Final Post

My Vision of math in the classroom:

In the classroom, I imagine students will have a combination of hands-on exploratory lessons as well as the more "boring" and rote lessons used mainly for assessment and practice. By hands on, I mean lessons and activities the students can explore that are open ended but carefully designed to yield specific outcomes around a particular math topic or concept. I do believe worksheets are important and there is some value in children having the opportunity to practice the method of the concept they are learning (i.e. addition and subtraction worksheets). However, in my classroom I hope to use the more hands on activities to teach a concept and allow the children to fully understand different points of the same concept (build a foundation) and then use the worksheets to solidify their knowledge.

The Role of Math Instruction

Unfortunately, I expect that due to the emphasis on literacy in the classroom, other subjects may not have the time that is really needed to fully flesh out a concept. However, as I talked about above, in my classroom I would like to use interactive and open ended teaching when first beginning a lesson or concept. Giving the children materials to explore, allowing them time to ask questions with each other and the teacher, and also posing questions to guide their exploration. By using this interaction, the children will not only be more attentive and interested in what they are learning, but I also believe they will have a more in-depth understanding of the concept. After the children have had the chance to explore and complete a variety of high level tasks, I would use first assess using anecdotes taken during the interactive lessons. What kinds of things are the children saying? What vocabulary are they using? Are they on task? Where did they need support or guidance? Were their explorations leading them to the same conclusions I expected? I will then use my observations to adjust my teaching and further assessment. Children would have worksheets or assignments that emphasized the strategy they were learning. This allows the children to become familiar and comfortable with  directly answering questions related to a specific concept as well as becoming comfortable completing mathematical formulas and algorithms. At the end of a unit, I would try to do a combination assessment of written "worksheets" to assess their ability to complete a formula (27-18=?) and also higher level tasks. This combination will allow me to assess if they understand the general concept (higher level task) and if they are able to use their understanding and apply it to formulas (worksheets).

Final Post

I apologize for this being late, I could not find the password to the email I had linked to the blog post.

In my classroom I want to incorporate small math tasks into different times during the day. I want to show my students that math is important and is used in everything. From how we do lunch roll call to time. Math is a part of it and I think when I can give them connections to the real world, in hopes for them to strive in understanding math. I want a lot of hands on tasks where the students can visually see the mathematics happening.   I think that helps me out when doing math and it believe that by giving them visuals as one way to learn is so important. One main day that I am ecstatic for is the hundredth day of school. I want my students to be as excited as I am about it and that day will be packed with so much math! Counting, addition, multiplication, subtraction anything that can get us to one hundred! 

If I get students in higher grades I want to create larger math tasks in practical math skills that they will need in the real world, things like writing checks, adding up the amount of things they are buying, planning with numbers. I think that all students need to know the practical math skills they need, but along with that, there is and can be more pushed and worked through.I want to work and create larger math tasks by using new technology as well. If I could get the students engaged in math through iPads, smartboards, and computer games, I don’t see any reason why I cannot make these games challenge the students to think deeper. I want my students to see math realistically and understand why they need it.

Last post Casey Droste

I really feel that math is an important subject and should be integrated throughout the school year.  I think that most schools share this view and it is not too hard to fight for a strong math curriculum.  I think that I want to see ways in incorporate math throughout the day in other subject areas as well.  Math instruction at the lower level needs to be strong and create a very good base for students to build on.  I currently work with 6th graders who have problems doing 4 x 3 and 8-5 without using their fingers or writing it out.  I think it is important to make math class more than just a boring routine, I want my students to enjoy this learning and come to see why it is important for them to know and work hard to understand the math concepts we cover.

Although I hate on my worksheet driven class a lot I still think that worksheets can be a helpful tool for math instruction I just think it will be important to make sure they are demanding high level thinking.  I think class activities that do not feel like work will help students to see the fun in math and learn without realizing it.  For example setting up a mock grocery store and have students calculate their basket or how much change they will need is fun, practical, and a great way to learn.  I plan to be in lower elementary but I think that there are still ways to make upper elementary math fun as well.  I think that creating a classroom with an open learning environment that can help students with all different learning styles and allows for mistakes as well as self correction and peer help is something I hope to have.

Final Post!! :)

“Based on the vision you elaborated last week, what role will math instruction play in your classroom and why?  Specifically, what are the mathematical instructional techniques or methods that fit with your vision?  Be as specific as possible.  These can include assessment, planning, or interactive teaching.” 
            Based on my vision that I talked about last week, I really want math to play a role where students have a chance to explore math. I think this really means finding higher level tasks and planning in advanced specific numbers to use. Even if I have a specific curriculum that I am expected to cover, I will tweak some of the worksheets and problems, in order to give make the tasks more meaningful. This may require more time on my part, in either selecting numbers that fulfill the idea that I am trying to get across that day, or by developing tasks into higher level tasks.
             Besides choosing worthwhile numbers and making the tasks higher level for the students to explore, I want to use the CGI method with my class! I don't want to be the teacher that models on the overhead and tells the students to copy down what she did and to do it that way, and only that way. I want to create an environment where students explore what works best for them and where there isn't just one way to solve a problem or task. This might require me to give up some of my control to the students, but I am okay with that. I think in the long run, students will get more excited to try to find ways to solve the tasks that they are given. Although I know I will need to balance this method with also explicitly teaching when necessary, I think it can be done.
              I also mentioned in my vision that I want math to be enjoyable and for the teaching to be interactive. I think that this means more than coming up with fun games or being the most creative. With some of the tasks we did in 402, they weren't anything fancy, yet it was fun trying to figure out how to solve them. I really think by planning math tasks that your students can get excited about, whether you focus it on some of the interests of your students, or plan a task that gets students out of their seats and moving around, it will be much more beneficial than when they are stuck at their seats feeling bored or lost. My goal really is to make my math instruction well rounded in my class. Although worksheets are sometime avoidable, the numbers I use in these worksheets can make all the difference to the students learning. At the same time, however, I will strive to sprinkle in tasks that are more hands on for students, so that variation is there. I am really excited to continue to learn about what types of math instruction work well in the classroom, so that I can add even more to what I want math to look like in my future class!

