Journal Reflection on Methods Course

The best part of mathematics class was not what we learned about mathematics, I was comfortable with all of the content, but how we learned to teach it. When I went to school in the 80s and early 90s everything we learned was by virtue of the almighty algorithm with little or no understanding of why things worked the way they did. As a result, those who did not continue using what they learned lost it. That is why so many of the students in the class, who graduated almost two decades after me, were so uncomfortable when we began this class. I suppose that if they do not know the content they may still be very uncomfortable heading into the classroom. This was a methods class though, not a content based class and for that I for one am glad. I was so glad to learn that the prevailing thought in mathematics today is helping the children understand the underlying concepts and letting them solve the problems in the best way they know how. Algorithms are only introduced after students can solve the problems on their own, using methods they create based on prior knowledge. They are an afterthought that ties the content all together. In this way, students understand what it is they are doing. As a result, students will better understand the unifying theories that underlie all mathematics problems. They will grow up being better thinkers than the generations that preceded them. This is what education is all about. This is how teachers stay relevant in the classroom, in an age where content is easy to come by electronically and people are questioning how much longer teaching will be a viable profession. The idea that I take away from this course is that I can help students learn the why of things instead of the how of things. Mathematics has always been behind the learning curve in this area. Even maths cousin science is focused on discovery instead of merely formulas. I feel that I am better equipped to teach mathematics in a meaningful way because of this course.