Reflection of Chapter 1 and 2

       Even before I opened the textbook, I was feeling inadequate as Mathematics is not one of my strong points. Even during my lessons, I mostly intergrate my maths lessons with a few other domains, like art and crafts, literacy or even during science. However, when I start to read to read, I realised there are more to  teaching maths than just the basic additions and subtractions. There are actually, principles and standards when it comes to teaching maths. There are content and process standards as well. 

        As I read, I reflected on what I have read. If there are any components that are more significant to me that the others and whether there are areas that I wish to develop, what would it be? I thought back on my class lessons and came to a conclusion that curriculum and teaching are the most important to me. No doubt, the other 4 are important in their way and it is true that, these principles must be “deeply interwined with school mathematics programs:. ( NCTM, 2000, p. 12). Curriculum because I agree with the notion that “mathematical ideas can be considered “important” if they help develop other ideas, link one idea to another, or serve to illustrate the discipline of mathematics as a human endeavour.” (pg. 2) 

       The other is the Teaching principle where prior knowledge is needed in letting the children learn and then scaffolding their learning. However, in order to let the children learn, teacher must first understand the concept of the mathematics skills that they are teaching, knowing the limits and the development of the children who are learning and providing meaningful and functional tasks and strategies. Teacher’s play a big part in the children’s learning and an even bigger part of taking their ideas and turning it into a learning point.

        In chapter 2, I read about what it means to do mathematics and it seems to me, the concept is timeless. It is always about having strategies, applying it and then see if it has solutions and then back-tracking to see if the answers make sense in relations to the question. It has also concepts and processes that is regular and is logical and apply to the act of doing mathematics in the real world. Even with the younger children, mostly the 3 and 4 year olds, I started them on a pattern. For example, AB pattern (red, white, red, white ..). However, to me, how each individual learn is definitely different. One child might get the concept faster than the other and now the challenge in the classroom is to how to cater to individual learning disposition and hopefully, through this intensive 6 days course, I will be able to take away something that is useful for me to implement in my classroom and also for the benefit of the children.