As semester 1 draws to an end, I have decided to round off by reflecting on the last 12 weeks of discovering mathematics. Over the course of the module my understanding and opinions of mathematics have changed drastically, and this has truly surprised me. As someone who would say they struggle with maths anxiety, I was not quite sure what to expect from the module and in all honesty, I began to wonder what I had gotten myself in for the closer it came to the start of the semester. Surprisingly, I found myself really enjoying and taking an interest in mathematics, which I never thought I would say after my horrific experience of higher maths in high school which left me scarred for life (or so I thought) .
Coming into the module my opinion on mathematics was that it was all sums and textbooks. Throughout this module my previous opinion has been proved completely wrong. Through various inputs on ideas such as maths in art, puzzles and games, sport, and music, I now have a new appreciation for the creative applications of mathematics. It has proved that mathematics can be fun after all and its not just textbook pages and tricky equations. These inputs have also shown me the importance of fundamental mathematics within various elements of our society, which I had never really considered before. By learning and investigating maths in a fun and relaxed atmosphere, this module has also helped me to begin to overcome my maths anxiety.
Through studying Liping Ma’s (2010) Profound understanding of mathematics, I have also become much more aware that a deep understanding of mathematics is not just being able to answer every question right. A profound understanding of mathematics is understanding concepts, procedures, ideas, and how these are all interconnected and build upon each other. I am now aware that a fundamental understanding of mathematics is essential as a teacher, to be able to teach maths effectively and pass this understanding onto pupils.
Looking to the future
Within my future years of both being a student teacher and then ultimately a teacher within my own class, I will take forward what I have learned from this module. I believe that my new opinions and understanding I have gained through this module will have made a massive impact on my future practise and the way in which I approach and teach mathematics. I now understand that in order to teach mathematics effectively, you need more than just the knowledge of how to answer every question in every maths topic, you need a profound understanding of fundamental mathematics. I intend to continue to develop my own profound understanding after this module and by doing so this will continue to reduce my anxiety towards maths and allow me to teach it the best I possibly can. After seeing how maths can be made fun and creative by relating it to various different applications, I wish to explore this further within my practise and in my lessons by making maths as engaging as possible and getting away from the idea that maths is hard, boring and will never be needed again once school is over. I’m sure I will use many of the ideas we have looked at throughout this module to demonstrate to pupils how maths can be creative and how it is used in various aspects of our life which we don’t even realise. Overall this module has benefitted me greatly going forward, and despite my initial dread of what it may include I feel I definitely made the right choice.
Maths isn’t so bad after all!!!
References
Ma, L. (2010) Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics: Teachers Understanding of Fundamental Mathematics in China and the United States. Anniversary edn. New York: Routledge.
