I want to be a mathematics teacher because I enjoy the challenge of making “math-lovers” out of students who have fallen into the trap of dismissing their math ability and dubbing themselves “non-math people.” I get a great sense of joy when I see timid math learners take risks in my classroom and push themselves out of their comfort zones in their learning. I also enjoy the creativity that is necessary when teaching certain concepts in different ways because not every approach is conducive to learning for each student.
Mathematics education should be a space where students feel comfortable taking risks in their learning. Since it is a subject that students easily become frustrated with, creating a classroom culture where risk is encouraged and celebrated helps students to not become so discouraged when it seems challenging. Every mathematics classroom needs to be a place where students are not allowed to opt-out and held to high expectations. Unfortunately, society has created a misconception where people think it is okay to label themselves as “non-math people” when the subject becomes difficult. Not allowing students to opt-out and teaching about what a growth mindset specifically in mathematics looks like is absolutely necessary in order to eliminate this misconception.
Thinking more specifically about the assignments students complete, it is important that the math classroom incorporates interdisciplinary assignments into the curriculum. This allows students to realize how important mathematical literacy is not only for other subjects but their lives beyond school. These types of assignments help to remind students to take risks when the content becomes challenging because they can see how it applies directly to the real world. Overall, a successful math classroom should leave a student feeling challenged by the level of critical thinking required but also validated in the individuality of their development of mathematical skills.
Mathematics education should be a space where students feel comfortable taking risks in their learning. Since it is a subject that students easily become frustrated with, creating a classroom culture where risk is encouraged and celebrated helps students to not become so discouraged when it seems challenging. Every mathematics classroom needs to be a place where students are not allowed to opt-out and held to high expectations. Unfortunately, society has created a misconception where people think it is okay to label themselves as “non-math people” when the subject becomes difficult. Not allowing students to opt-out and teaching about what a growth mindset specifically in mathematics looks like is absolutely necessary in order to eliminate this misconception.
Thinking more specifically about the assignments students complete, it is important that the math classroom incorporates interdisciplinary assignments into the curriculum. This allows students to realize how important mathematical literacy is not only for other subjects but their lives beyond school. These types of assignments help to remind students to take risks when the content becomes challenging because they can see how it applies directly to the real world. Overall, a successful math classroom should leave a student feeling challenged by the level of critical thinking required but also validated in the individuality of their development of mathematical skills.