Over the Next Few Weeks

Hi everyone. I hope you have been able to track down Jo Boaler's text for the class. I would like for us to be able to discuss up to the end of Chapter 3 for October 1st. This includes Shoenfeld's forward to the text. You can blog your thoughts on these readings as you progress through them.

You should also read Shoenfeld's article from 1988, When Good Teaching Leads to Bad Results as some background.

On October 1st we will determine which chapter/day you will be leading the discussion. Typically we do one chapter a week and explore the issues stemming from that chapter. We will also set up our nourishment schedule then too. :)

I am including some resources and links for you to the right. Please make yourself familiar with them as you think about a topic that you might want to explore further for your own inquiry into a critical issue.

Until next time,

Mary

Mathematics Autobiography

Hi everyone,

Please create a post where you reflect on your own learning of mathematics in school. This is your math autobiography.

Rationale: Many people have difficulty remembering their mathematics education in primary/elementary grades. In order to begin to study the teaching of mathematics to children it is important to revisit your own education in mathematics. it is necessary to reflect on your assumptions, emotions, and nostalgia surrounding your experiences and to critically examine them. Consider the following:

• What did mathematics in your classroom look like (kindergarten-grade 6)? Be descriptive.
• What is your best and/or worst memory surrounding mathematics in primary and elementary? How has this affected your views about mathematics now as an adult?
• Were you good or not good at math? How did you know this?
• What was the role of the teacher in your math classes? How do you think they felt about mathematics?
• What did assessment look like?
• Tell briefly about math in high school.
• What math courses did you take in university?
• Did you take any math electives?
• Do you / did you engage with mathematics in your life in major ways?
• How do you feel about mathematics now?

I would like it if we could share some of this next time we are together in class.

Hope you are having a great start to your week.

Sir Ken Robinson Video

So great to meet you all last night!

To start our work together this semester, we began with the following short video to get the conversation going...

Do Schools Kill Creativity?



Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. He challenges the way we look at education and children.

So what does this mean for you, as a teacher, with regards to teaching and in particular with regards to teaching mathematics to children?

Welcome to the Fall 2009 Semester

Welcome to the start of the 2009 Fall semester. I hope you enjoy our new pedagogical space in E-4009 in the Faculty of Education at Memorial.

We will be using this class blog as another pedagogical space way to stay in conversation when we are not face to face. Welcome to Critical Issues in Mathematics Education!