, I was a bit nervous to teach math to my placement class, as I had no idea where to start! I found that during my six weeks of placement, my students helped guide me whenever I struggled with a concept, and even helped encourage me whenever I wasn't confident in my own math skills. It was amazing to see the application of what I learned in math class last year in my placement.
This year, I also hope to stay positive and to work on my "growth mindset", as this will help me to be a role model for my own students (and will help me to stay focused and attentive to what my students need.)
Also, great video! There's nothing like Miss. Frizzle and the Magic School Bus to help motivate and teach lessons!
Love Miss Frizzle! Great start to your blog Lianne. You have linked the math mindset to what we cover in class. As we go forward you can also link to the readings, the webinars once they start and maybe even how you are applying things to your unit planning.
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