Blog #2

New Insights and Implications

I will admit, as interested about learning this new of math as I was at the beginning of the semester, there was still a part of me that was very nervous about it as well. I was unsure of whether or not I would be able to fully comprehend it. However, though I have struggled along the way, I have begun to discover that I am starting to grasp it (at least for the geometry part). It was very interesting to see how geometric understanding builds throughout the grade levels, and thus how we can build off their prior knowledge to help them discover new concepts of mathematics. From one of our beginning activities where we took a rectangle and transcribed a triangle into it to actually developing a formula for the area of a triangle, I was able to see how this way of "discovering" math is accomplished, and accomplished well. Another example was through developing multiple formulas for determining the area of a polygon to being able to take the idea further to apply it to a real-life situation - determining the amount of shingles it would take to cover Mr. Reins roof. Through this activity I was able to discover how we help students take the mathematical concepts they are developing and go beyond it to other areas and know how to do it. That was something I had quite a bit of difficulty doing in my math classes, so being able to help students achieve this is one reason why I will be very happy to use this math method in my future classroom.
A final new insight I have gained in the past few weeks is how difficult this will truly be to implement. I know that we discussed it, however, one never truly grasps it until he or she sees it done. From watching the groups present, I have been impressed by what they have done, and I have come to discover just how much effort it will take to teach in this style. However, I have also learned how important and beneficial it will be as well. So, I hope that I will continue to progress in my understanding of the method as the semester continues on, and that I will become confident in using it in my own classroom.

New Insights and their Implications

These past couple of weeks I have been thinking a lot about how I am going to teach math in my own classroom. This has never been something that I have worried or even really thought about because I have always been fairly good at math. However, I have become fairly concerned about being able to teach math in a way that will get students to think about math on a deeper level rather than me showing the students how do something and then they just practice what I showed them. This new insight implicates to me that I am going to have to look at math in a deeper way myself. I think that this class has shown me that there are several ways to express and teach math on a deeper level. However, I do feel that once I do get out into the classroom that I am going to have to continuously be conscious of how I am teaching math and if my students are really learning the concept of a problem or if they are just learning how to do the problem. I may struggle with making sure my students are always learning on a deeper level, mostly because I was never taught to see math on a deeper level, but I think that if I constantly think about how I am teaching a math concept and constantly ask myself "what are the students learning," then I think over time I will be able to consistently teach math on a deeper level.

New Insights and Their Implications

Throughout these past couple of months I have found a new appreciation for teaching elementary math. I have never experienced a teaching style such as reform based math, until Dr. Reins. I learned that students have to use their higher order thinking skills to solve problems, which comes a lot easier when using manipulatives, such as the ones we've used in class. I've also learned it is more difficult from the teacher's perspective of planning, I feel this is the reason so many teachers use the traditional style of teaching (worksheets, handouts, etc) because it is so much easier. However, this is also why our students aren't meeting national standards. When doing the LPU I learned that I want to teach according to the reform based math strategies, I want my students to have to think and solve the problem themselves, instead of knowing they can get the answer from me. This style of teaching is somewhat frightening and difficult, but I want to learn more about it so my future students and myself can benefit.

New Insights and Their Implications

Throughout these past couple of months that I've been in this class, I have experienced math in a way that I would have never thought of before. I have learned that math should not be so procedural in that a teacher gives the student a formula and tells the student to plug in the numbers because he/she said so. Math should be about students finding those procedures out for themselves and learning why they need to be used. I have learned that my understanding of math is definitely instrumental instead of relational. I have always been showed how to do a problem, then been told to complete different problems like the one shown on my own. I never knew the relational understanding or the what to do and why's of math. By teaching students why they are using a certain formula or why they are going about a problem in a certain way, the student can obtain a better grasp of a mathematical concept. I have learned that we must teach in a way that the student can learn cognitively. We must first start with what the student already knows and build upon that. I think the LPUs are a great way for us to try and begin teaching in the way that we have recently been learning about. Although it may be difficult for us at first, I understand why it is important that we learn how to teach our future students in a way that they will have a relational understanding of mathematics.

