My colleague suggested that this course sounded like " A Conversation with Smyth". I like that idea - but maybe as a conversation among all of us. To start it off think about this:
We are math teachers. Consider these questions:
What is mathematics?
What does it mean to know mathematics?
Please respond to this post with a tentative answer to these questions - not as a mathematician, but as a math teacher. We will revisit these responses at the end of the course.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
10 comments:
I never really sat around and thought about what is mathematics. I always thought of math as very structured, clear cut, problem solving. As a future teacher I believe that if students can relate the information being taught to their daily lives they will be more inclined to retain and use the skills they learned.
I feel that it is very important to know mathematics for every aspect of life. Whether it is building a dog house, baking a cake, or giving someone change of a five, math is everywhere. I know that math is challenging, but the feeling of finally getting the concept is very rewarding. People with a good math base may be more willing to take on challenges or difficult situations in school and in the work place. These people are able to think outside of the box and know the feeling of resolving the problem and getting it right.
Good thoughts - and a contradiction - problem solving, by its nature, isn't neat and structured. The finished product we see in text books is - so it misleads students.
So - what does it mean to know math? That is a tough question!
I guess what it is to know math is to be able to understand what is being asked of you and why it is important to you in your life. Whether you solve a problem the way the text directs you or through your own steps and ideas, the prize at the end is getting it right and seeing it work. I think math presents students with challenges and how the students respond to those challenges says a lot about the student they are and the person they will become. Not to say math makes us the people we are, but the students that try to solve the problem even when they are not sure how may be less likely to walk away from a challenge elsewhere in life. Students that do not try, and wait for the teacher to explain or do it for them may approach other challenges the same way.
I think mathematics is an unbiased way to describe observations.
Mathematics is important in everyday life because many businesses and organizations are predicated on the lack of mathematical knowledge by the general public.
Mathematics is a universal language in which everyone has the opportunity to find a solution to a problem using their own unique tools (minds).
Knowing mathematics means to be able to find solutions to problems using resources and strategies in various ways. It also means that no problem, no matter whether it is math or not, is unsolvable.
Mac Cozier
The question is what is mathematics? Mathematics can be found in everything that we do. For example, I went down to Florida this past weekend and was asked how long it would take. Well I took the mileage of the trip and an average speed I would take. I said about 4 1/2 hrs. Sure enough it was really close, but I used math to derive at the number. Also this past weekend, we moved boxes and furniture into a 20X20 storage unit. A bit of geometry was also used. Math is everywhere and it deals with real life problems and gives us a way to solve them. I more example and I'm done. Deals with moving a wooden desk. We measured the width and then measured the doorway and found that there was no way that this desk was going to fit through this doorway without cutting it. I'm sure you can think of many things in which you used math today.
Mac Cozier
The second question asked was what does it mean to know mathematics? I believe that to knowing mathematics will give students the knowledge that there may be more than one way to solve a complex problem. One teacher I had said "sometimes you may have these complex problems, and you don't know where to begin, sometimes it may the best start is to step back and look at the picture." I can say I used this strategy for the pentograms rectangle. Ok trying to get this rectangle what do you need. Oh there are 60 pieces, then you can have a couple different sizes of rectangles and by knowing mathematics you can deduce what would be needed and solve this problem. Otherwise you are just putting pentograms together. Knowing math will give students the ability to see that picture and give them the ability to solve these and other kind of problems
I believe math is an ever developing system, or universal langage, human kind uses to bring order and understanding to the world which it lives. To know mathematics is to have the ability to use this powerful tool to solve problems we may face.
Mathematics is a combination of many things…. problem solving, data analysis, arithmetic, graphing, logic, sequencing, etc. At times it can be described as a way of thinking that transcends simple computations of numbers and variables.
As a teacher, to know mathematics is to find ways that students learn best and implement those strategies. It means to know your content and be able to demonstrate and describe it in a manner that is both relevant and meaningful to your students.
Post a Comment