LAST BLOG!!!! yaho0o0o0o

In my last blog post, I stated that I wanted to provide my students with authentic examples in my mathematics instruction.  I propose that, when students are given a purpose to the work they are doing/foresee a real-world reasoning for the work, they will become extremely motivated to complete their assignments and thus, learn.  With that said, I plan to challenge their ideals by requiring critical thinking when working on math tasks.  For example, even when the students are doing the necessary paper and pencil problems requiring them to solve addition, subtraction, multiplication or division problems, I will ask them to write a situation in their life when they have (or think they will) use(d) this sort of problem to come about a solution. Sometimes students become discouraged because they feel like math is so limiting and boring, but when I will require my students to go above and beyond the black and white solutions to problems, and apply these processes to their lives outside of school, they hopefully will discover that math is interesting and fun!

Another concept I mentioned in my last blog post was that I will strive to string together math with all my other subjects/lessons of the day.  The ideals above are perfect examples of this plan; my students' linguistic abilities can be assessed at the same time as their mathematics (two birds with one stone, eh?).  In order to make certain students are following this procedures I described in the last paragraph, I will assess their work in two parts. For instance, if students only answer the math problems, but do not complete the writing and critical thinking portion of the assignment, they will receive half-credit until the latter portion is finished.  Not only will this inspire critical thought and assess two subject areas at the same time, it will also minimize cheating.  No longer will students be able to copy each others' homework; they must create their own, complete responses. ((They may hate me at the time...but thank me later...?))

Lastly, in my previous post, I mentioned that I wanted my students to be 'great students', meaning they assess their own accomplishments and are aware of their strengths and areas in which they need to improve.  I think this will require open communication between each student and me, so end of the week reflections will become a major component of my teaching.  In addition, I would like mathematics to be interactive in ways that allow students to work in groups/with partners.  I will most likely create a lot of math 'challenges' in which students are split-up into teams and compete with one another.  I think this will make learning math 'fun' because most kids get rather excited when there is a competition.

Final Blog Post 4/23/13

The role that math will play in my classroom will be a daily one. I think that math is very important and after being placed in a fourth grade classroom where a majority of the students still don't know their multiplication facts towards the end of the year, I am motivated to incorporate it into my classroom as a large role, especially because I plan on teaching lower elementary.

It is difficult to say specifically what methods and instructional techniques I plan to use, especially because I do not feel that I am educated enough in this area to know right now. There are a few methods that I've learned about and seen in the classroom, but I think my own will develop with time. In my previous blog, I mentioned that I am interested in interactive teaching and integrating technology into my lessons. As of right now my vision of planning and assessing math include a SMART Board. 

Through this past year I have learned so much about how to integrate technology into the classroom, especially through CEP 416, and have learned that you can use the SMART Board to your advantage to teach any subject. Lessons can be easily planned and taught using the Board, and assessments, individual or group, can be done using the Board as well. Now this is my vision for my perfect future classroom, but I can't be sure of what resources will be available to me throughout my first few years of teaching. If I do not have access to these resources, I still plan on teaching interactively. 

Final Blog Post

“Based on the vision you elaborated last week, what role will math instruction play in your classroom and why?  Specifically, what are the mathematical instructional techniques or methods that fit with your vision?  Be as specific as possible.  These can include assessment, planning, or interactive teaching.” 

Math instruction will be a key component during my day-to-day  instruction.  I think it will be important to integrate math as much as possible on a daily basis. For me, math was one of the harder subjects for me when I was growing up.  I was constantly working hard to make sure I understood what was going on, so I could stay up to date on what we were learning.  I think a lot of students have a similar struggle with math, so it will be important to make sure students are understanding what they are doing.  Whether that means taking more time to go over a task and pushing everything back, then I will do it.  It will be important for my students to have as many resources as they need to be successful math learners. Interactive and hands-on math lessons will be important; I want the students to feel like they are in control of their learning.  This will allow them to explore math on their own and encourage them to be involved with math at their own willingness. 

Final Blog Post

“Based on the vision you elaborated last week, what role will math instruction play in your classroom and why?  Specifically, what are the mathematical instructional techniques or methods that fit with your vision?  Be as specific as possible.  These can include assessment, planning, or interactive teaching.” 

Ideally in the future I want math instruction to be apparent in multiple areas of learning such as language arts, social studies and science. I want my students to be able to express their mathematical thoughts by using their knowledge in other subject matters. I know this takes a lot of hard work and dedication to integrate math into other areas, but I feel like it is important to treat math as normal as possible. I want my students to feel comfortable performing math tasks and completing assignments based off concepts learned in class. I don't want my students to think that we just do math in the specific allotted time during the day. As well, I want the assessment process of my math instruction to be public to my students. When assessing their mathematical skills, I want each individual student to be aware at what level they are individually at. I want them to tell me what they think they need to work on and how they think I could help them as well as how they can help themselves. By creating a learning plan together, students take ownership and feel like they matter in the situation. I want to work with other teachers at my grade level to share ideas and build off one another in order to plan math instruction. Planning group lessons or group mathematical projects is a great way for students to have fun in math and interact with one another. It would also be a positive way to publish certain math work or projects to another group of students. As for interactive teaching, in all subject matters I want to be an interactive and hands on teacher. I believe that some math facts have to be memorized first off in order to build off those ideas to make them more complicated. Students cannot perform long division if they do not know their multiplication facts. Even though some of these math facts can be tedious, after all the basics are laid out there is so much I want to do. After seeing math centers in action in my 4th grade classroom, I want to plan many interactive math centers in my classroom no matter what the grade. As well, I want to perform real life situational skits where the students have to act out simple mathematical concepts such as adding, subtracting, regrouping or borrowing. This way students can relate what they are learning on a piece of paper to something they would experience in real life.   

Final Post!

“Based on the vision you elaborated last week, what role will math instruction play in your classroom and why?  Specifically, what are the mathematical instructional techniques or methods that fit with your vision?  Be as specific as possible.  These can include assessment, planning, or interactive teaching.” 

Math is something that should be integrated into the classroom as much as possible. There are many opportunities to incorporate math instruction throughout the day. Math instruction will play an important role in my classroom because it helps with logical and critical thinking, and life skills. It will be my job to help students realize the importance of math and help them see math everywhere they look. I'd like to teach my students the importance of math rather then just teaching it to them and have them go with the flow and not challenge themselves. I'd like to give them a purpose for mathematics. 

My plan for mathematical instructional techniques will be to use a lot of hands on activities (if teaching younger elementary) If I were teaching middle to upper elementary I would still use hands on activities to teach some concepts. Another strategy that I could use are worksheets when necessary to see how a student is working out a multiplication problem.  I also plan on using a lot of high-level tasks with connections. This is useful to use this method so that my students can have an integrated math instruction which is helpful in life skills, and logical and critical thinking. 