New Insights and Their Implications

I think the biggest learning experience in this class so far was the LPU. It made me realize just how effective project based learning is. Its easy for a teacher to have a student memorize a formula, plug the numbers in and solve it. From this experience I learned how much more effective teaching can be if hands-on manipulative's are used and if you let students discover answers on their own, compared to just telling them answers. However, it did make me realize just how hard it is to teach from this perspective. No teacher I have had up until this point has ever taught like this. It is definitely a learning experience. I am looking forward to learning more about this new way of teaching.

New Insights and Their Implications

After six weeks of this class, I have been shown a much different perspective of learning math than I ever have before. I have always learned by a certain route or formula to use for finding the answer to something. I was only shown a small glimpse as to why it was done that way, only shown how to do something. This class has really felt like I am back in elementary. The way in which project based learning works really challenges my traditional thoughts. I feel as if I am relearning all of the material over again. However, I am actually seeing why some formulas are used the way they are in math. The implications I have learned is that it is much more beneficial to the students to see the the why in a math problem before they learn the how. Otherwise, they are just doing something just do it without an idea of why.

New Insights and their Implications

I think that the LPU's have been a very productive part of this class for me. They have shown me that there are many different approaches to teaching mathematics and they also show me how parts of math are learned through the eyes of a child. I have also learned much from the readings and my instructor about all of the ways you can approach teaching mathematics. The readings fit our class lectures very well and serve as a great supplement to the course.

New Insights and Their Complications

Since the last blog, I have learned many different insights through my classmates LPU's. They have showed me the importance of doing project based learning in lessons, and the struggles and complications that go along with them.

My classmates have all done a great job with their LPU's and have set the standard on how a project based learning lesson should go. I have learned that allowing the students to do a project with prior knowledge that they do have engages their mind and makes them think about previous ideas they have learned about. Once the previous knowledge is brought to their attention, adding a new idea with a project allows the student the chance to figure out the problems themselves. I have also learned to allow the students to answer their own questions and to figure ideas out for themselves otherwise they will always depend on you to help them.

Doing project based learning lessons has also shown me there are many complications that go along with it too. It takes along time to be comfortable with the teaching style of project based learning and it won't be an easy task. It is important to start a lesson a week or more prior to when you want to do it. That way you can think about the background ideas and a specific project and outcome you want the students to have. It is also important to remember that teaching in a new style will be a complication at first, but the more you do it the more comfortable you will become with it.

New Insights and Their Implications

This class has been very instrumental to me helping me better understand the teaching methods of K-8 students. I believe the main understanding I have so far is the tools required to instruct a math centered class. I have found out that there are many different approaches to incorporate into the teaching process. Once these approaches are taught, students then will have the ability to use the skills, knowledge, and the learning resources to understand the concept taught. I believe the primary goal of this course is to prepare us future educators to be effective and engage news ways to instruct. I believe teaching math to elementary students is significant for establishing a firm foundation for success. Making it fun and interesting will help us as the students progresses to the upper grade levels. Understanding it early is so important so there isn't a struggle as they approach high school.

In addition, I have learned that putting students in situations which they have to apply what they are learning to personal experiences and situations helps to reinforce the concepts of math and gives them a much better understanding of this subject. I struggled in math in my elementary years as well as high school and with these new concepts I am learning, I am confident that I can teach my students effective learning techniques.

New Insights and Their Implications

After completing the LPU unit I realized how much time it can take to prepare information that you are not comfortable with. I realized that you need to plan and prepare in advance and give yourself plenty of time. It is best to start at least two weeks prior to your presentation date. I found it very interesting to see how different my peers and I grasp concepts about different topics in math. Some people definitely have a knack for math and others struggle at it like me. It is great to be presented with new techniques that can help a person come to solve a problem. I really enjoyed the lesson from the group I was in on fractions and using the table method. I found the table method to be something so simple that I never would have thought to use it. I feel that the table method will be very helpful to my peers and me when we are teaching our own students. I also enjoyed using the fraction bars but was not completely comfortable in using them because I had never used anything like them before. I learned that you can over think things and need to open up your mind to think about new ways of doing things, there may always be other ways to come about a solution. This is a method that we as college students should have been learning since the second year of college. By learning this method we are better able to help our students understand, enjoy, and build on math. Students should begin learning this method in preschool and should continue while they are pursuing their education. I think that this method of teaching is great and is one that we as students should have learned in school and I look forward to taking the practices from this class into my classroom.

