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Category Archives: 2.1 Curriculum
Stigma of mathematics
Maths. Some people love it and others not so much. However I had never stopped to consider why until the recent mathematics inputs with Tara Harper where she did a few exercises to help us see the myths and stereotypes surrounding the subject. In one of these examples we were asked to draw a line and after we had all done so Tara stated that she found it interesting that we had all drawn straight lines. Had this been a different class such as art she believed we would have all been more creative however since this was maths no one did so. Although I did not necessarily agree with this, I did understand the point that she made. Many people do view mathematics as a duller subject and one which caused worry due to the “right or wrong” aspect to it, however it is actually more important and useful than we often realize.
Mathematics involves problem solving, something that each of us does every single day, normally without even realizing. Furthermore maths is a universal language which everyone in the world can understand and use to communicate. After receiving these inputs I now understand that mathematics is more useful than most of us believe and this is something I intend to teach my future pupils.
Jump, turn and achieve
Upon reading my timetable and seeing the word “Dance” written on one of the slots I felt surprised and confused as to why. As someone who has been passionate about ballet since the age of 5, I felt confident to take part in this workshop however was unsure of how this class would be useful as a future teacher.
After arriving at the class my confidence quickly vanished as I realized that there were very few similarities between my experiences with dance and what this workshop would entail. We were asked to take part in various activities involving travelling across the room, working in a group and performing a short series of steps that we had come up with. While it was good fun, I did not really understand the reason for these activities until much later when reading the experiences and outcomes for dance on the Education Scotland website. Through reading these I was given a new perspective on the need for dance in the curriculum and how it benefits all children on an educational level, such as:
- Dance allows children to be creative and express how they are feeling without words.
- Children can work in partners or groups, strengthening team work skills such as talking and listening.
- It raises confidence as they perform for a group of their peers and watch others performing, allowing them to give and receive constructive comments.
However, something that really resonated with me was that this workshop I took part in was accessible to children of various dance abilities unlike the dance I have always experienced, allowing more children to feel involved in the class and enthusiastic to take part.