One last important thing to mention is having math discussions. This is a great way to involve children to be thinking about math with their peers. 

Final Blog Post

Based on the vision I elaborated on last week, I want math to play a constant role in my classroom. I think math is very important and does not always come easy to every student. For those students I want to be able to supply different methods of solving different types of problems. Two types of instruction I have seen in my classroom is done with addition and subtraction. One method has the students borrowing and the other method has them rounding the number to the nearest tenths place. 

I want to be able to try and include math in many parts of every day things. I want my students to be able to make connections between math and their own lives. I watched a video in Literacy today that included a teachers morning routine. For her attendance and lunch count she added up the number of students in each row and would ask the students "what is 2+2, or 2+4" etc. 

After doing my artifact analysis I learned how important it is to make sure you have models and manipulatives in your classroom. Many students might be visual learners. It is important that you have engaging models and manipulatives that allow students to get hands on and practice learning through their own mistakes and practices. 

I really want to try and avoid using worksheets in my classroom. I know sometimes it can be good to get students brains activated and challenged by doing timed worksheets. But I think this is once they have already learned something and don't have anything else to work on. This can be boring and only students to learn through memorization. I want to create high level tasks. I hope that I can create word problems that allow my students to make connections to other math tasks and that they are actually doing mathematics and using equations to solve problems. I want to give my students the opportunity to expand their minds and show me the different techniques that they use to solve problems. 

Final Post

I believe that math should be incorporated in the classroom as much as possible. I feel that it is something that can easily be integrated into other subjects and in doing so, it will help the students realize that math is an important subject and that they will use it outside of the classroom. I plan to utilize worksheets when necessary, such as if I need to find out where students have issues with subtraction, multiplication or devision problems. If I gave them a short worksheet that required them to carry over, borrow, or simply subtract, then I will be able to see where they  still need more instruction. I think that it is important to have the students discover math. This can be done by giving them an activity that requires them to use multiplication or division, without actually being taught what it is. This can be done by having them solve a problem such as the desk problem. I plan to assess the children often, but informally. I feel that in order for me to know where they are at, I must look at their work often. I plan to monitor the class often and question the students during our lessons. I will also look at their homework or worksheets, and see if the students are having difficulty, so that I can address the issues as they arise, rather than move on to something else and have students fall behind. 

It is also important to have manipulatives for the students to use. I want the students to be able to solve problems the way that best makes sense to them. I also want to have interactive and exciting lessons, this means that I want my students to get up and be involved in their own learning process. I plan to bring in real world problems and numbers so that math becomes relevant to the students. 

Final Blog Post

I see myself using high-level tasks a lot more often than I see myself having grand mathematical discussions with my students. Something I have definitely learned this semester is that we can hold students accountable for much higher thinking by simply presenting the mathematics involved in a different way. For instance, I was at first shocked that a first or second grader can already do multiplication and division when it is presented in a word problem and they are provided with manipulatives to help them. Now, after watching many students do these problems at this age, and watching the successes of my fourth graders in my placement classroom solve problems that I didn’t think they would be able to, I now plan to introduce more complicated problems to my students through word problems in this way. The way I envision it, I would have a grand math discussion at the beginning of a big, new topic, such as multiplication. Get the students thinking about multiplication in their own way, with their own invented algorithms or methods, then introduce to them the traditional algorithm and the math facts that are just more easily memorized. This way, they make their own connections first, then learn the formal method of expressing what they already know how to do. I will also use a lot of word problems in my classroom, rather than repeated practice from a textbook. Even the brightest students can think more deeply if the problem is presented in a word problem rather than a simple algorithm that they understand quickly. I want the students to feel comfortable sharing their methods in front of the class by having them present new and different ideas when they come up with them as often as possible. I have also learned in my placement class that mathematics assessment can be done for effectively and with less stress on the students when it is informal, rather than formal. The students in my placement classroom do really well when they are doing “classwork,” but as soon as it turns into completing a “test” the whole dynamic changes and the students literally panic. I don’t want my students to feel that pressure or that stress. I want to instill confidence in their mathematic abilities, rather than this fear of something graded. I also think it is important to have tiered learning in mathematics, just like in literacy. Some topics simply take longer for some students to learn. I think if a group of students is doing really well, they should be learning more complicated math so that they do not become bored during the school day. Similarly, I think if a group of students is struggling with one concept, they should spend more time on it until they feel as though they understand what they are doing. I think if I can tier their learning in this way, I can help students be stronger learners in general, as well as in math. I do also understand that I have to fit all of this into the standards set by the state and my future school district, so it may be a little idealized at the current moment.

Final Blog Post

     After spending time in my placement, I have noticed that math usually plays a small role in the classroom especially compared to literacy and writing. In my future classroom, I envision math playing a large role in my classroom. Not only by the lessons taught, but physically around my classroom as well. I don't want my student's thinking that math is something that they only use in school.
    With literacy, it is important to model for the students, have guided lessons as well as independent work. For math, I believe the students should also have modeled math, guided work as well as independent. Math in a way is very similar to literacy. Having each type of learning in the classroom will best scaffold the students in their learning of math. Math can be learned gradually and using these steps will best help students learn math. Through modeling, guided learning and independent work, I want tmy students to use hands on activities, assessments and planning. I want my students to feel as though they can ask questions and question what math is and why we use it. I want the work that they do in my classroom to require prior knowledge. I also want teh math lessons to connect to one another and do my best to relate to one another so the students can see a sequence in math.

Final blog post!

Based on my vision from last week I want math to be a large focus in my future classroom.  Math is such a large focus for standardized testing and should be a large focus in class.  As stated last week I want math to be largely done with a discussion.  I understand that it is not always practical to conduct a discussion every math lesson.  I think doing some worksheets can be useful if paired with actual instruction.  One lesson in particular that is standing out in my mind is learning how to regroup and borrow. Most (if not all) of my students in my current placement (2nd grade) have no idea what is actually happening when we regroup and borrow numbers.  I have been trying to show the students via base ten blocks what is actually happening when we regroup/borrow.  I think allowing students to explore concepts is also very important.  

