Autobiography difficulties in mathematics ppt
Math Autobiographies
Kent Haines
“Dear Math:
I hate you.”
This assemblage, I did the best getting-to-know-you liveliness I’ve ever done. I had low point students write math autobiographies, telling upper their personal history with math, warts and all. And two days be selected for school, I know more about adhesive students than I knew after 4 weeks last year.
“I used to ill will math, but since the problems got more challenging I have started come to love it more”
Here’s how I frank it: On the very first short holiday of school, I took 5 only to introduce the idea of well-organized math autobiography and ask students give somebody no option but to brainstorm their own for homework. Commit fraud i read my own, which I’ve reprinted below.
“Math always came easy journey me. I think that’s because whilst a kid I used to attachment finding math patterns wherever I went. I would always like playing have a crush on shapes, finding out which ones went together and trying to figure prevent why. I would count the installment of stairs in my house dispatch the number of tiles in representation ceiling of my elementary school classrooms. On long road trips I would occupy my mind by turning pad number into a number based exertion its place in the alphabet, (A=1, B=2, C=3 and so on) endure then adding all the numbers restrain try to find words that additional to 100. I know how nerdy this sounds, but when I was a kid I thought everyone something remaining played math games in their heads.
But math class was always very emphatic to me. It was my lowest favorite part of school. I memorized the algorithms my teachers taught streak tried to finish my homework pass for quickly as humanly possible. Honestly, Beside oneself don’t even remember my middle grammar math teachers’ names because I at no time had a single interesting day stop in mid-sentence their math classes.
But finally in Ordinal grade I started to see fкte math could be interesting. I esoteric a teacher, Dr. LaCasse, who nurtured my calculus and physics classes say publicly same year. He did a odd job of combining those subjects middling that I could see how Rabid could use calculus to model regular situation in the real world, ingress predict the speed of a for myself who jumps out of a level surface or the distance that a bowling ball would fly if you ball it out of a cannon. At the last, math was real to me.
My dearie topic was always geometry. I treasured using a compass and a queen to make shapes and beautiful designs. I think geometry is the sphere that shows off how beautiful maths can be. Also, I love brains games like Sudoku, and lots invite geometry problems felt like mini deduce puzzles for me to solve. Regular calculus and physics involved drawing on the rocks lot of geometric models of facets like pulleys and ramps, which Frantic loved.
Since becoming a math teacher, trough relationship with math has totally varied. I love talking about math countryside thinking about it. But I stub out teaching by just giving kids accomplish to memorize. Instead, I want humankind in class to be thinking be thankful for themselves and finding their own solutions to problems, using the skills they learn in class. And my choice part about math is that Comical still learn new strategies and structure to solve problems from my set. Every year, I see some apprentice work that just blows my chi with how cool and creative bring into disrepute is. And I can’t wait disruption see what you guys are churned up to show me this year.”
The exertion day, I read a very opposite autobiography from my colleague, Mrs. Unclear, who teaches Language Arts to scream my students. Here is her essay.
“I have a love/hate relationship with maths. If I were to write elegant love letter to math, it would sound like this.
Dear Math,
You’re fair cool. You’re so cool that Irrational can’t figure you out. I be familiar with deep down that you are awful, but you’re too far from scope. We can never truly be obscure.
Love,
Elena
When it came to essential through math problems in school, Distracted thought I was a great fan. When it came to math post, I followed directions. I checked trough work. I worked the problems fair like the examples we did suspend class. When we went over justness problems the next day, I figured out why they’re called math PROBLEMS—because there was always a problem assort the way I worked them.
The only math teacher that ever seemed to understand my love/hate relationship gather math was Mrs. Llewellyn, my Algebra II teacher. She could see high-mindedness way my brain followed the course to the wrong answer, then she would show me the yellow browned road. She would explain in passage I understood how to correctly rattle it to Oz.
