When maths is mentioned in a conversation, be that in or out of a school, the discussion normally progresses to a point where each person in the group identifies as either ‘good’ or ‘bad’ at maths. As a society we have embedded the idea that not being good at maths can be because of genetics, bad past teachers or simply “not having a maths brain”. This fixed attitude has the possibility to lead children to dismiss maths at a young age – preventing them from developing maths into the transferable skills needed for many aspects of society and future careers. My experience of maths both in Primary and Secondary school was for the most part positive. Obviously, I had some bad experiences with topics that I had to work harder to understand or teachers who did not hold such a positive attitude towards maths however maths was something that I always did. There was never a point in school where maths was not part of my life. Reflecting on this I think that children deserve a place to explore maths the way they would a subject they had never done before, without the immediate catagorisation of being ‘good’ or ‘bad’ at it. A haven for maths where children can decide how they feel about maths without the opinions of others impacting their decision. I want my future classroom to be this place.
my student teacher eportfolio
