Friday, October 15, 2010
Personal Concerns
I don't have too many concerns but there are a few. I'm nervous of teaching mathematics the 'new way' since the 'old way' is what I am comfortable with; it is also how I was taught and how I know the information that I do. I understand the importance of teaching students how to come up with strategies on their own and why it's important to let students explore mathematics so that they thoroughly understand the concepts. However, I'm not sure that switching to this new way is going to be easy and can be accomplished by the time I will be teaching. What are some ways that I can 'switch over' to the new way of teaching mathematics at a fast enough pace so that I can start right away when I have my own classroom? How can I teach my future students this new method when I myself, am not real comfortable with it?
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You are not alone with your questions and concerns! I will graduate this spring and prior to taking this class, I felt prepared to teach math. I now realize that the way I had planned on teaching math is not the way I will teach it now. I now feel very uncomfortable with the idea of teaching this way. If I am unsure at times during class, how can I really feel that I am going to be able to do an adequate job of teaching it? I wish I had been exposed to this way of teaching math before now! I think it would have been easier for me to learn this method if I would have had the opportunity to experience it in more than one class. Since I am not going to have the opportunity to have another class like this, I feel it will be my responsibility to continue to learn about this way of teaching math.
ReplyDeleteI am also uncomfortable with teaching the way we are learning about. I was not taught this way and find it easier to teach the way I was taught. It is what makes sense to me because it is what I am familiar with. Teaching the way we are learning about is not going to be an easy switch and it will take some time to get familiar with. I hope that I can become more comfortable with teaching this way. Students can learn a lot from teachers teaching the way we are learning about.
ReplyDeleteMolly, I have had the same question throughout this course: how can I teach this new approach when I do not feel comfortable with it myself? I still question this, but after getting further into the course I do feel that there are certain approaches that I do feel more comfortable with that would be beneficial to use within the classroom. I know that this new approach is beneficial for the students in the long run, but if you are uncomfortable teaching it...then I do not see how it would be beneficial for your students. I think it is important for students to determine their own appraoches when it comes to math, but also have those traditional approaches to fall back on.
ReplyDeleteAnother question I have had throughout this course is: if I were to teach in a fifth grade classroom (for example), how would I begin to implement this new way of teaching when the students have been taught in a traditional approach up until that point?