At the beginning, I was unsure if this module would be beneficial for me. This was because during the first session we were asked to put up our hands if we have maths anxiety. For me, this is something I had never really considered as I loved maths throughout school and I started to feel like I had picked the wrong module. However, I was wrong.
This module has opened my eyes to the world of mathematics. I always knew maths featured in the real world but hadn’t ever really been taught that. In school, it was all about textbook work and learning to pass exams rather than how these methods can be applied to the real world and the history of mathematics and how these topics came about. It had also never occurred to me that we need to have basic knowledge of mathematical concepts in order to understand further mathematics topics and make these links to our daily lives. From medicine to playing hockey, playing Monopoly to making a patchwork quilt, it is undeniable that mathematics features in many places.
As a trainee teacher, I believe it is important to consider Liping Ma’s ideas on the key processes to make a good mathematics teacher. These are [inter]connectedness, multiple perspectives, basic principles and longitudinal concepts as previously discussed in my blogs. By making these key processes a part of learning and knowing the mathematical concepts ourselves, we are able to successfully and effectively educate the future doctors, artists and teachers of this world. By grasping basic concepts early on, pupils are able to progress into more complex processes and discover the importance of these basic areas to explore further mathematics. If pupils are able to make links between mathematics and their daily living, they are more likely to find mathematics an enjoyable and worthwhile subject which is not limited to textbooks and exams but extends to infinity and beyond!
For me, this module has truly opened my eyes and encouraged me to look for mathematics everywhere. I had never thought about the mathematics behind taking a photo, tuning a piano or the formation of plants. It is incredible that no matter where we look, there will be mathematics nearby. I believe it is important for children to learn this at an early stage and hope to be a teacher who encourages the exploration of mathematics both inside and outside the classroom on a daily basis. I want to have pupils come up to me and tell me of their new mathematical discoveries from playtime and home as well as in the classroom.
