1) Giving myself the time I need to fully understand a concept so I can explain it well
When everyone else is nodding at the professor and speeding through their work its easy to feel like you have to go with the flow and figure it out on your own later. I did that a couple times last year until I felt comfortable enough to know when a concept was giving me a hard time and to focus more energy on it.
2) Asking for help even when I feel that I might be judged for it
Throughout all my years of schooling I had several math teachers who claimed that no matter what the question was or how silly it may feel, that we could always ask them for help and they would kindly explain it again, or spend some time helping us. And though some teachers followed through on this promise and created a classroom environment where I could have felt safe enough to come forward when I had a problem, (if my tremendous fear of being ridiculed for my lack of basic math skills that possessed my entire being hadn't stopped me from taking that chance) there were enough teachers that didn't keep that promise that I still find it difficult to trust when a professor makes that same statement. But I am getting better at trusting myself and asking what I need to ask regardless of what the reaction might be.
Week 1 Reflection
I appreciate the continued existence of the forum posts, even though they felt a little tedious at times last year, it forced me to look through all the posts and there was always something new and interesting to learn about my fellow teacher candidates.
I also think it is very important to note that we began class by smashing stereotypes and negative attitudes, we need to be aware of the way we present math as educators because half of the battle of fighting math myths is being aware of the damaging connotations of seemingly harmless phrases like "this is a simple concept" or "this is an easy unit". Students hear that and assume something is wrong if they aren't finding the concept to be simple, which starts (or perhaps feeds) a chain of negative feelings towards math of any kind.
I am excited and, I'm not ashamed to admit, quite nervous about the challenges teaching math will bring and I am ready to work hard on my goals!
Until next week,
"Forth and fear no darkness"
Bernadette
I appreciate the continued existence of the forum posts, even though they felt a little tedious at times last year, it forced me to look through all the posts and there was always something new and interesting to learn about my fellow teacher candidates.
I also think it is very important to note that we began class by smashing stereotypes and negative attitudes, we need to be aware of the way we present math as educators because half of the battle of fighting math myths is being aware of the damaging connotations of seemingly harmless phrases like "this is a simple concept" or "this is an easy unit". Students hear that and assume something is wrong if they aren't finding the concept to be simple, which starts (or perhaps feeds) a chain of negative feelings towards math of any kind.
I am excited and, I'm not ashamed to admit, quite nervous about the challenges teaching math will bring and I am ready to work hard on my goals!
Until next week,
"Forth and fear no darkness"
Bernadette
Thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts! I agree, it is important to provide yourself with the time that you need to fully understand a concept in order to teach it effectively. This is something that we encourage for our students, and we must model these behaviors and attitudes.
ReplyDeleteI also like how you self advocate for your right to ask questions, regardless of the reaction of others. I believe that there is no such thing as a "stupid" question and we must have the confidence to voice our concerns or misunderstandings.
Hi Bernadette,
ReplyDeleteI like how open you are about your feelings regarding math. I think a lot of us were nervous about teaching math last year, but after placement and our first math course, many of us have gained more confidence. I see that you are heading into that direction with the right mindset, approach and goals. Your creative title and visuals are awesome and funny! We need that sense of humour to help us be successful! Thank you for highlighting that perspective for me.
I agree that it is important to smash stereotypes and negative attitudes and be aware of our dialogue so that our students' motivation, interest and attention stay positive in math.
Great blog!
Matt DiMartino
Hi Bernadette!
ReplyDeleteFirst off I love the title of your math blog! I enjoyed reading your blog post because of how honest you are and how you add humour into your work. This is perfect especially within the mathematics setting because you are creating a positive environment !! You mentioned some goals you are striving to achieve this year and I believe you will successfully do this.
I also wrote about the importance of removing negative attitudes and stereotypes that are clenching onto math and I hope as future educators we can achieve this!!!
Bernadette, I like the fact that you referred to using words like "simple" and "easy" as "seemingly harmless" because this was something that is so say without thinking, but can affect a student's confidence. When our teacher did the card trick and afterwards asked us what she had done wrong, I had actually forgotten that she had made the comment that it was "the simplest card trick," and her statement afterwards about the power of these comments really opened my eyes.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I appreciate your goal to ask for help when you need it. As teachers, we have to present ourselves as knowledgeable and confident, but if we have too much pride or fear of embarrassment to ask for help, we could actually negative affect our students if we teach something incorrectly, or with ineffective methods.
- Nicole