The video that we watched exploring halves is a very good representation of what I am envisioning.  It was very inspiring to watch the students explore and begin to understand what having a half meant.  I would love to work in the time and materials to have my future students explore many math concepts.  I could allow the students to work in groups and explore a given concept.  After they have time to explore I could give them time to journal on their experiences.   After they explore, discuss, then write about their exploration I could give them a "post test" to discover what they have learned.  This will allow me to find out if my methods are working for my students.

Final Reflection

Based on my vision, I want to make math instruction an important part of my classroom because it is a subject that has branches in all areas, but at the same time I do not want to make it the number one priority or focus a majority of my teaching on it. I have been placed in numerous classrooms/schools that have put math instruction as their number one and/or only priority, and fail to incorporate the other subjects into their curriculum. I think that all the subjects are equally important, not just math and literacy, so I want to make sure to include all subjects in my classroom. But in order to put great importance in the learning of math for my students, I want to make sure mathematics are integrated in all subjects.

I think it is really important that students get a variety of teaching instruction so that their school days do not become monotone, boring, and overly-routine. I think a large part of student learning has to do with their motivation and attention levels, so it is really important as a teacher for me to change up my teaching techniques. Sometimes it may be beneficial for me to directly teach lessons to my students, while other times it may be much more beneficial for students to teach themselves or each other. Additionally, different kinds of technologies should be included considering that we live in such a tech-savvy society and the benefits of using different technologies are high. This will provide multiple means of representations of math work, which we know is important for including all diverse students.

Last Blog Post :)

Math instruction will play a role that is incorporated as much as possible. I want to be incorporating math in other times besides just "math time" such as counting how many students are at school today (for younger students). I feel as though incorporating math in authentic, meaningful ways that make it real to students will help students learn without realizing they are learning. I feel as though having the students use manipulatives and interact with math as much as possible is important because then when an assessment worksheet is necessary, the students will have many more experiences to pull from. I hope to place an importance on math instruction for my students and give them real experiences with math, so they can expand their learning. I like the idea of incorporating music with math as well because that can make it more memorable and enjoyable. My assessments will probably be a mixture of discussion and worksheets if necessary. Discussion is important because you can ask students to elaborate in ways that they may not be able to just with paper and pencil.

Final Reflection

Based on my vision from last week, I see math instruction playing a big role in my classroom. I hope to incorporate math into as many aspects of the classroom as possible. I plan on teaching younger students (K-2), so I hope to show students that math is fun and very useful in other settings besides simply math class. I can show students this by providing interactive activities about different math concepts, as well as discussing with students how they will use math in their future.

My placement is in Kindergarten this year, and my mentor teacher integrates math in all over the classroom. For example, the class does math every day first thing in the morning through counting the number of people who answered “yes” and “no” to the question of the day and then write a greater than or less than sentence based on the numbers. This is something so simple that does not take up much time during the day, but incorporates math. Math is also a part of daily calendar, weather, and centers.

I also plan on using music as an instructional technique for math. There are numerous songs about counting and other math topics that the students in this class really seem to enjoy and remember. For assessments, I plan on using some of the traditional methods such as worksheets, but also using discussion with students as a big part of assessing them. For example, talking with students to ask them how they knew the answer to problems and how they solved them will tell me a lot about what they do and don’t know about a given topic.

Last Blog Post

Based off of my vision from last week math will play a huge and critical role in my classroom. Math will be a big focus seeing as it is a very important subject. I want my students to learn to like math and appreciate it. I want them to understand that math will help them in the future. By building confidence in each student in math, they will become higher achievers in math I believe. It is important to get the students to understand what the problems are asking them and the importance of understanding math. I want math in my classroom to be interactive and I would like to show all the many different ways of solving a problem. This will benefit all students because some learn easier using a different method and I want my classroom to have the opportunity to solve using various ways. The instructional techniques I will use in my classroom would be less focus on the worksheets and a more hands-on approach. When students physically solve for problems and use activities the students understand the material easier. I was things to be simple and easy to grasp, even the complex material! I want interactive teaching that includes technology and hands-on learning activities. I want my classroom atmosphere to be extremely engaging and an exciting place to be in, especially when math is being taught.

LAST BLOG!!

Math Stuff

“Based on the vision you elaborated last week, what role will math instruction play in your classroom and why?  Specifically, what are the mathematical instructional techniques or methods that fit with your vision?  Be as specific as possible.  These can include assessment, planning, or interactive teaching.” 

The role that math instruction will play in my classroom will be the same role that all of the other content areas will receive. I will provided my future students with the best mathematical instruction that I can. I will incorporate a lot of technology in my classroom (hopefully, unless I get a crappy school district, in which I will make the best situation out of it) because technology is a great addition to the classroom. Technology allows as a great interactive tool and can be used as visual learning tool. I really believe that teaching should be as interactive as possible because when people work with things hands on they can remember it better and are more interested. 

Final Reflection Blog

“Based on the vision you elaborated last week, what role will math instruction play in your classroom and why?  Specifically, what are the mathematical instructional techniques or methods that fit with your vision?  Be as specific as possible.  These can include assessment, planning, or interactive teaching.”

Based on the vision I elaborated last week, the role that math instruction will play in my classroom is a large one.  I want math to be a big focus in my classroom because I feel that it will greatly benefit my students.  I plan to create many math lessons and activities to be presented in my classroom daily.  Along with teaching my students math lessons during math time, I want to try to incorporate math into each and every other subject taught in my classroom.  I think it is very important to add math into different subjects because it is something that is seen in so many every day activities.  I want my students to understand that what they are doing in math is not just to complete worksheets, but that it will help them in the future as well as in every day situations.  The mathematical instructional techniques or methods that fit with my vision are ones that are simple and easy to understand by the students while also making it fun and exciting.  I want my math instruction to be mainly traditional, so the students can fully understand the concepts being taught, but they will also have aspects of fun and entertainment in the activities they will do that accompany the lessons. 

Reflection

“Based on the vision you elaborated last week, what role will math instruction play in your classroom and why?  Specifically, what are the mathematical instructional techniques or methods that fit with your vision?  Be as specific as possible.  These can include assessment, planning, or interactive teaching.”

After discussing our classroom visions last week during lecture, I feel as though I should be more specific on what I hope to accomplish as a teacher. I hope that during my time student teaching next year, I develop a list of three of four 'goals' or things I hope to accomplish as a teacher. Within that list, I want to pick one specifically to work on during my first few years having my own classroom. Eventually, I hope to accomplish all the items on this list. If they seem unattainable, I plan on revising them to fit my current classroom or finding a way to make them more attainable. I cannot say what those goals are yet, because I still have a lot to learn and I think that after observing and being in the classroom with my Mentor Teacher, I will have more of an idea of what I hope for my classroom to be like.

