Ask almost any student what they think of math class and their answer will be quite similar, “I do not like it because it is too hard.” Mathematics has a negative image by people of all different ages because many people think of it as making a simple thing complicated, but the reality of the situation is mathematics makes life much easier. Negative thoughts about math can also come from poor math teachers, weak curriculum, or one bad experience ruining the fun of mathematics for many individuals.
Being that the subject of mathematics is so complicated it takes an efficient teacher to be able to successfully teach students the correct steps in solving mathematical equations. Teaching math cannot be done successfully by reading some vocabulary words, filling in the blanks on a worksheet, and then taking a quiz, mathematics needs to be taught in ways were students get to explore problems and follow the necessary steps to solve the problem. Most importantly students need practice in math and that can be done in many different ways. Many teachers today think and teach the same way to all of their students, ignoring their individual ways of learning. “Teachers need to employ strategies that will help them develop the participation essential to engaging students in mathematics.” (National). It is also a proven fact that students tend to learn more and have higher participation when they work in groups. Effective teachers in the classroom will provide students with opportunities to work independently and collaboratively to make sense of the math curriculum in which they are learning. (Anthony & Walshaw, 2012). By working in groups students can ask questions to their peers as the arise and the students take more responsibility in t...
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...it comes to providing students with the best education possible to make them successful. Even though mathematics is a hard concept for students of all ages to understand, future educators need to prevent or eliminate the negative thoughts and feelings children have for mathematics. Mathematics is not impossible; it takes time, practice, and patience to be successful in the classroom.
Works Cited
Anthony, G., & Walshaw, M. (2012, November 05).Effective pedagogy in mathematics. Retrieved from http://www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk/resources/39/index.html
Frie, Courtney. Personal Communication. January 17 2014.
Mahan-Deitte, Jennifer. Personal Communication. January 17 2014.
National Research Council. 1991. Principles and standards for school mathematics. Retrieved from http://www.fayar.net/east/teacher.web/math/standards/previous/ProfStds/ProTeachM4.htm
Math; a skill required by all and loathed by many, can be tedious enough to lull a person to sleep. Algebra can be just as dull if not more so, and is much more difficult compared to ordinary math. For an individual with above average intelligence it may look primitive
The students that enter the school might hate math before they come but as soon as they enter they start to love it they become exceptionally good at it to starting high school math in seventh grade. This is all because they are given the opportunity to become who they want to be not what they have to be, they are given the opportunity to dream about what they can become. This is all because yes school are equal now but are they really, most of the time it seems that they are yes but, they still are mainly one race or another but only because people live segregated lives within the world yet they still complain that they are not treated equally, even though they are the ones that are living in a segregated
Mathematics is a science that has a vital importance in the artistic domain and how the world is constructed. The world is more concern to attract individuals toward mathematical studies and research for the enhancement of the world development. Some individuals claim that they do not like Math just because it deals with multitude of numbers, some says that math is boring, difficult, complicated, or they just hate it for short. I have encountered a students who claimed that the math textbook are too large, and the overwhelmed with repetition. Well, everyone has a point of view regarding math. Now, all that have to do with loads, when the memory have a space for more information, nevertheless, it possess a large space to store information. All
Wu, Y. (2008). Experimental Study on Effect of Different Mathematical Teaching Methodologies on Students’ Performance. Journal of Mathematics Studies. Vol 1(1) 164-171.
“Think of math as a huge boulder we make everyone pull, without assessing what all this pain achieves. So why require it, without alternatives or exceptions? Thus far I haven’t found a compelling answer.” - Andrew Hacker. People endorsing or opposing algebra in school both can agree that algebra can be difficult for many students. This does not mean algebra is hard for every students. Students should just not ignore struggling with algebra, but get assistance and help themselves become better at algebra. People should look at algebra with a perspective that some people do not have the ability to learn algebra. Some people believe algebra is the main reason for students dropping out of school. Conversely, some other people believe algebra teaches students critical, intellectual reasoning skills. Algebra is essential for life and should stay apart of education for three main reasons: teaches students
(2014) found that using manipulatives and cooperative groups motivated her students. She concluded, “In order to give meaning to math teaching, students are best served by learning concepts by actual manipulation of physical materials. Motivation is best accomplished when there is an active involvement with physical objects”. In addition
As discussed above, many students experience math anxiety in the traditional classroom. To reduce this problem, teachers should design classrooms that will make children feel more at ease. Studies have shown students learn best when they are active rather than passive learners (Spikell, 1993). Everyone is capable of learning, but they may have different learning styles. Therefore, lessons must be presented in a variety of ways.
