Most of my math education has been at the high school and postsecondary level, and the primary teaching styles of these institutions have been the more traditional lecture style. As a result, when I started this program, I held a similar view on how math education should be approached, as that is what I grew up with and somewhat succeeded. However, this class has introduced me to plenty of reading that gave me a new perspective on what math education is, the kinds of math education that exist, and a variety of math teaching styles to consider. Of these readings, the Richard Skemp reading on "Instrumental and Relational Mathematics," Lockheart's Lament, and Battleground School all had profound effects on me with regards to thinking about my teaching styles, issues in math education and how math education ended up the way it is.
Of these readings, the very first reading we had to read, Richard Skepm on Instrumental and Relational Mathematics, was the one which had the most significant impact. This reading had me stop and think about what kind of math teacher I wanted to be, and I took an intense look at what I wanted to be as a mathematics teacher. The idea of relational and instrumental mathematics has plagued my mind as I try to better grasp the different teachings that I have experienced and had me review when I started feeling reasonably confident in my math abilities and when I was not. I linked many of the other readings with relation to relation and instrumental mathematics and pushed me to explore different teaching styles to allow for relational mathematics. This led me to explore the thinking classroom for my inquiry question, as I wanted to learn more about its impact on students. At this point, I am still thinking about what it means to be a mathematics teacher, but my views are drastically different from when the semester started.
However for this class I would love if some of the math art conent and garden content can fit the dynamic of highschools and the curricular conent for secondary schools. (A lot of the artwork for math art was a bit too advanced or required alot of aditional context to teach the students before they understand the beauty of it.)
Jacky, thank you for this deeply thoughtful, very interesting reflection on your thinking and learning throughout this course and this semester. I am very impressed by your clear thinking as you consider and experiment with ways of teaching that are quite different from your own school math experiences! I really appreciate your suggestions as well. All the best for a great second semester and an excellent practicum!
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