I hope to be teaching upper elementary science, so math instruction will most likely play a big role in my classroom. Math and science almost go hand in hand when it comes to school. A lot of the science I will be teaching, will most likely be life sciences, but I still hope to have my students work with math a lot, because they will need it in the future. I hope to know what exactly I will be teaching, and learn how to do that math in a few different ways. If I can teach something from multiple viewpoints, then I think my students will benefit from that greatly. It is important, as a teacher, to understand that everyone learns differently. Something that may be easy for Susie, could be ridiculously difficult for Johnny. The ability to recognize this and come at the math problem from a different approach is key in that situation. 

I think that giving students initial assessments to solving different math problems would be interesting. After collecting them, I could sit down and decipher how each student tried to solve the problems. If I could find a pattern and categorize these students based on the way they solved problems, I could teach to those specific styles of learning. Of course, this is not ideal, and there will most likely be a multitude of different approaches, but just addressing the issue would be interesting to see the outcome.

Teaching math seems to take a lot of planning, because there is more than just putting a math problem on the white board and telling students "solve this." I hope to be understanding and helpful in all ways that I possibly can. I do not want my students to feel uncomfortable to ask me questions, whether it be in front of the entire class or after class in a one on one situation. I want to be available for my students as much as possible to help them succeed mathematically. 

Final Reflection

I would like math to play a large role in my classroom. Not only will I do this through specific math lessons and discussions, but I want to ensure I embed math into other subjects and parts if the day and classroom as well. By doing this I will really show my students how important and useful math is in everyday life, not just during "math time." I think this is one of the most important goals forms because it will allow the students to appreciate what they are learning through math, and are it's value from a variety of angles. For example, doing calendar every morning will help the children learn about counting in a meaningful way, as they hear their parents talk about dates etc. also on the calendar they can learn about patterns through this meaningful calendar time too. As I count the children before we go to a special I will ask them to count out loud with me! This will give them practice counting and it is definitely meaningful because they know it's important not to leave anyone behind and it is counting concrete objects. There are many other ways I will try and embed throughout the day. I hope that once I before more familiar with elementary school routines next year I will naturally think of more ways to do this!
The techniques and methods that I envision for math in my classroom are not the traditional ways that I leaned math in school. The main concrete tool for math teaching that I learned from this corse was that children can learn math from each other. Allowing children to explore independently and then having discussions, and in small groups and then having a large group discussion can allow children to hear how and why others are thinking of the concepts a certain way. This can be so meaningful because they explored, discussed, and then they can even have the opportunity to explore again and try a new way of solving a math task if they want! I really think this is a great way for children to take pride in their math work, and not just do it because they "have to." Of course I will have to do formal math assessments, but I will mainly assess to plan the next lessons by observing and engaging with the children as they work through math tasks. This way I will almost be doing a mini student interview, and will truly be able to understand how they are thinking. This way I can appropriately plan extensions or lessons for misconceptions that each hold may have. This is the most authentic way I feel and beat way to teah each child for their personal and individualized needs. I really wants informal assessments to guide my planning and teaching more than the formal assessments. I want to teach each student in the most individualized manner as possible!

Math Instruction in My Classroom

I will math to be a big part of my classroom, because students need to get as much exposure to math as possible. This can help them become more comfortable with math, and it can help them enjoy it more. It is also really important to make math fun, and not just solving a bunch a problems that just have different numbers. I would like to assess my students as much as possible. This does not necessarily have to be formal assessments, but could just be me giving my students a task and seeing the ways the solve the problem. I also want to give my students open ended tasks as much as possible, I think that food can be the most motivating because all kids love cakes and brownies. By making them solve more interesting problems with things they actually care about, the students will more likely put more effort into their responses. I also would like for students to teach the ways that they solve problems to help other students in the class learn other strategies. It also helps students understand their thinking more if they can explain their strategy to another student. I think that all of these ways will make me a better math teacher, and help my students learn more about math and enjoy more than I ever did.

Reflection

As a future teacher, there are many things I would like to see in my mathematics instruction. Personally, I want to be confident in what I am teaching. I want to know the material inside and out and know that the way I am teaching them is the best and easiest way for my students to understand. For the students, I want to them to enjoy math. I also want them to see the meaning behind math and why it is important and how it relates to everyday life. I want my classroom full of kids to look forward to math because I look forward to it too. My classroom should be filled with ways in that can help the students with math and other subject areas as well. I want my students to be well rounded mathematicians. Sufficient and confident in all areas of math. I want them to leave my classroom feeling as though they learned something about math and gained as much information as possible. Math shouldn't be something we all dread. It should be another experience to learn and gain new ideas.

Reflection

As I think about next year and the years to come as I grow as a teacher I have thought a lot about what I think math instruction should look like. I think that individualizing high level thinking tasks for each child is extremely important. I don't want to just give any high level task to any student. I want it to make sense for their personal development. I want my math classroom to be very hands on. I want to each young children. I want them to measure things around the room, weigh different objects, count objects they need to count--I want it to be meaningful to the children; I don't want it to just be math because I have to teach the common core standards. I want my students to be able to think about each math task and allow themselves to think about it in ways that makes sense to them. I don't want to teach the students procedures; I want to teach them to problem solve in ways that makes sense to them. I also really value math discussion and allowing the children to learn from each other. By sharing their thoughts, they might find another way they want to try or they might just expand their ways of thinking about mathematics. Both of these are so important for children. I really hope that I am supported by my administration to do this. I do feel that I have a lot of information to share about the importance of high level math tasks and can't wait to try this out next year!
I'm sorry this post was late.

Reflection

The question of what my vision of mathematics instruction has really came to mind through out this semester. I think about what I want my students to know and walk away from my class thinking. I do not just want to teach them math, I want to teach them how to solve math tasks using tools that they are most comfortable with. I think back to middle school and elementary school math classes. I was never comfortable with math itself. As a teacher, I want to provide my students with tools to understand and be comfortable with math! A lot of math problems in elementary level schooling are completely set in stone. 

Thinking back about all the different methods of math teaching I have been exposed to this semester, I want my math teaching to be very engaging and hands on. I want it to look so interesting and fun that a new touring student will want to just jump right in! I think to how I can create this atmosphere and I believe ways to do that will include providing students with tasks that seek a bigger thinking. I think that students need to learn tools that will help simplify math for them, and they need me to teach it to them.

