Throughout the term, I have learned an abundance of strategies in which I plan to utilize as a teacher. When I consider the activities that demonstrated cross-curricular learnings and the “Big Ideas” that solidified my understandings, I think of ways to bring these learnings into my teaching practice. In the future, there are so many concepts I plan to include in my classroom, such as storybooks to teach difficult topics or mathematical concepts, Indigenous education through the First Peoples Principles of Learning, and the idea that struggle is good and part of the learning journey. In addition to the “Big Ideas,” these points have stood out to me throughout the term and I look forward to bringing these into my math class to teach students how to approach math in a way that makes sense to them (for more information on a few of these concepts, check out the “Bonus Thoughts” section). While these points stood out to me once or twice throughout the term, the “Big Ideas” were an overarching theme and were obvious in almost every class. I discussed these “Big Ideas” in detail in the Headline News section. However, I would like to now discuss how these “Big Ideas” are useful regarding my future teaching practice, and other questions that arise when I consider these ideas.

Math Processes

For my future teachings, it is important to be aware of various math processes and techniques students can use to communicate mathematical understandings. Since each student learns differently, sharing numerous mathematical processes can help students find ways to solve problems in a way that works best for them. This big mathematical idea is helpful because it is important to be aware of various processes to share them with students in the class. For instance, it is important to know different problem-solving steps when working through word problems during guided instruction. This way, you can show the students various ways to go about completing the question.

When I consider this”Big Idea,” here is a question I still have: How do you teach math processes effectively, keeping in mind individualization and the fact that each student learns differently? In an ideal world, I would love to explain and brainstorm various ways to answer mathematical questions. However, when teaching math, this is not always the case. For time purposes, it is only realistic to explain one or two ways to approach the problem. However, it is still important for students to remember that even though you are only demonstrating one method, it is not the only way to show your understanding of the concept. Thus, I would like to further consider how exactly to teach math processes while considering individual learning styles and alternate ways to teach a concept.

Make sure that students know that math processes can be communicated in a variety of ways! (Photo by Crissy Jarvis on Unsplash).

Reflection is Critical

This “Big Idea” will be extremely useful for my future teaching practice. Previously, I did not think reflection was an important component of math. However, this course has demonstrated that reflection holds a crucial role in all learning experiences, and math is no exception. In my future classroom, I will incorporate math reflections as a tool to help my students and myself as a teacher. For example, if a student writes a journal entry about their level of understanding about a specific math topic, this helps the student by considering what they understood during the lesson and what was confusing. Furthermore, these reflections can help me as a teacher see what areas of the lessons my students struggled with so I can place more attention on that concept in the future. Reflection is such a powerful tool and I look forward to incorporating it into my math class.

Here is a question I still have when considering this big mathematical idea: What is the best way to incorporate math reflection writes? After every math session? Once a week? Once in a while for an assignment? I think this would depend on the needs of my students, and I would be able to answer this question as I become more comfortable with teaching over the years. Furthermore, it is important to consider that reflection does not always need to be a written assignment or journal entry. Reflection can simply mean having a class discussion at the end of a session where the students and the teacher consider what went well and what did not. Remembering that reflection can be displayed in many ways can help me figure out how often I would like to include this “Big Idea” in my future math teachings.

Reflection is so important, even in the math classroom! (Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash).

Math Is Everywhere

This “Big Idea” is really important to consider when teaching a math class. Many students do not have the desire to participate in math learning experiences because they do not see the information as useful. Some students may wonder why they need to learn about fractions or how to do multiplication without a calculator. Sharing the idea that math is everywhere can help students understand the reasoning behind mathematical ideas. For example, when teaching a fraction lesson the teacher can connect this to measurements when baking. This can make the lesson more engaging, and the students can visualize how they can apply their knowledge to real-life scenarios. Making sure students know that math is everywhere, and providing situations in which they can apply their math knowledge to scenarios, will make learning more enjoyable and engaging.

Here is a question I still have when considering this idea: What are some ways to show that math is everywhere in an engaging way? An example I included in the “Headline News” section is a nature walk. I think it would be really enjoyable to go outdoors and point out a few examples of math in nature. I would love to discover some other activities, such as this one, to teach math in a fun way!

Show that math is applicable in real-life contexts, like with baking! (Photo by Calum Lewis on Unsplash).

Math is Not “One Size Fits All” 

This mathematical idea is extremely important to remember as a teacher. Sometimes, we can get fixated on only teaching a concept in a specific way, without remembering that each student learns differently. At my tutoring job, I sometimes get focused on the idea that my way of teaching the concept makes sense to me, so it must make sense to the student. However, this is not the case at all. Each student learns in an individual way. If one explanation does not make sense to them, try something else. This is important to keep in mind as a future teacher because in a class of 20+ students, one way to solve a problem will most likely not make sense to everyone. So, being aware of various math processes to share different ways of completing a problem, as well as being open to students answering questions in a way that makes sense to them, is critical to remember when teaching.

When I consider this concept, I contemplate the following question: How can you teach math concepts to students without them being discouraged if the first explanation does not make sense to them? As I mentioned above, it is not always realistic to explain every possible way to approach the problem. Most of the time, you can only explain one or two ways, and then if students do not understand that, you can individually work with the student to discover alternate options to solve the problem. However, if students do not understand the problem the first time, they may get discouraged. So, I think explaining to students that there are multiple ways to approach a problem, and the way I am explaining is only one way to do it, can help limit discouragement. By emphasizing this point in the math classroom, I can work on approaching this question I have. But, I would love to learn some other ways to limit discouragement in regards to this “Big Idea.”

Emphasize that learning is an individual experience, and each student understands a concept in a different way! (Photo by Charisse Kenion on Unsplash).