New Insights and Their Implications

After another month of class; I feel like I have learned so much more from my peers, teacher and readings. I have watched my peers construct their own lesson plans that use the new method of teaching math that we have been learning about. By observing these lessons, I have learned that this kind of teaching is not always going to be easy for us as teachers to come up with, but it is what our future elementary students deserve and what is best for them. I really enjoyed the lessons on fractions. Before this I did not know how to teach fractions, but from the lessons, I got all kinds of ideas running through my mind.
During this course, I have learned a lot about myself as a teacher. I have learned that I am going to have all kinds of students that are all going to learn in different ways. With that being said, I have learned that I am going to have to be prepared to teach topics many different ways so I can help each of my students get a good grip on math. I really like that students can use hands-on activities to get a better understanding, I don't remember ever using hands-on activities for math. I'm really glad that I am getting a chance to make all of these discoveries in this class.

Summary and Synthesis

In class, we have continued to learn about the different approaches students can take to understand problems. The instructor has continued to push us to teach in a new way that does not just involve giving students a formula and telling them how to use it. We have learned not to just tell students how to solve a problem, but to allow them to explore and maybe find their own solutions. I find it very difficult at different times to learn this way and I think that most of the class would agree with me. Some of my classmates have given lessons to the rest of the class using the method of teaching that we are learning about. I have learned a lot from seeing how they taught and approached the lesson. It has made me think about how I am going to teach my lessons when I am a teacher. Sometimes in class, I find it difficult to understand concepts because they are new to me and I was taught and learned the concepts in a completely different way. In class, we have been challenged to understand why we do certain steps to figure out math problems and to not just know what to do. I am starting to understand why I do something, instead of just knowing what steps to take to arrive at an answer. Students can understand more of what they are doing if they learn it by trying different methods and not just following the teacher's steps or solutions.

Questions and Answers

Over the last month and a half, I have really started to consider how I am going to incorporate what i am learning in this class to my future classroom. Prior to taking this class, I didn't really have any anxiety about teaching math because it is a subject I have always loved and understood very well. I am now questioning how well I understand math. As the instructor continues to ask us questions, I continue to question how I am going to take the necessary steps to make sure that I incorporate this way of teaching into my classroom. As the instructor talks, the first question that comes to my mind is how am I going to have time to incorporate this way of teaching into my classroom? I am beginning to understand why I must teach this way, but with the pressures of teaching the material students need to know to perform well on standardized tests, how can I justify to everyone the need for teaching students so that they fully understand the material? I understand, but parents and administrators that have not had the opportunity to take this class may not agree with or understand my reasoning. This presents me with a huge problem. Working with parents can be extremely intimidating, so I feel it is very important that I do the research to make sure that I am prepared to answer all the questions that parents may ask me. I also feel that in order to be an effective teacher, I will need to put the time and effort into making sure that I know this material and can effectively help all my students to learn and understand the material.
As a future educator, I know the importance of making proper lesson plans and doing my "homework" to make sure that I understand the material I am going to expect my students to learn. My first few years of teaching this way may be very difficult, but by knowing that my students deserve to understand this material, I will strive to teach this material effectively, even if not every person understands why I just can't teach formulas to my students without them fully understanding what that formula represents. This method may take a little longer than just writing a formula on the board and giving students a worksheet with twenty questions on it that use that formula, but my students will greatly benefit from actually understanding each formula and why they use it to figure a specific thing out.