I think a lot of people who hate math is due to the believing that the goal in math is to confuse them. I want to shatter that misconception and provide tools that help them clarify math and understand it. I want my students to love math and for those that love will simply not happen, I want them to learn and understand that they can do math. 

Teacher Vision

My vision for teaching mathematics is all over the place right now because there are so many things I want to include in my future teaching. The first thing I know I see in my classroom is many experiments and hands on activities. I want my students to be able to explore concepts and figure out concepts and answers for themselves. Even in younger grades I would want my students to prove why something is the way it is. I also want to use a lot of manipulatives in my classroom to help represent abstract concepts. I feel like it allows students to get more hands on with their mathematical learning and can help them envision a harder concept we are learning in class. I also want to give support and guidance to those students that are struggling by giving tutoring sessions along with finding new ways to explain concepts and work them. Along with struggling students I also want to make sure to reward my students that are on task as well as the students that are more gifted. I want to encourage those students that need a challenge and give them extended problems or more complex work to enhance their learning experience. Overall I want my math classroom to be open and accepting. I want to have discussions and connect ideas to on another. I want my students to know they can ask my questions and ask for help when they don't understand something. I want to teach my students to work together with a partner as well in small groups to learn the different roles of responsibilities. I also want my students to be independent to work by themselves. As for my role I want to be organized and have time to strategically analyze my students work in order to figure out how to support their individual learning. If I am in an older elementary classroom I will make sure to grade tests and papers. I will plan lessons where I am able to explain concepts in many ways in order to support different types of learning. I know I may not be able to accomplish everything the first year of teaching but through experience and practice I hope I can strive to complete my vision for my mathematics classroom.

reflection

Now that I have been studying elementary education for the past four years I have had many opportunities to think about what type of teacher I would like to be in the future. After seeing many classrooms and working with a variety of students I know that I want my future classroom to be a room that encourages all types of students to learn. I want my instruction, including my math instruction, to include many strategies. Rather than only using worksheets and only teaching from the book I want my students to have actual experiences that allow them to gain mathematical knowledge. Although I know that worksheets are necessary sometimes I don’t want them to be the only thing used in my class. I really like when centers are used in the class because this allows students to apply their math knowledge to other areas. I also really like incorporating technology into the classroom. For math instruction especially it allows students to get work that is that their own unique level. They can all receive different instruction and assessment at the same time so that no student is at a level too easy or too hard for them. After working in Lansing this semester I have seen that all students are often not all at the grade level expectations. After working with these students it seems unrealistic to say that all my students in the future will reach grade level expectations. Instead I think that a good goal would be to just see improvement in general in my classroom. It appears that my mentor teacher has already given up on her students and does not work to help them improve their skills. I want to make sure that all my students feel that they can reach some higher goal even if it is not has high as other students. 

Reflection Casey Droste

I am not sure what to say my vision of my mathematics instruction is, I guess I hope that I will be able and aware of more than just the traditional way of doing things.  I think that this year has prepared me to look for more and anticipate what students might do or see in the problem and figure out where their mistakes are coming from.  I hope that I will remember this in my teaching and be prepared for these things, I know I cannot anticipate everything for every problem but I hope I can adapt when something catches me off guard.  I want my classroom to be organized, I have noticed my classroom now has a lot of "stuff" all over the place.  I know there is a lot that we need in our classrooms but I think having it organized will be a good model for our students and will help them.  Keeping their work and notes organized will help them in many ways, especially math.  I still want the classroom to look fun, be colorful, unique, and interactive.  I know that worksheets are necessary and they are helpful for organization but I want my students to do more than just sit at their desk and get loaded up with worksheets.  I want conversation and collaboration, I want my students to learn from each other.  I hope that I can incorporate higher level task into their work and maybe I can redesign their worksheets to make them this way.  I want my students to accomplish more than just figuring out a pattern or going through their homework brain dead.  I want to see them learn from each other, like I said earlier, I want them teaching each other new and different ways and I would like them to experiment with these.  I want them to go onto the next level but also exceed their expectations, go beyond, and I want them to be motivated to do this.

Math reflection- Jamie Blankenship

      As a teacher, my vision for my mathematics instruction is for it to be for each student in my classroom. Rather a student thinks they're "good" or "bad" at math, I want my type of instruction to reach all of my students. I don't want anyone to feel like they are being left behind or that I don't care about them not getting it.  I want to set aside time each day to provide extra help for students who need some extra support, just like I was given in 5th grade. This year was a year when my teacher really focused on helping the students who weren't "getting it," which completely transformed my attitude about math. I want to model my math teaching after that particular teacher in a way where I am will support students until they understand and feel confident. I think I will be able to do this by providing students with a lot of experience with math, and experiences that are different. I don't just want to teach one way and say, "That's it. I hope you understand." Rather, I want to give students plenty of experiences and ways to explore what they are learning.
       After taking this class and being exposed to the CGI method, I definitely want to incorporate that method in my classroom. I want students to explore math and to understand that there isn't just one correct way to do a math task. I want students to have the opportunity to figure out what works for them and to do the tasks in that way. I really want to strive to create higher level tasks for my students. In my elementary school classes, I was most always doing a huge packet of the same problems over and over again. If I didn't know how to do one of the problems, I was completely out of luck. This always discouraged me. In my classroom I want to use and create meaningful math tasks that students really learn a lot from so that I don't have to stand at the front of the class and constantly be talking at the students. I really want the students to find math to be  more interactive and engaging than I ever did!

Teacher Vision Post

As a teacher, what is your vision for your mathematics instruction?

I hope that my mathematics instruction is engaging and very useful. I have had a number of math teachers who just hand out worksheets and explain the very basics, but never go in depth about what it is they are talking about. Getting to know my students and designing high level math tasks that fit their learning levels is important to their mathematical success. It is important that I can incorporate these high level tasks in a way that my students can relate to, and more importantly understand in depth.

What do you want your classroom to look like?

I want my classroom to be a place of comfort and a place to have fun in. On the other hand, I want my students to know that they are there for a reason: to learn and become a functioning citizen in the community. My classroom will be very open to discussions about various topics and a lot of learning will be happening at all times. 

What type of work do you want your students to do?

