KENNICKER MASTER PORTFOLIO: MATHEMATICS

Master’s Portfolio Project: Mathematics

6/22/2020
Brenna Kennicker
University of Alaska Southeast
Beth Hartley
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Abstract

Content Knowledge: The Candidate demonstrates understanding of the central

concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and

creates learning experiences that make these aspects of the discipline accessible and

meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content in the areas below.

Mathematics: Candidates demonstrate and apply understandings of major mathematics

concepts, algorithms, procedures, applications and mathematical practices in varied

contexts, and connections within and among mathematical domains.

Mathematics Statement

For the mathematics portion of my portfolio I would like to discuss the philosophy of

mathematics teaching I wrote for ED616 in the spring semester of 2014. I came into the course

with a lot of math-based trauma, and that trauma and how I have worked through it is reflected in

my philosophy.

First and foremost, I vowed never to be like the math teachers I had in my K-12

experience. The majority of my teachers had a very fixed mindset, the idea that intelligence is a

static given that we are unable to change (Dweck, 2016). This mindset translated into students

being labeled as either “math minded” students or “not math minded”. As a “not math minded”

labeled student I was given fewer opportunities, had lower expectations placed upon me, and was

told outright by several teachers I should not pursue higher education because it would be too

difficult. Luckily, I didn’t listen to them and discovered in my first year of university I had a

learning disability. With that experience in the back of my mind as I started teaching, I made it a

priority in my math classes especially to frame math as a skill anyone is capable of, and really
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pushed a growth mindset, the idea that intelligence is plastic and can be grown and improved

through effort with my students.

A large part of my original philosophy was that math should be fun. As a student, I knew

I wanted this as a goal but was unsure of how to implement it in a classroom. Through

observation, student teaching, and discussions with cohorts I’ve implemented several strategies

in order to make math a class that is not only engaging to students, but also provides an

environment they feel safe taking the risks and asking the questions needed to learn. To start, I

introduced number talks as a starting activity. Number talks are a practice where students

mentally solve a computation problem, and then discuss how they solved it with their peers

(Humphreys & Parker, 2016). Doing these number talks allowed students to see that there was

often times more than one way of solving a problem, and that each method was valuable.

Spending five minutes a period on these in the first semester helped many of my reluctant

learners gain confidence in their methods, and be more willing to try in class.

Another strategy I used was games, lots and lots of games. Using dice and decks of cards

we played a variety of games over the course of the year that served as applications and reviews

on concepts from the math book. A popular game introduced at the beginning of the year to

review single digit multiplication was “How close to 100” by Jo Boeler (2016). Even though it

started as a single digit multiplication review which used a regular six-sided dice, students were

soon asking me for 10 or even 20-sided dice so they could practice double-digit multiplication.

Students also figured out how to reverse engineer the game to practice division facts when we

got to that unit. Not only is a game as a format a low stress way to practice concepts, but

according to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics playing math games encourage

strategic mathematical thinking and deepen students understanding of numbers (2015).

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I also wrote a bit about math homework in my philosophy. At the time, I believed the less

amount of homework the better, and studies have shown that homework at the elementary level

has little to no benefit (Cooper Robinson and Patal, 2006). However, at the request of parents I

sent home weekly assignments that were review of core concepts. Students were able to do all

the work by themselves, and it was discussed and corrected in class. I think in the future I will

work with my grade level team to figure out a way to either phase out homework all together, or

to create a café style, choose your own practice for math.

Going into my first year of teaching, math was the subject I was the most nervous to

teach. However, as the year progressed math has become a subject I get really excited about and

enjoy teaching. I hope to share that excitement with students and help students realize their

mathematical potential.
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References

Boaler, J. (2016). Mathematical mindsets: Unleashing students' potential through creative math,
inspiring messages, and innovative teaching. Jossey-Bass & Pfeiffer Imprints.

Cooper, H., Robinson, J., & Patall, E. (2006). Does homework improve academic achievement?
A synthesis of research, 1987-2003. Review of Educational Research, 76(1), 1-62.
Retrieved June 24, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/3700582

Dweck, Carol S. (2016) Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books.

Humphreys, C., & Parker, R. E. (2015). Making number talks matter: Developing mathematical
practices and deepening understanding, grades 4-10. Hawker Brownlow Education.

Rutherford, K. (2015, April). Why play math games? National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics. https://www.nctm.org/publications/teaching-children-
mathematics/blog/why-play-math-games_/.