New Insights and Their Implications

When preparing for our LPU, I struggled to break away from the traditional approaches of teaching. Because this approach is all I have ever known, I found it hard to switch my thinking towards teaching through problem solving. This new approach of teaching takes time and practice, which has become widely apparent after our LPU presentation and after watching other groups present their material. It becomes hard to teach material to others that you are uncomfortable with yourself. After presenting our material, I realized just how important problem based approaches are. Instead of providing the steps or formulas for solving problems, it is important to provide students with the skills to find their own approaches to solving problems. Although I think this approach of teaching is important, I also think that it is important to introduce small portions of this approach with traditional approaches so students do not get overwhelmed. This approach takes time and if students are introduced to it all at one, they may get discouraged and not put forth necessary effort because of that discouragement. Once students feel more comfortable with this approach, I think they will have a better outlook on math. This is exactly what has happened to me over the last couple of weeks. I have always
struggled to understand math and this course is no exception. However, after preparing for our LPU and learning different approaches towards solving problems, I am now starting to make sense of everything. I am starting to grasp what is being taught and I feel more positive about teaching with this approach.

New Insights and Their Implications

I have learned alot from my peers, instructor, and the readings. This class has opened new doors to me in the ways of teaching math and how students learn from different approaches. It is important to let students discover a new formula on their own, instead of giving them the formula, telling them what to fill in, and saying "this is how it is done." I was taught that way and I have learned that it is definitely hard to break that habit and learn in a new way. My peers, instructor, and the readings have shown me that there is more than one way that we can teach students mathematics and every student learns differently. My peers have taught me about the different ways to learn through the LPU's. They have given us some great hands-on materials and activities that can help us learn different concepts in math.

This class has taught me a lot about myself as a learner. I have kind of always thought of myself as a hands-on learner, but I never thought this way of learning could work in math. I was just so used to the teacher giving me a formula and telling me what to do with it. This class has shown me new ways that I can teach math that is more meaningful and beneficial to my students. Some students might benefit from getting the answer right away, but others will benefit from understanding the steps and processes that it takes to arrive at the answer.

New Insights and Their Implications

I have learned a lot about elementary school students from my peers, instructor, and the readings.  This class has given me such a big insight into other ways of teaching and how many students learn from different approaches besides getting the formula and practicing the formula.  It has taught me so much about how giving the formulas, working on the formulas, and giving the answers is not always the way to do the problem, althought that might be how I was taught.   I have learned about the fact that there are many ways that we can teach students and some students learn differently than others.  My peers have taught me about the many ways that students can learn through the many methods that they use in their LPUs.  The readings showed me the many ways and methods that teachers can use to teach elementary students.


This class has taught me a lot about myself.  I never thought of myself as an "instructional based" learner.  I have always thought that this is the way that everyone learns and there is no other method to teaching.  By going through this class, I have found out that there will be other ways that I can teach and it is not just the cut and dry way of teaching.  Their implications to teaching and learning mathematics are that students have different ways of thinking.  For one student, a paper and pencil test might be the best way for them to learn but other students might be better with a more complex way of thinking that does not give them the answer right away.

New Insights and Their Implications

This math course is definitely much different than any other math class I have ever taken. I am learning new perspectives on math concepts that I was once very confident that I understood. When we do example problems in class or go over homework problems I am surprised to see strategies that I never considered from my peers. It is surprising because I always thought everyone basically thought through problems the same way and took very similar routes to achieving those results. My previous belief has certainly been disproven. It is important to work with partners and in groups because it encourages students to share ideas and learn new methods for solving problems. Other math classes I have been in, both high school and college, were focused on individual work and involved little or no group work. However, there would not have been much reason for group work because all we would have done is take turns plugging numbers into a formula. Not a lot of higher thinking or reasoning involved.

Before the first day of Math Methods I was pretty sure that the class was going to be a hybrid of Math Concepts I and II with the addition of students teaching lessons. Clearly, I was mistaken. The instructor is introducing mathematical concepts that I know how to solve and then poses questions about these concepts that are foreign to me. This causes me to, basically, relearn these math concepts in a way that I actually understand the “why” questions of solving a problem. For example: why do we use pie to find the area of a circle or why do we flip the second fraction and multiply while dividing fractions? These are items that I have to reevaluate in order to ensure that my students, and me, know why they are solving a problem the way that they are. I do not want to teach students just to plug numbers into a formula without understanding how the formula was derived. I am developing a much deeper understanding for geometry and fractions and I hope to be able to pass my knowledge on to my future students through this new method of math teaching.