I want my students to participate in a number of math tasks that vary from one another. Too often I have observed my MT hand out the same type of worksheet with the exact same problems over and over again. I think that the students get bored of this easily and it isn't engaging for them whatsoever. This seems to be hindering their mathematical success. By engaging my students in a variety of different math tasks, hopefully they will continue to succeed.

What do you want your students to accomplish in your mathematics classroom?

I want them to accomplish an understanding of mathmatics as a whole. They should also know that it is okay to fail the first few times they try something. Math takes a lot of thinking and sometimes it requires one to think outside the box. This is not easy for everyone, so understanding that there are multiple ways to come at a problem is very important and something I want them to take away from my teaching.

Teacher Vision Post

As a teacher, what is your vision for your mathematics instruction?  

I see my mathematics instruction being tailored to the students' needs. I think that what we have learned this semester about having great math talks is awesome and can be very useful for many mathematics topics, but I do not see it being practical for everyday math learning. For this reason, I see my mathematics instruction being similar to these talks in that I want my students to be able to discover mathematics on their own and find the ways that work best for them, but I want them to be able to do this in a more structured lesson that I can plan daily. I know that there are many ways to do the same things and I know that certain methods make more sense for certain learners. For this reason, I plan to do my absolute best to show my students the different ways in which math tasks can be accomplished and allow them to choose the one that works best for them. I also see myself holding my students accountable for more than what they have previously been credited with. By this, I mean that my plan right now is to have younger students, as in kindergarten or first grade. Although these students cannot outwardly produce multiplication and division work, they are able to understand story problems that ask them to do multiplication and division and can figure out how to solve them. By having them learn how to do these functions early on, the students will (hopefully) not have to stress as much as I have seen in my fourth grade class this year about multiplying and dividing. 

What do you want your classroom to look like?  

I want my classroom to resemble the students. I want there to be evidence that they are learning and evidence of what they are learning covering all walls of my classroom. I want my room to be bright and colorful and decorated with work the students have created. I feel like the more cluttered the walls look, the better when it comes to showing off what my students can do! In regards to mathematics, I would like a number line somewhere on the walls in my classroom. I want students to be able to refer to it if they need it for the method that works best for them. I want students to have easy access to manipulatives that they know they can quietly get up and retrieve while working on their math problems, without disrupting the class to ask or interrupting my instruction so that I can get them out for the students. I would also really like to have "comfy places" around the room for students to work at if they choose, rather than doing all of their work at there desks. Finally, there will be a large open space for the students to sit in a group and talk about their work, for the days that we do have mathematics discussions and present student work to one another.

What type of work do you want your students to do?  

This may be a cliche, but I want my students to do the best work they are capable of, and I want all of my students to be able to produce something for every assignment. I want to plan so carefully that there aren't students who feel as though they can't even start the problem and turn in a blank paper. I want my assignments to be accessible to all students. I want my students to understand that they should be striving for their own best work, and regardless of the other students' work, their best is their best and it is something to be proud of. I want to empower my students and make them as proud of their accomplishments and learning as I am. I also want my students to do group work when appropriate, but I want them to do individual work more than I have seen in my placement. I want my students to be independent workers who understand what they should be doing and do it without issue. I see myself running what some would call a "tight ship" when I am a teacher and I want my students to feel like I treat them with respect.

What do you want your students to accomplish in your mathematics classroom?

I want my students to accomplish everything they are capable of accomplishing in my mathematics classroom. If my students are not accomplishing their goals, it will be time for my to re-evaluate my teaching strategy. I want my students to accomplish so much that when they look at their portfolios at the end of the year, they can laugh and say, "Wow! Look at how much I have learned, and how much I didn't know at the beginning of the year!" I think regardless of age or ability level, this should be an achievable goal for me to have for my classroom.

Teacher Vision Blog

As a teacher, what is your vision for your mathematics instruction?

As a teacher, my vision for my mathematics instruction is that it will be cognitively guided. The CGI book has thought me a lot about the math development of a child. My goal is to try to have high level math task so that I know my students will be getting the best mathematics education. I'd like my math task not only to be at a high thinking level but also be fun and engaging. Having an engaging activity it one of the most important components to teaching math. 

What do you want your classroom to look like?

I'd like my classroom to be full of learning opportunities for math as well as other subjects. I'd like for my students to feel safe in my classroom. I'd also like for my students to realize that this is an area where mistakes are okay to make and that's how we learn somethings, by making mistakes. The last thing that I'd like for my classroom is create an environment were the students constantly curious in mathematics. 

What type of work do you want your students to do?

The type of work that I'd like my student to do is high level math task that are created to have   connections with other areas of math. Another type of work I'd like my students to have is something that can relate to them in real life. Knowing how the math will help you in the real world is a huge part of keeping engaged. 

What do you want your students to accomplish in your mathematics classroom?

Something that I'd like my students to accomplish in my mathematics classroom is high level thinking and have them be able to show the high level thinking. I'd like my students to know that in math it's okay to have many different ways for finding an answer to the question. 

Teaching Vision

As a teacher, what is your vision for your mathematics instruction?  
My vision as a mathematics instructor is to make math as fun and exciting as possible for my students.  I also want my students to know that problems can be solved in different ways.  I plan to give my students the opportunity to attempt to solve problems in ways they think best. I think that by doing this, I will not be forcing my students to memorize one specific way to solve a math problem and for this reason, I think my students will enjoy math more.

What do you want your classroom to look like?  
 I want my classroom to be a place where my students feel safe and comfortable.  My students should know that in the classroom they can explore different ways to solve problems and they shouldn't be scared or embarrassed to make mistakes or share their opinions. 

What type of work do you want your students to do?  
I want my students to be able to relate the problems they do to real life situations.  These types of problems will allow the students to relate to what they are learning and their prior and current experiences can help them solve problems while enjoying what they are doing.  Tasks and problems such as these are high level tasks that will also challenge the students to think hard and differently about how they should go about solving the problem.


What do you want your students to accomplish in your mathematics classroom?
I want my students to understand the importance of math without stressing over being right or wrong each time they do a problem.  Of course I want my students to be able to find the right answer to the problems, but I want them to know they don't necessarily have to do this the way their textbook says.  I want my students to learn to enjoy math while also learning different methods by which to solve problems that works best for them. 

Teaching Vision

As a teacher, what is your vision for your mathematics instruction?  What do you want your classroom to look like?  What type of work do you want your students to do?  What do you want your students to accomplish in your mathematics classroom?

