Sir Ken Robinson

I found this video particularly interesting as we do often find that the Arts are the first subjects to go when courses need to be cut for a small school. By doing this, we are already limiting some of our students' interests. With regards to teaching mathematics, I believe that we should alow students to express their mathematics in creative ways. Let them show you what they know through pictures and stories or anything at all that allows them to be creative. We have to accept that fact that not all students were made to study quadratics and exponential equations, it's just too bad that the standardized testing does not allow for the students to be creative in their knowledge.

Math Autobiography

I started school in 1990, but I cannot really remember a whole lot about mathematics for me in grades K-6. I do remember working out of a workbook that you could tear the pages out of; Math Quest I think it was called. I also remember doing a lot of work out of a textbook and not much in the way of discovery. I am not sure if this was because I grew up in a multi-grade school with three grades in one classroom. We probable had to be given a lot of "busy work". Grade 6 was the first year in a single classroom (we were bussed to another school). I still remember just doing a lot of questions from the book. Since I particularly enjoyed mathematics, I do not really remember a best moment, but my worst moment was probably in grade 4 with a "times table" test. I got all of the 4's wrong and I was so disappointed in myself. The next time we had a test, I made sure I had them all memorized. This has influenced me in that I know there needs to be a motivator for children to want to do well in math. My motivation was that I liked doing well and if that didn't happen, I didn't feel good. Other children's motivators are different. Some need something fun and interesting, others need praise. Each child is different.

I was good at math. I found it easy and it did not stress me out. I did well on tests without too much effort and I was usually pretty quick grasping concepts. The role of my teacher in my math classes was to teach me the concepts and then I practiced the concepts. Most were quite passionate about math. Assessment was always in the form of assignments and tests.

In high school we were the first group to use the Mathematical Modelling books in Grade 10. I found it okay to work with, but a lot of my friends struggled with the book and the teacher. I branched out to Advanced Math in Grade 11 and completed both Math 2205 and 3205 concurrently. I remember more about my experience with 3205 more. That was probably because I enjoyed it more. I felt so confident about 3205 that when I away from school for a week on a school outing, I did not worry about a test I needed to write when I got back. I ended up getting 100%. Math 3207 in Grade 12 was probably my worst math course. I still achieved high 80s, but I was used to getting mid 90s. Work in these courses was still really what people call "chalk and talk". Even though the courses were the beginnings of student discovery, I think the teachers felt uncomfortable with this or felt there was not enough time to allow for that.

I started off with Math 1000/1001 (Calculus 1 & 2) in university and my grades quickly went down to 60s. I had not developed any math study skills in high school (because I did not have the need), so it took me a few semesters in MUN to get my grades up closer to A's. I was not satisfied with my math grades, but I was away afraid to ask for help. I also did Calculus 3, Linear Algebra 1 (which I loved), Linear Algebra 2, Intro to Mathematical Programming, Discrete Mathematics, Real Analysis, Technical Writing in Math, Vector Calculus, Ordinary Differential Equations, Applied Graph Theory, Abstract Algebra (almost killed me), Euclidean Geometry, Projective Geometry, Combinatorial Designs and a stats course. Wow that's a lot of math courses! I only remember the ones that didn't give me nightmares! (And the one that gave me the worst)

I always try to engage math in my life in major ways. It may be nerdy, but I absolutely love solving problems and calculating things. Since teaching, I have improved my mental math abilities (not quite up to par with my parents!) and find myself calculating things in the store without even realizing it.

I chose to become teacher because I love helping people and I love it when people succeed at something they once could not. I became a math teacher because math is my passion and what better way to tell others about my passion than to teach it! I also wanted to make math fun for students. I would often hear complaints about math being so boring and I wanted to change that. I would describe my teaching as evolving. I started off teaching how I was taught (notes and questions), then as each year passed, I have found myself moving more towards allowing children to discover things and allowing myself to incorporate different types of activities into my routine. More and more I am finding students saying "Miss, that was fun!" and that is what I was hoping for. Students will have a better chance at remembering something if they found it fun (like me with my university courses).

I currently teach Math 7, 8, 9, 1201, 2204, 3204, 3205, 3103, Tech7/8/9 and my biggest challenge is perhaps keeping students engaged. This is only my fourth year teaching and I am only just developing strategies that I feel comfortable with so I can deviate away from the boring lecturing and notes. One thing that I think would help me as a math teacher is more freedom in my classroom. I would like to not have to worry about public exams or getting the curriculum finished. I think if I did not have to worry about those things I would be able to incorporate much more in my classroom that children really need and deliver them in ways that they enjoy.

Welcome

Hello everyone! Welcome to my blog, I finally have it figured out! I am currently teaching at Holy Cross School in Eastport, NL and I teach most math from 7-12 and junior high technology. This is my first school and I have been here going on four years. I really love where I am teaching!