Reflection

Over the past month or so I have learned and developed numerous crucial skills that I can use in my placement as well as my future classrooms. I have learned that math has changed drastically from the time I was in elementary and even high school and it has changed for the better. Math is a subject that students no longer need to feel afraid of but rather inspired and a subject that they look forward to. Teaching has switched from direct teacher instruction and memorization of formulas students do not understand to the teacher acting as a guide for the class allowing for student inquiry in any way possible. Students are free to develop the skills they need to problem solve in their every day lives and realize that they use math every day and in almost every situation possible. 

It is important to note that when teachers allow students to participate in student inquiry and student centered learning they are exploring topics to a much deeper level of understanding rather than direct teacher instruction. It is important that students understand mathematical concepts and are not merely memorizing formulas and copying steps down that they do not understand because when it comes to application on future assessments the students tend to not do so well because they are not able to apply the knowledge they have in a proper manner because they did not grasp a deep understanding of the concepts. Allowing students to solve open problems that are found in their every day lives allows them to understand mathematical concepts and also apply them. 

I am to be a math educator that inspires my students to think of math in their every day situations and use it on a regular basis. I want to inspire and allow my future students to grasp concepts through student inquiry and have discussions with their peers on the various methods and approaches one can have to a mathematical problem so that they may understand what approach is more appropriate to use in one situation versus another. Finally I want my future students to be excited about walking into math class and about what they will learn next.

-Miss Proenca