Personal Concerns and Next Steps

The thing that I am most concerned about is how to do I switch the way I was taught how to do math; to how should I teach it? In all my math classes the teachers have always been there and helped me out if I was struggling. I know that everybody went through this same experience. I think I can speak for a lot of my peers. That this is going to be very hard to adapt to this new way. There are many times that I am frustrated with the material. Or when I am trying to figure out the homework and I just don’t get it. When you have been doing it in a certain way for so many years, it is hard to change your thinking and try a new approach. But, how can I make this switch? Not missing class, paying attention to the lecture notes, readings, and projects. This is very important that I understand how to teach in this way for my students. I don’t want to fall back on what my old teachers did. I want to learn this new way of teaching, it’s just going to be a struggle at times.

New Insights

After preparing, creating, and presenting my LPU lesson, I have discovered that teaching using the new reform based mathematics is VERY difficult. It is really hard to pose questions for students, without helping them along the way. It is in my nature to want to guide the students as they create their own understanding, instead of letting them struggle and find their own answers. During the preparation of the the LPU, it seemed really easy to teach in the new way, but when it came to actually teaching it to the class, it was very difficult.

My LPU was about introducing the concept of fractions. It is hard to introduce a concept to students who have no previous background, and get them to form their own connections, and create their own understanding. It was definitely a challenge, to say the least. However, all students have a background about fractions, they just don't know it, until it is presented in a way in which they can form their own connections. All students understanding the concept of a whole, and that there are parts to each whole. They just may not understand that a part of a whole is called a fraction.

If I were to redo the lesson plan, there are a few things that I would change in the presentation aspect of it. I still believe that my prep-work is sufficient, it was just a lot harder to present it than I had original thought. Reform based mathematics is still a new concept to me, but at least now I can say that I've done it and could do it again.

New Sights and Their Implications

So far in this course, I have learned a lot from not only the instructor, but also my peers. Each class period that there is a new group presenting, allows for one more time to see a different perspective on how to attack one of the many themes in mathematics. I have learned from my peers, how to show students to work through a problem without ever really thinking about the fact that they are doing math. The more times a teacher allows for his or her students to work in groups discovering a solution to a problem, the more success students will experience in learning taking place. On top of that, teachers need to always make sure to have different tools for the students to work with so they are receiving the hands on activities that are pertinent to learning. The more you, as a teacher, can deviate away from the fact that you are doing math work in the classroom during math, the better the outcome of learning is for the students. As a teacher, you do not need to always tell your students what they have to do in an activity or what knowledge they will gain from the activity, instead let the students explore and discover for themselves what knowledge they have gained from them partaking in the activity assigned.

The instructor has taught me all of those things mentioned above and more. If you want your students to gain the knowledge that you want them to; engage them in their prior knowledge. Teachers need to help students realize that they are familiar with the information presented to them; they just need to go back and retrieve that prior knowledge. Another important characteristic to teaching math that I have learned from my instructor is to always allow more room for work. If a student does not understand the material, make the material due a certain day, go over the material in class, and then collect the assignment the following day. If students are stuck and don’t know what to do after seeing the results to their solutions, allow them to come in and spend more time working with you on their homework; teachers need to always have a open door policy when it comes to their students.

