Weekly Report & Reflection #2:

Weekly Report & Reflection

Reflection:Is there a negative viewpoint on mathematics?
Overall I feel that there is an extremely negative viewpoint on mathematics. I feel this way because Math teachers often do not inspire their students, showing them the appreciation for math and instead teach the memorization steps of math. Often I feel like the Math teachers have a great concept on the understanding of the problem, but struggle with breaking down the steps and teaching the concepts. As a result of this, math students often feel like math is a foreign language, which they cannot orient themselves around.

How do I feel about mathematics?
Growing up, My father was a math teacher so if I ever had a problem understanding a question I could come to him for help. I took Kumon when I was a child, and understood the basic high school math concepts, however when it came to grade 12 advanced functions/ calculus I was lost.

What strategies will I use in a J/I classroom to teach mathematics?
After learning the many different styles of breaking down the math problems within the course EDBE 8P29, I would use the heuristic teaching style, allowing the students to discover or learn something themselves. I would provide the students the proper steps to complete the problem, however I would let them know there are many other ways to complete the problem.

What makes an excellent math teacher? 
I feel that an excellent math teacher goes over all 7 of the processes to solve a problem. These processes are; problem solving, reasoning & proving, reflecting, selecting tools, connecting, representing, and communicating.


Report:
Areas of mathematics I will focus on?
The area I will focus on the most is the mathematical process. In J/I this process supports an effective learning style within mathematics. I will be particularly focused on the "Understanding the Problem", rereading and restating the problem. I will have to identify the information given and the information that needs to be determined. In this stage, most students have a problem understanding the problem, and in this stage it is extremely difficult to break down the problem into steps. I will have to talk about the problem and break it down for the students to understand it better.

Connections on Building Background:
http://www.edugains.ca/newsite/HOME/index.html
The connection I made on this resource provided, was the revised Ontario curriculum on the Curriculum Document +. This resource was especially important when discovering the mathematical process, and the many overall and specific expectations regarding the curriculum, more specifically patterning and algebra.

Hialah Gardens. Google Images [Image]
Retrieved from: https://hgms.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/math.jpg