As a teacher I want my students to enjoy math, seeing as I never enjoyed it when I was a student. I want to teach math through examples and models so that my students really understand the task and objectives that are being asked of them. My vision for my mathematics instruction would be to engage the students in higher level thinking. I want my students to ask questions and make connections that allow them to discover and explore the problem and concept rather than having things just said to them. I want my students to discover different ways of solving problems instead me simply giving them the answers and ways to solve different problems.
I have learned from this class to encourage open-ended thinking. This class has taught me to get an understanding for how the students are thinking, for me to analyze the students mathematical knowledge, take in hypothesis I may have and figure out ways I can further their understanding of the content. It has showed me that I need to push these things rather than see if the student can solve correctly but rather HOW the student solved the problem. I want my students to learn how to push their thinking of math. I want them to learn that mistakes are ok and that there are many different ways to solve problems. I see worksheets a lot in my placement right now and I believe those worksheets are not pushing students to really dig deep into their understanding of mathematical knowledge. They are not higher level tasks. I will try to stray away from worksheets as much as possible but include them where needed. I want my classroom to be full of energy and excitement about math. I want my students to know that math is everywhere even in the classroom. I want number lines and charts around the room and on the desks so that students can refer to them when needed. Basically, I want my mathematics instruction and classroom to be more higher level thinking and I want to further my students mathematical content knowledge as much as possible so that they are discovering math for themselves.
These are great sentiments and intentions, and it is clear to me...from this post and from your work in general...that you have taken a lot from this class, which is great. I love hearing you describe your vision here because I know you have the tools to actualize it next year and beyond.
ReplyDeleteBut now start to try to think about what concretely you will do next year. You are already starting to do this, e.g. the number line, less worksheets, etc. But also think about how you might plan instruction, how you might assess your students, and how you will interact with the students. How will these different classroom components help you actualize the vision that you describe here?