Throughout this course I have learned a lot about myself not only as a learner, but as a future teacher. As a learner, I have learned that I do not learn well when teachers tell me instructions of how to complete a task, rather than write the directions on the board. I need those instructions in front of me in order for me to get the most out of my learning. Due to this discovery, I have decided as a teacher to always have my directions written out so my students are not confused about what is asked of them. I have also learned about myself as a learner that I need to have materials and tools in front of me while I learn to help me discover for myself the answer to the problem. As a teacher I have discovered that having tools that students can physically move/touch for themselves, with help them discover the answer at a far better pace rather than just working with paper and a pencil. One final thing that I have learned so far as a learner, is that I work best in small groups. If I am in large group learning, I feel like I am not getting as much out of the instruction because the group is so large. When groups are smaller it is easier to put your two cents in and also collaborate with your peers. As a teacher, I will allow for a substantial amount of time for students’ to work on problems and also collaborate with peers. It is my belief that it is better to work with others because then you can see the thought processes that they went through to come to the solution; it gives you more perspectives on how to solve a problem!

Blog #1- Questions and Answers

During the first part of this class, I have had several questions come up for me in regards to my future as a teacher.  The first question I have is how to keep working toward teaching a deeper form of mathematics?  I am afraid that I will become complacent as I teach math because I do not enjoy it to a large extent.  I am also wondering how it is possible to keep your job in a school and fight for this type of reform in the subject of math.  My last question is in regards to being able to ask good questions and assist my students in justifying their answers without always telling them the solution.

Personal Concerns and Next Steps

One of the biggest concerns that I have as of now in the class is how I'm going to switch from how I was taught math, to how I should teach math. All of my experiences in math involved the teacher showing us how to solve the type of problem and then setting us loose on worksheets or assigned problems from the book. So for me (and I'm sure almost everyone else in the class) math has just seemed like a grind, figure out how to do the next twenty problems and then shut your mind off and do them. So because of this, as I was growing up math just seemed like a punishment and something I gained no deeper understanding of. So how can I go from being the student of math I was, to being the teacher of math I want to be? The obvious ones are go to class, pay attention in class, and do the readings. Another way would be to start looking now and compiling a large number of problems that are good at teaching problem solving. That way when the time comes and I'm in a classroom I will be able to call on these problems to give to the students instead of falling back on what my old teachers did and give out worksheet after worksheet and let them grind through it.

BLOG #1: personal concerns & next steps

Math intimidates me to no end. I cannot pin-point the origination of my math insecurities to any particular event, but have felt this way for as long as my memory serves me. As a student, I have always struggled with the subject-- when reading mathematical text I am forced to re-read chapters (sometimes 2+ times) for comprehension, mathematical problems frustrate me and memorizing equations gives me a tummy ache. Because of the listed reasons and many more, I am scared to be an elementary teacher, and have set my sights on middle school--I can honestly say that I want to teach middle school because in middle school teachers have one specific subject. I am THAT scared of dealing with the subject on a daily basis and teaching young students math.
My main personal concern is that I wouldn't be able to teach the students properly, thus creating more people with math phobia's, therefore ruining their academic careers and futures as bankers, scientists and coupon collectors.
I have come to understand that I need to get over this. For instance, during class I try my hardest to stay on task-- listening to lecture and taking part in the discussions and activities (this is gut wrenching for me, just so you know). I have looked through the text and read the assigned chapters in hopes of having a better understanding of the topic and teaching the topic. I have looked through my mom's teacher's text (5th grade mcmillian) to attempt to find comfort and a flow. These are the steps I have taken in the past 3 weeks. I believe I am on the right path, and with continued effort I should find myself more comfortable with the subject of math and the idea of teaching it.

Summary and Synthesis

Math has always been one of my favorite subjects, but mostly because it was something that I easily learned. Each year when new information was added to what we learned from last year, I was ready to accept it. But going without math for a while has made me rusty, and then taking this class where we are learning a totally new idea from what we have known is also a little scary. So far I have yet to fully feel comfortable in class with this new idea. I understand what we are doing and why, but to me that isn't the way I learn best, so I have yet to get excited for each classs. By not teaching the tradition math teaching, I think more students will have a better time with math. I will have to work to get myself out of the traditional mindset in order to really understand what we have been learning about with problem solving, and working to teach students ways for them to find the answer, not just my answer.

