How has this course changed/not changed your perceptions of teaching math?

This course has completely changed the way I thought about teaching math, and the way I thought about math in general. I now realize the importance of allowing opportunities for students to understand the reason why you do something in math (area formula) instead of simply telling them what to do and giving them a worksheet. I also now realize how important it is to have a few projects that are real world related. When I was in school I would often wonder why I had to learn certain math things; with opportunities like these students will know why they are learning the things they are. I have also learned that children want to be challenged. Sometimes educators think that a math concept will be to hard for their grade level of students. I believe that with the right instruction students will have the confidence to tackle some of the hard problems and even learn form their mistakes.

How has this course changed or not changed your perceptions of teaching math?

This course has changed my perception about teaching math in many ways. The prospect of teaching interests me in many ways because of my desire to engage students creatively with the material and information that they need to learn. Math has been a subject that I didn't think that I would be able to approach in that manner. Based on my history of learning math it has all been rote memorization and replication of work. The worst part of math for me is when I could find the answer but didn't follow the steps that the instructor required and was counted as incorrect for the work. This class has taught me that if I am willing to put the work into my lesson designs math can be taught in a way that it engages students and supports their actual learning, not memorization. This belief that math can be taught in a way that allows the students to construct their knowledge and possibly find enjoyment and challenge in the subject of math motivates me. This motivation will lead to creating lessons that challenge students through creating significant math tasks, creating an environment that supports mistakes, and supports students in doing math. This class has definitely changed my perspective on teaching math, but more than that has supplied me with tools and knowledge to continue to grow professionally in this area of teaching.