With the ever spreading phenomena of math anxiety combined with the common core standards focused on deeper understanding, classrooms are faced with the challenge of approaching math education a different way. As a professional who focused on mathematics, I am a highly qualified individual to take on the challenge. Equipped with strong problem-solving, analyzing and organizational skills; along with critical and logical thinking, I have the strong mathematical background to guide my students to construct their own mathematical understanding.
It is necessary for teachers at the elementary level to be confident and fluent in their own mathematical understanding. Posing questions and letting the students work in groups to problem solve involves all levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Inquiry lessons allow students to build off their previous knowledge to construct new knowledge. Inquiry lessons should be utilized more often in mathematics. By posing the question ‘which color is the most common’ in reference to a large jar of candy, students will be able to actively engage in the activity. Students would discover they need to count the candies to find out which one is most common. Individually, they would make their own graphs and then come together in groups to talk about their findings. They will make a combined chart and present it to their classmates. From here, students would discuss what candy color would be chosen out of the big jar. Through this activity, students would be able to explore their own predictions and gain the fundamentals of graphing, and probability.
With my own strong foundations in mathematics, I am efficient and able to communicate accurately and confidently. Manipulatives and cooperative learning are the keys to a deeper understanding of mathematics. Math stations allow for differentiation and multiple approaches to teach the concepts. This strong math background in an elementary classroom would only serve for a better environment for students to excel in mathematics.
It is necessary for teachers at the elementary level to be confident and fluent in their own mathematical understanding. Posing questions and letting the students work in groups to problem solve involves all levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Inquiry lessons allow students to build off their previous knowledge to construct new knowledge. Inquiry lessons should be utilized more often in mathematics. By posing the question ‘which color is the most common’ in reference to a large jar of candy, students will be able to actively engage in the activity. Students would discover they need to count the candies to find out which one is most common. Individually, they would make their own graphs and then come together in groups to talk about their findings. They will make a combined chart and present it to their classmates. From here, students would discuss what candy color would be chosen out of the big jar. Through this activity, students would be able to explore their own predictions and gain the fundamentals of graphing, and probability.
With my own strong foundations in mathematics, I am efficient and able to communicate accurately and confidently. Manipulatives and cooperative learning are the keys to a deeper understanding of mathematics. Math stations allow for differentiation and multiple approaches to teach the concepts. This strong math background in an elementary classroom would only serve for a better environment for students to excel in mathematics.