Summary

I have never been big on math because I didn't have any outstanding math teachers in high school. Since I've been in college I've opened up to the subject a little bit because I realized how exciting and rewarding it is when you finally figure out a challenging math problem. I can't say I was extremely excited to take this class but each time we have class I see how beneficial this class is going to be to me as an educator. Most math classes I have taken focus on how to do the math, not how to show a student how to do the math. I feel like I am already learning how to teach math, rather then just how to do it myself. I feel like I am going to learn a lot of essentials for teaching throughout this class this semester and I'm looking forward to feeling very confident in my ability to teach math at the end of the semester.

Summary

Having to take another math class was frustrating to say the least. I am a person who loves and enjoys math, but do not feel as though I had learned what I was supposed to learn from my previous math courses. I had no idea what to expect from this math class, but am starting to realize why we are required to take it. We are learning about an entirely new approach to teaching math. It amazes me that after all these years, we are just now starting to teach upcoming teachers this new approach. Instead of holding our students hands while giving them every answer to every problem, we are going to allow the students to find answers and make connections on their own. This new approach is a sort of self-discovery approach in which children will hopefully learn and apply new material more successfully in the classroom as well as real world situations. I find it frustrating when we are not given the answers to problems in class, but that is due to past experiences of being hand-fed answers to math problems. Although this course will be challenging, I know that in order to make a change in our education system, we must learn this material now so that we can begin to teach future students in a more successful way.

I must admit I haven't been thrilled about not receiving all the answers to the problems and at times i've disliked not having someone hold my hand and walk me through things, but i'm beginging to understand the importance of teaching math this way. It's been tough but after seeing those statistics during one of our first class periods I understand just how important it is for us to start doing things differently. It's obvious that the old way of teaching math isn't working for us and for my future students and myself i'm going to work hard to understand how to better teach mathematics.
Math has never been my favorite subject (as i'm sure some of you agree) so i wasn't looking forward to taking this class, however, after getting started I see that i'm already learning a valuable new way to better teach a subject i previously felt extremely uncomfortable with. I
still don't think I'm anywhere near being ready to teach my own math class but i'm confident that this class will help prepare me for when i do.

Summary and Synthesis

When I learned that I had to take another Math class, I, quite honestly, was not excited. I was expecting to walk into the classroom on the first day and watch our teacher show us examples of math problems, while we students sit there and try to understand what the teacher is actually doing. However, in ELED 330 I have learned how to present math to my future students. Dr. Reins has modeled to us how to teach math in a problem solving manner. Problem solving is key in mathematics; and in our class we have discussed how there is a process to problem solving. By teaching our students this process and by modeling it, our future students will soon be able to solve their own problems, and this doesn't just include math problems. As a teacher, we learn what types of students we have and we give them strategies to use that best fit the individual student. In Math Methods, we are challenged to figure out problems by using the strategy that we find most appropriate, and by following George Palya's four step guide to problem solving. I enjoy this class and look forward to learning more.

New Insights and Their Implications

So far this is a very challenging course. I have never been a fan of math, and I am trying my hardest to learn math in this new approach. I am not very good at thinking outside of the box. There are times in class where I am completely lost and struggeling to make sense of the lecture and projects. I can see the importance of this class by observing Dr. Reins. I understand how important it is for students to be able to think for themselves and engage in the learning process in which they can create solutions by themselves, by using the material and information given. I can see now, that the teacher needs to help them think, but not walk them through the problem step by step and give them the answer. I have learned so much new material, in this short amount of time. In reading the book, there is so much information, that it can be overwhelming at times. But, it is material that we need to know. I know that this class is going to be tought; I just need to gain as much of the material as I possilby can. So I can be a successful teacher for my students.

Summarize and Synthesis

Math is the one subject where I have the least bit of confidence in teaching. Since the class has started I can tell my confidence level is rising just a little bit. It was very helpful to know that I am not the only one who is not completely comfortable in teaching math yet.
There is so much to learn about teaching Math. One issue we talked about in class that effected me was how the South Dakota Math standards are written out. The other day when we completed the activity with standards, I was shocked at how unclear they were. As a teacher I would find it to be difficult to write and carry out a lesson plan following those particular standards. I am happy to learn there are other standards out there that South Dakota is looking at to adopt.