As a teacher, I hope that I am able to be patient with my students. I want to use my past experiences with math and understand that not all of my students will understand something the first time around. I hope to be able to show my students multiple approaches for solving problems. 

I want my classroom to be an organized environment where my students feel comfortable. I don't want my classroom to be distracting. It needs to be functionally and organized. I want to be able to show my student's work around the classroom so they can be proud of their work but make sure it is done in a way that the students will not be distracted by it. 

I want my students to do more than math worksheets. I want them to be able to do math projects and assignments that are fun and engaging. I want my students to be challenged but also to achieve a lot in the class. I want them to feel confident in themselves. I hope that they can all get to a point where they feel confident enough to not only explain to me how they solved something, but I also want them to be able to teach me new things. I hope that they are comfortable enough with the material that they can teach and help each other as well. 

Vision

As a teacher, what is your vision for your mathematics instruction?
In my classroom, I want my mathematics instruction to be hands on and creative. I want the students to feel like there are many ways to solve problems and I want it to be an open math instruction. I want to include many manipulatives and get the students to realize that there is not only one way to do math.

What do you want your classroom to look like?
I want my classroom to be an environment where students feel as though its okay to make mistakes and that we all learn from each other. I want it to also be a fun, but respectful environment where everyone feels comfortable.

What type of work do you want your students to do?
I want students to work on problems that will challenge them and make them think outside the box. I want them to enjoy figuring out solutions and enjoy school. I want them to see school not as something that is hard and boring, but fun and a place we can all work together.

What do you want your students to accomplish in your mathematics classroom?
I want students to learn how math is important and how it can be applied to life. I would love for them to understand the processes, but I really want them to understand the importance, because if they do not understand the importance of math, then it may not be as meaningful.

Anna Kue 4/15/13

As a teacher, what is your vision for your mathematics instruction?  
My vision for my mathematics instruction is that I am able to present the material to all of my students and to fulfill all their needs for understanding. I plan to keep an open mind, and to let my students explore mathematically to come to their own understandings but with my guidance to advance their thinking. I also would like to incorporate technology into my mathematics instruction in order to benefit my students' needs when it comes to visual and audio help. 

What do you want your classroom to look like?  
I want my classroom to be open, with space for the students to be able to work on the floor if that is where they are most comfortable. I would also like there to be room for extra tables in the back for student-teacher interaction. I envision my classroom to be very colorful and inviting to students, with posters that offer assistance in all subject areas. 

What type of work do you want your students to do?
I want my students to work in groups and be as interactive as possible. I do feel that independent work should still play a large part of the work being done, but I also feel that interaction with one another to complete work is necessary. I also hope to be able to integrate technology into my classroom so that my students have near to endless resources available to them in order to complete their work. I feel that technology can offer assistance to students that I may not be able to provide for every single student.

What do you want your students to accomplish in your mathematics classroom?
I want my students to understand concepts in a way that makes sense to them individually. I also want them to feel comfortable enough to say "I don't understand this" or "I need help" in order to help me help them. I want them to strive to be the best problem solvers they can be and beyond, never losing focus or motivation. 

VISION

As a teacher, what is your vision for your mathematics instruction?  What do you want your classroom to look like?  What type of work do you want your students to do?  What do you want your students to accomplish in your mathematics classroom?

As a teacher, what is your vision for your mathematics instruction?

As a future teacher my vision for math instruction will be way different from the way I learned math. When I was growing up math was really difficult for me, and I think I missed a lot of basic instruction because I would get stuck on concepts. However, for my students I will work hard to make sure they understand the concepts before we move on. 

What do you want your classroom to look like?

I want my classroom to be organized and comfortable. Its important to me that students feel relaxed, because this will allow students a better learning environment. I want my room to love colorful and fun. I want students to post their work so they can fell proud of what they have done. Mostly I want a bully free zone, in which student can be themselves without worrying about their peers judgement. 

What type of work do you want your students to do?

I want my students to put their all into their work. When they turn in a assignment I want them to feel pride. If they don't feel good about the assignment they turned in they its because they didn't understand what the assignment was asking or they did not put 100% effort into the assignment.

What do you want your students to accomplish in your mathematics classroom?

My mail goal as a teacher is to make math as interesting and enjoyable as possible. I don't want my students to dread doing math. Even if they aren't good at math I want them to not hate it, like I did. 

Vision as a Teacher

As a teacher, what is your vision for your mathematics instruction?
In my classroom, I want my students to enjoy math.  I want to make sure that my instruction is very hands-on and engaging for the students.  It will be helpful for me to understand different solution sto a problem so it will be important for me to understand the tasks before introducing it to the students.  I want the students to understand what they are learning, so a lot of discussions will be held about what we are doing and learning during math.

What do you want your classroom to look like?
I want my classroom to be a comfortable and safe environment for my students.  I want them to feel comfortable amongst their peers and be comfortable sharing their ideas.  There is definitely going to be a space in the classroom where all of the students will meet for discussions, so everyone is together and engaged in conversations.

What type of work do you want your students to do?
From this class, I have learned how important high level thinking is and how it is beneficial for students.  I want to give students problems or tasks that will encourage them to explore different possibilities and really make them think about why this problems is done in that way.

What do you want your students to accomplish in your mathematics classroom?
Of course, I want all of my students to understand and be successful in math.  More specifically, I want the students to know  what they are doing in math and why it is helpful.  I want them to learn the logistics of what we are learning, so they can see how it will benefit them in the future.

My vision

As a teacher, what is your vision for your mathematics instruction?  
My vision for my future mathematics instruction is very different than how I was taught before, and what I currently observe now.  I really want to make math more of a discussion and exploratory based subject.  I want to help and encourage the students explore and make mistakes if needed.  I want my instruction to encourage students to love the subject!

What do you want your classroom to look like?  
I want my classroom to be set up in a very open way.  I want the students to feel very comfortable and invited.  I want artwork and student done work on my walls.  I want there to be plants and other nature like things in the classroom.  I do not want the teachers desk to feel like a closed off place. 

What type of work do you want your students to do?  
I want my students to do a lot of high level tasks and a lot of exploring.  I want to stray away from drill worksheets, and timed tests.  

What do you want your students to accomplish in your mathematics classroom?
My overall main goal would be for students to not hate math!  I think math is one of the most hated subjects because it is present in a negative way.  I want my students to be comfortable with math and not dread doing it.