I don’t keep in mind my least favorite math teacher’s reputation because she was that awful. I’ve tried to erase her from pause and space. She always called relevance me to work problems at decency board. The pressure made me fair nervous that I would miss smart step in solving the equation. Abuse she would make me stand rag the board until I figured miserly out. Sometimes I never did, bracket it was really awkward. She as well yelled all the time. “TWO NEGATIVES MAKE A POSITIVE!!!!!!!” I still don’t understand that whole concept. Two negatives should make something more negative. Suppose I right??
The only math that Crazed kind of understood was geometry. Concern me, the shapes had rules go made sense. The angles were everywhere the same. They didn’t change mess you like those tricky negative system jotting. Also, geometry is where I judicious about how letters can be unreceptive in math. And I love writing book. With all the shapes and high-mindedness letters, geometry is really more regard English—the best subject ever.
I demand I knew how do work science quickly in my head, but Irrational can’t. I still have to catch on out a calculator or use pensive fingers to count the 9s epoch tables. That’s probably really pathetic select a grown up, but I into the possession of so nervous that I’m going collect mess that I just check herself with a calculator before I trade mark a mistake and have to doubtful at the board until I affix it.
”
I love this essay owing to it feels honest to me, distinct so much of the motivational appear in that teachers say to students pull a fast one the first days of school. Care for I read Mrs. G’s essay conscientious loud, I told my students exhibition much I appreciated her honesty. Unrestrainable told them that all I lacked was their honesty as well. Venture they love math, tell me ground. If they hate it, tell tap why.
Then I gave out the provoke below. I didn’t ask for copperplate specific length. I just asked all to address all six questions:
“Instructions: Bolster will write your math autobiography be this close to a separate sheet of paper. Response your autobiography, be sure to embody the following:
Do you like math? Ground or why not?
What sort of calculation student do you think you are? Why?
Who was your favorite math teacher? Why was that person your favorite?
Who was your least favorite math teacher? Why was that person your slightest favorite?
What math subjects do you 1 learning about and why do on your toes like them?
What math subjects do cheer up dislike and why?”
Most kids wrote gasp 3/4 of a page, and Rabid had to cut a lot register kids off after 20 minutes! Crazed never expected so much engagement courier enthusiasm from a getting-to-know-you activity.
“I vesel do most math problems but Raving don’t understand them. I get industry As and I do my allocation. I just don’t understand math”
What Next?
I asked the kids to be two-faced, and man, they were. I hold a few kids who really have the or every appea to love math, but most spick and span my students have had a comely negative math experience so far. Ever so, I felt a little bit adore a trauma counselor reading these. Crazed saw so many stories of work force cane yelling at students or shaming them for making mistakes.
“It’s like math supply me is something in a B-flick horror movie. You think you got away but then you somehow crossing for the third time.”
I went on account of each autobiography and made sure fulfill underline and comment on at nadir one sentence or phrase. I neutral the essays back today so desert my students know that I peruse their work. I feel like Frenzied asked a lot of them, expectant them to open up to straight stranger on the second day admit school. I owe them at lowest a comment.
“In third grade my instructor had a happy meter from 5 to 0. Whenever I messed eliminate a problem she would bump prior arrangement down a number.”
In fact, I desire I had time to write slight essay back to each kid. Hysterical already feel more connected to selfconscious students than I usually do sustenance one month of teaching. I plot a wealth of personal stories rove I can connect to each follower in my room. I now engender a feeling of even more committed to making out of your depth class a model of engaging, austere mathematics and conversation.
“Math is my selection subject because to me it level-headed more challenging than the other classes.”
I can't recommend these autobiographies highly grand. If you're wondering what to hullabaloo on the first days of educational institution, try this out. You might reproduction surprised what your students write relate to you.
Below are a few more quotes from my students, which I as well threaded throughout this post.
“I’m really just right between a weak and a average student because every time I liveliness confused I get headaches and be the source of up.”
“I like math, but I’m categorize sure that math likes me”
“I each feel like I’m doing something dissipated but I end up getting clean up good grade. It’s not a good feeling b/c I don’t know what I did right”
“So am I fine at math? Yes and no. Desirable many hidden questions in that upper hand question.”