Well, thoughts thoughts thoughts- I have many!
I'm certain I won't be the only member of my class to discuss the opening card trick because, well, it was rough waters to say the least. I know that was not the most eloquent way I could have framed that feeling (I can almost hear my beloved high school English teacher shaking her head at me) but it was a bit of a culture shock moment for our class as future teachers and I found myself feeling quite frazzled thinking about it and it seems my awkward syntax reflected my mixed feelings about the whole experience.
I am going to quote myself in my response to a fellow teacher candidate who felt the same anxiety and uncertainty that I did during the aftermath (hehhee, Pun Queen strikes again) of the card game because I believe I literally could not say it better myself (okay that was the last one, probably) :
"Yes I think we all felt a lot of frustration at the beginning of class because, and I'm just making an assumption here, for most of us that kind of moment, the "you should know this" moment really hit home, especially since we haven't been in the student position in a long time. But I do think that we should take some comfort in the fact that we made our way through it as a class, we asked questions and supported each other and when our professor realized we were getting a bit too focused on that particular question she reminded us that at the end of the day her goal was to make sure that we would come out of this class with more confidence in math than we came in with. And I think we are making our way, or at least we are in the right mind frame and that's a HUGE step! We always say that we should celebrate little successes with our students but I think we need to also remember to do the same with ourselves!"
 |
| Bob Ross. Image. Retrieved from https://quotefancy.com. |
We are making our way! I believe it! Or at least I am very open to believing it! We have been talking about positive mindsets all week and gosh, I want to try to be true to what I say! This coming week is going to be a difficult one for a number of reasons, many assignments are looming and I'm already feeling the weight of this new routine. So I am pulling in the big guns of positivity, Mr. Bob Ross himself. It's my little sister's birthday today and she loves Bob Ross, so I was looking up Bob Ross quotes for her birthday and it turns out that he had a lot of things to say that add to my point! Yes, this quote is maybe a bit over the top but I feel something in it, maybe because I've heard him say the quote and beautiful things often change shape when the words are left to speak for themselves.
But believing, as important as it is, is only half the battle.
The other half is putting it into practice. And I will share a personal story and another Bob Ross quote to demonstrate to you, dear reader, how I am putting my positive attitude into practice.
I was helping my mom sign up for Remind so my little sister could receive the extra credit math assignments her teacher was posting to the site and my mom showed me the math problem the teacher had given:
My Mother and I both initially had a negative reaction to this vague problem. Is there a formula they are meant to follow? What a silly question, what is the point of this etc. But then I made the effort to look at it as an educator asking: why would a teacher assign a question like this? Would I use this? And I actually ending up deciding that I would, but in a very different setting. I see the question as an opportunity for students to work on their "making sense" and problem solving skills. Before I would hand it out I would preface it saying that we are using this question to warm up our brains by thinking through a problem that will take some patience and effort. I would probably allow the students to work alone or with partners and encourage discussion. Then we would gather again as a class however many minutes later and discuss how we worked our way through it.
Just like that I had rejected my instinct to shut down and I reflected on the merit of a math question as an educator. I call that a start, and a promising one at that!
 |
| Bob Ross. Image. Retrieved from https://quotefancy.com |
Resource Round-up
Guide to Effective Instruction in Math - A great resource for teaching math from Grade 1 to 6.
Until next time!
Guide to Effective Instruction in Math - A great resource for teaching math from Grade 1 to 6.
Until next time!
Forth and fear no darkness
Bernadette
Great reflection Bernadette,
ReplyDeleteI agree with the sentiment that the beginning of class felt like kind of a wake up call for everyone. I experienced a similar feeling during my placement where my associate teacher was somewhat confused at to how I didn't know what a factor tree was. The feeling that "I should know this" is a really stress inducing one for many people. Like what your fellow student teacher said, a lot of us haven't been in a student position in a long time, and I would say almost all of us haven't been students of math in a very long time. For most of us I imagine learning math again is a big leap, and the idea of teaching it (for me at least) is intimidating but, as we have learned this weak we have to change our mindset. I won't necessarily say he we need to have a growth mindset (though it helps). I would say we need to change our reaction to the feeling of "I should know this" from one of stress and worry to one of curiosity and determination.