Math Comfort Level

Describe how this course has impacted your comfort with, and attitude toward, mathematics in general.  Then, discuss the impact of this course on your confidence to teach mathematics to elementary students, citing specific readings and activities.

This are some discussion review during this course. This may give you an idea of course since you are a great writer you can us your own words and you own ideas. Just pretend you will be an elementary math teacher. Remember this not need to be to long a list 100 to 150words.

First discussion

Throughout grade school and college mathematics was my best subject. Though it may not have always been my favorite subject, for some reason it just came easily to me. In college I strongly disliked statistics because I felt that the formulas and word problems were ridiculous. Algebra on the other hand, I loved! I could do algebra all day, everyday and never get tired of it. Despite the fact that I am very good at math, I am still somewhat apprehensive about teaching elementary mathematics. It has been twelve years since I was in elementary school and I am sure that the way math is taught has changed since then. I am excited about this course and looking forward to all that it has to teach me. My goal is that after taking this class I will have no fears of teaching elementary mathematics and that I will be prepared and well equipped to share with children just how much fun math can be.

Second discussion

The grade band I choose for this discussion is second grade and the mathematics topic I chose is addition.  I choose to write my post on Base Blocks Addition because I feel that students can greatly benefit by using base blocks to solve mathematical problems. These base blocks allow the student to see a visual interpretation of the math they are working on. The can physically add blocks to the ones they already have which is showing them exactly how addition works.  By doing this online they cannot play with “real” blocks but they can do so on the computer which allows them to still get the general idea of addition through blocks. As a teacher I could use this in the classroom to demonstrate the addition process while not spending too many resources purchasing actual blocks. The students would also be able to use these addition blocks at home on their computers which would allow additional practice outside the classroom.

According to the article, Enhancing Mathematical Learning in a Technology-Rich Environment, virtual manipulatives can provide immediate feedback to students in order to allow them to check their understanding throughout the learning process, and therefore prevent misconceptions. In today’s mathematics classrooms technology plays an important role by allowing students to work at home and have access to the accommodations they need in order to solve problems.

Third discussion

Before beginning this course, I was not fully in favor of Common Core State Standards. I believed these standards to be too different than the way I grew up learning and practicing. For that reason, I did not have a very open mind to not only learning these standards for myself, but learning how to teach it to young students. I don’t believe I’m the only teacher-to-be who feels slightly intimidated going into the field, and for me, adding even newer information can take some time to get used to. However, I’m developing a new, broader understanding of the purpose of Common Core State Standards. I’m coming to realize it isn’t all that different than the ways I was taught as an elementary student. Common Core State Standards for Mathematics states a promise to continuously improve standards based on the growing and changing needs of schools, educators, and students throughout. The goal all around is to help students learn concepts in effective ways.

Of the eight standards, one that stands out to me is the very first one which states “Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them”. I think this is important because I so often see students look at a problem and assume an answer or solution without taking the time to break apart the problem and examine exactly what is being asked. The fourth standard, “Model with mathematics” also stood out to me initially. I think it’s important for students to understand these problems as being applicable to daily life.

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