New Insights and Their Implications

Over the last couple of weeks, I have really considered what I know about teaching math to young children. As I get closer to graduating, I am now carefully considering how prepared I am to teach. Mathematics has always been a topic I have enjoyed, but I know many people who strongly dislike math. I do not want to be a teacher who makes her students dislike math. Throughout this class so far, I have learned some valuable tools for helping my future students to succeed. I have learned that it is so important to present problems in different ways and that what seems to make sense for one student may be confusing and seem impossible for another student. I have learned from my peers that we all learn in different ways and how sometimes peers can do a better job of teaching one another that a teacher can. In the shaking hands activity, a peer explained it in a way that was so much easier for me to understand than the way I had figured it out. Having this knowledge about how all students will learn a little differently will greatly impact my future classroom and teaching abilities. The instructor has really made me start to understand the importance of math standards and how I will need to carefully consider the best ways I can meet these standards with the lessons and activities I choose to teach my students with. I have learned that it is important that I challenge my students appropriately.