Math Blog Year 2 Week 1

Welcome everyone! This blog is meant to be reflective of our J/I Mathematics, year 2 class. It’s a great
opportunity to think about the learning that can be put into practice in practicum and teaching next year.

This week the focus was on being aware of our own attitude towards math, the impact of having a growth
mindset and being aware of stereotypes that exist. For me, Mathematics was one of my favourite subjects
in school because I understand Math and was able to solve problems quickly in my head. The difficulty
was when I had to explain my thinking, as I often responded that I just knew it was correct. The
Mathematics Curriculum also changed when we were in elementary school, and it became more
language-based. That is, in order to increase understanding, students were expected to explain their
thinking and make connections. To be honest, I didn’t agree with this at school because my marks were
much lower because of the answers that had to be provided. I was diagnosed with a language-based
Learning Disability and written work was very difficult for me. In high school, there were 4 marks for
the math work: Knowledge and Understanding, Thinking, Application and Problem-Solving. Most of
the time, I was able to successfully complete the work, so would score really high on the Knowledge
and Understanding, but then my overall mark was lowered because I wasn’t able to successful answer
the written part of the answer. But now, I understand the importance of explaining your thinking; and
will make this a part of my teaching, along with being mindful of students who have diverse learning
needs.

The videos on Growth Mindset were very informative and provided useful information as we prepare to
be educators. I think before doing any work in class with students, it is best to really figure out your own
way of thinking; that is, where you are on the continuum between Fixed and Growth mindset. The
messages that we give students can make a real difference to their learning, so we have to make sure
that we are not passing on messages that are not beneficial for them. At the beginning of the school
year, I would like to focus on building our classroom community and developing Growth Mindset
vocabulary with the students. I think this will lay the foundation, and then the mathematical work will
be more relevant for the students.

Jo Boaler’s videoclips were very interesting. I particularly liked the videoclip, “The Brain Science
on Growth Mindset.” Boaler emphasized that mistakes make our brain cells grow. This is a huge
change in mindset, that it is not only ok to make mistakes that it helps in learning. Also, Boaler talked
about Beliefs  and how the messages you receive has a huge impact on student learning. I also
watched another of Jo Boaler’s Ted Talk video on Believe in your Math Potential—Set Yourself
Free. The message was similar to the ones we watched for the module, especially looking at your
beliefs about math and the importance of making mistakes, as this helps the brain grow. As a
researcher at Stanford University, she prefers to post videos and short papers on her site Youcubed,
so that educators and parents can access the information. This quick access through technology will
ensure that educators can have the information they need so that all kids can learn math.

We are very fortunate to be able to access information such as this site to help us in our teaching. And I plan on using this information in my teaching.