The way we think and feel about anything in general always has a reason behind it. In this paper, I will be discussing what factors influenced my beliefs and attitude towards mathematics. Implementation of Mathematics in Education Since math is one of the core subjects in school, we have been exposed to numbers since our first years in elementary.
Professional Goal Teaching is my second career and mathematics is my first love so it is not by coincidence that I wake up every morning doing something I love. Immediately after the completion of my Masters in Middle School Mathematics, I set a goal to earn my Doctorate in Math Education. Through research, I want to investigate an examine self-regulating learning (SRL) and cognitive learning strategies in small guided, cooperative and whole group settings and target the most efficient instructional strategies that will increase students’ mathematical written and oral communication. In the Association for Middle School Education (Schinck-Mikel and Pugalee 2014), they reference the Common Core Mathematics Practices standard two, abstractly
I don’t consider myself to be particularly good at math, though I don’t think I’m exactly bad at it either. Growing up, I had a complicated relationship with math that I was never all that confident about. It always seemed as if the moment I understood one concept and had finally discovered how to determine the correct solution to the problem in front of me, another set of obstacles with a new list of rules were presented for me to learn all over again. When I was younger and I was learning things such as simple multiplication or division, I was always the last one in the class to grasp the concept of it while everyone else was already performing the necessary actions needed to solve the problems in their head. For quite a while, I was the
Mathematics teachers teach their students a wide range of content strands – geometry, algebra, statistics, and trigonometry – while also teaching their students mathematical skills – logical thinking, formal process, numerical reasoning, and problem solving. In teaching my students, I need to aspire to Skemp’s (1976) description of a “relational understanding” of mathematics (p. 4). Skemp describes two types of understanding: relational understanding and instrumental understanding. In an instrumental understanding, students know how to follow steps and sequential procedures without a true understanding of the mathematical reasons for the processe...
A somewhat underused strategy for teaching mathematics is that of guided discovery. With this strategy, the student arrives at an understanding of a new mathematical concept on his or her own. An activity is given in which "students sequentially uncover layers of mathematical information one step at a time and learn new mathematics" (Gerver & Sgroi, 2003). This way, instead of simply being told the procedure for solving a problem, the student can develop the steps mainly on his own with only a little guidance from the teacher.
One very important factor in every life is the education received as we mature. Education in all subjects is necessary to become a well-rounded individual. Even so, I feel that my subject area has more significance in one’s future because every person uses mathematics every day. Students need to understand why mathematics is important and why they will need it in the future. The way to do that is integrated into the views of the role of the teacher. Teachers need to be encouraging role models that provide students with safety, nurturing, and support in the classroom, along with providing excellent instruction by allowing students to explore and expand their minds in the content of mathematics. Teachers should set high expectations for all students and persuade the students to live up to those expectations. Along the same lines, teaching and learning are complementary concepts. Students need for the teacher to provide them with the knowledge that will be used not only in that class but also in their future endeavors. ...
Moreover, mathematical thinking is important for all members of the modern society. It is fundamental for national groups as it provides tools for understanding fields such as Science, Technology and Economics, all of which diversely enables citizen to participate in the knowledge-based economy. Unfortunately, Mathematics has always been recognised as a difficult subject. Partly because of its abstract nature and the way it is taught. Mathematics is not just a construction of knowledge. It is also the construction of attitudes and beliefs. While learning Mathematics, a student may develop a sense of self-confidence, self-efficacy and achievement if s/he finds the subject accessible and the contrary may happen if the opposite scenario occurs. However, if a student experiences failure s/he might develop a negative attitude or phobia for the subject. In other words, student‟s disposition to study Mathematics depends a lot on how students understand the content and find the subject within his/her reaches. This study specifically explores students‟ disposition towards Mathematics. It is understood that both cognitive and affective factors are important in the learning of
Mathematics is a school subject that people have mixed feeling about. Many of my personal friends complain about math and express their dislike and hatred towards the subject. I, on the other hand, seem to enjoy math most of the time. Although I sometimes feel angry when I continue to get a certain problem incorrect, I always put my best effort into finding my mistake and fixing it. I have had some amazing math teachers, but I’ve also had some very bad ones. I think that my teacher has a huge effect upon how well I will learn that subject, which can be considered good or bad. I have always realized that math is a very important topic, so I have consistently worked very hard to learn it. My current math course is strengthening my basic mathematics