Emily K EDCP 342

 Group Members:  Alina, Emily K, Keith, Tara Regina Bittencourt: One by one (The original version) Our remake of the original In remaking the artwork, we chose to use acrylic paints on paper. During this process, we wondered about why the artist stopped at a maximum of 9 rows (before descending). Exploring this informed our group activity of attempting to make a 10th row, observing that we no longer have the same palindromic pattern, and discussing why that happens. We tried adding a row ourselves and soon found that the “place holders” get in the way and the pattern breaks. Inspired by the lesson on Babylonian place holders, this prompted us to wonder if there was a maximum number of rows for other bases as well. After trying out a few it became clear that this maximum is one minus the base you’re working in. For example, base 10 has a maximum 9 rows while base 2 has only 1 row before the pattern breaks! Our extension The extension that multiplies 9x9, 99x99, 999x999, … does...

The first thing that made me stop and think during this reading was the statement regarding how many teachers themselves are uncomfortable in math and avoid it in their own post-secondary education, and as a result they often “inculcate similar attitudes in their own students” (p. 394) in their own teaching. This made me stop to imagine if just one teacher in a school has this attitude, and passes it onto even half of their students, over time this could really negatively affect how students at the school think about math. Further, eventually those students may become teachers themselves and pass on those views to even more students. Just thinking about the waves of influence one teacher can have even (either positively or negatively) generationally is impactful to me. I also thought it was interesting how cyclical opinions of math education seem to be (like the swing of a pendulum as explained in the chapter). More specifically, hearing that the concerns about math education over 100 ...

One thing that made me stop in the Eisner reading was the connection made between implicit curriculum and the physical learning space. I had never considered the motivation behind the choice of desks used, or why every school classroom seems to look the same. If I would have made a guess before this reading, I think I would have predicted that this choice is to save money, that the furniture is uncomfortable and the lights are LED and the rooms are bland because it’s cheaper than designing and furnishing a school in a more interesting way. I realize now that this choice is also partially due to the nature and purpose of the schooling system in general, which in part is to assimilate and efficiently produce contributing members of society. While reading this I was thinking about the contrast between this and the choice to have our classroom be physically outside in both Susan’s math classes, and how her views on education might have led her to this choice. I also found learning about th...

 

I had a few math teachers I really liked, but I think my all-time favourite was my grade 12 calculus teacher. I appreciated that her class was very structured: at the beginning of class, we would start by going over homework questions from last class, then we would get into the lesson for the day, and then we would get time to work on the new homework and ask questions for the remainder of the class. I think that having this consistent routine really helped to know what was expected of me in the class and allowed me to plan ahead and manage the class around my other responsibilities. I also appreciated how knowledgeable and passionate she was in the subject. I think this passion for math was passed onto me throughout my term with her. Lastly, I really like that she was funny without making anyone feel bad or discouraged. Altogether, her class was a very inclusive and fun space to be a part of, and that always made me look forward to attending. On the other hand, I would say that one of...

I agree wholeheartedly with Skemp's view on the importance of relational math and relational understanding. I believe that relational learning build intrinsic motivation in students, and also helps students view math as a part of an ecosystem of interrelated subjects, rather than a stand-alone, abstract topic. Similarly, I agree that it is then essential for teachers to teach math relationally. For this reason, I found it especially interesting that Skemp mentions on page 11 that perhaps even many teachers do not have a relational understanding of math. This makes me reflect on my own high school teachers, who at times would say something like “this is just how it is” when explaining some concepts in math. I remember my classmates being confused and frustrated by statements like that, and I now realize that my teacher at that time likely only an instrumental understanding of the topic, and I saw firsthand how detrimental that can be to classroom comprehension and morale. As I read ...