Maths, can it only be taught from a textbook or are there more creative ways? Having left school more than 10 years ago I feel like I have forgotten a lot of what maths is really about, I remember it as being split into groups of abilities and when you didn’t pass a test you were automatically moved down to less able groupings. This is something which I experienced and would never want any student of my own to feel as low as I did back then. Throughout Secondary School my experience of maths was copying from a textbook and memorising formulas simply to pass a test and not have to be reduced levels again! Maths for me was a big stress factor within my studies and to help me deal with this my parents had a private tutor to try and overcome these worries. With this help it enabled me to eventually pass higher Maths – but really with still no understanding of what or why I had to learn these useless pieces of information.

After being in my first-year placement I found that maths was something that I enjoyed teaching the class. I got so much from the children when I could see they were enjoying more creative learning ways instead of simply copying from a textbook, I tried to use as many different creative ways as possible to help enhance my lesson plans. I feel that undertaking this module will help me further in finding more interesting ways to deliver maths to pupils as I become closer to my profession.

I feel like Maths anxiety is a common feeling within majority of pupils due to class teachers and schools setting expectations that maths is a priority subject and must be undertaken to allow for employment or further study at university. There has to be changes made to remove this negative stimulus that the word maths brings.

A big turning point for me already within this module was when we looked at tessellation or tiling, this is when shapes are composed of repeating patterns without any overlapping or gaps (Coolman, 2015). I would never have thought that “tiling” could be looked at as an act of mathematics. Tessellation can be seen every single day without anyone being remotely aware that it is around us – it makes up the floors we walk on, its in nature around us and even in food that we eat.  Having a partner who always doubts his learning abilities – especially in maths – but actually does tiling for a job and doesn’t realise that he is using maths on a daily basis. The word “tessellate” means to arrange small squares in a mosaic form. It originates from the Greek “tesseres” which means four. The first tiling’s were created from square tiles and created as an art form. Tessellation is very rich in mathematics and has ties with geometry. Cultures around the world have all encountered tiling at various levels of intricacy (Coolman, 2015).

There are however many different kinds of tessellation, these include; regular, semi-regular and other. If we look at semi-regular tessellation this is when two or more shapes are repeated to create the piece of art and only regular shapes can be used. Regular tessellation is when only one shape is repeated and all shapes have equal sides and equal angles. Other tessellation is when many different shapes are repeated and fit together smoothly, these shapes can even include curves (Math is Fun, 2018). Below are examples of these different tiling ways:

Semi-regular tessellation.

Regular tessellation.

Other tessellation.

After the input I went home and had a further conversation with him and his thoughts on his job being strongly related to mathematics. His first response was very defensive as he couldn’t see how “sticking things to walls or floors” could be maths! We discussed the measuring element he has to do daily to ensure jobs are completed to a high standard, we discussed how he uses different shapes and styles and creates patterns. Soon he came to terms with the idea that in fact he does use maths every single day without realising it and I believe that children need to learn from a young age that maths can be enjoyable and is used in many different ways – not just to pass exams.

Drawing upon all of this it is believe that children should take a positive approach to learning mathematics and this should be influenced through their parents, teachers and daily tasks. If we are able to decrease these negative opinions related to maths through the way it is taught by more supportive teachers creating les pressure on the children and develop more creative and enjoyable ways of learning maths. This will ensure children feel more comfortable whilst learning maths and will allow them to relate it to many different careers instead of just passing exams!

References

Coolman, R. (2015) Tessellation: The Geometry of Tiles, Honeycombs and M.C. Escher Available at: https://www.livescience.com/50027-tessellation-tiling.html (Accessed: 10 October 2018).

Ma, L. (2010) Knowing and teaching elementary mathematics: teachers’ understanding of fundamental mathematics in China and the United States. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/dundee/detail.action?docID=481154. (Accessed: 5 November 2018).

Maths is Fun (2018) Tessellation.  Available at: https://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/tessellation.html(Accessed: 5 November 2018).