New Insights & Their Implications

Throughout the first few weeks of class, I have altered my thinking of what makes good mathematical teaching. As typical of many of my peers, I learned math in the basic way of being told the correct way to approach a problem and then completing a number of similar problems. We learned in class that there are multiple entry points for every math problem, and one strategy should not be considered superior over others. By showing students that there is only one correct or best way to approach a problem, we as teachers may be boosting the confidence of one set of students, but we will also be discouraging other students who puts lots of effort into their work. I love Math because it challenges me to think critically and look at problems from multiple perspectives, but I know all my students will not have the same opinion. It is my duty to learn and understand how to use all different strategies of approaching problems. This knowledge will enable me to reach all my students at their current level of mathematical understanding and encourage them to apply strategies that work best for them. In addition, I also find it interesting that Jolley requires their teachers to be accountable for reaching each of the state standards at least three times. Even though we learned state standards are not as reliable as national standards, I think this is a great idea. When teachers address a standard one time, they may not reach every student. By being accountable for all standards and reaching each standard several times, teachers increase their chances of having all students meet the standards.