Blog 2

Teaching reformed mathematics is legit. At first I was worried that my previous knowledge with formulas was going to get in the way of accommodating to this new approach but everyday I am getting a little more confident in understanding the materials. I now understand that learning mathematic formulas are only the tip of the iceburg; you must be able to experience the frustrations and attempts by trial and error individuals went through in order to achieve a formula. We went over some decent examples but I do agree with everyone else that we need more... and perhaps an opportunity to observe this style of instruction in a real classroom setting. Other then that my only concerns with teaching mathematics is the time it is going to take to develop a meaningful mathematics curriculum that is going to motivate the students on both intrinsic and extrinsic levels. This is going to have to be a collaborative effort among educators; exposing children at an early age so they can develop personal meaning and problem solving persistence with mathematics. This way we can defeat the number one statement with students in math class,
"I don't know how to do this."