Think About Why!

Idea: Real mathematicians ask why

Reflection 1: It's important to me and as I facilitate student learning to create an environment for students to question the concepts I am presenting as well as question the way that they think about this new information. When it comes to math, however, I don't think that students are really given the proper opportunity or the permission to ask higher level thinking while learning math. I found in my last placement that the questions students were asking were procedural, to repeat instructions or just for reassurance that what they were doing was correct. There is nothing really wrong with those questions, but perhaps it is the territory that comes along with "math". Unlike in the literacy block, teachers do not ask many "why is that?" questions to students to explore, or dig a little deeper as to why math things are the way they are. For example to help students predict, invent or problem solve, teacher may ask, "what would happen if...?" or give the students a chance to "convince me...!". Rarely do we also allow students to express true feelings, attitudes and beliefs about mathematics. In literacy we do. In science we predict, why not in math? Why not express our attitudes towards math so that we are more comfortable and confident with the subject?



Reflection 2: I want to be this kind of teacher, able to provide students with prompting questions about math and open them up to deeper thinking rather than doing simple work sheets. I made this mistake in y first placement. I think I know better now.