Math blog #19
Observation:
Teaching math is EASY???
Reflection:
Before entering the classroom, I was very fearful of the possibility of having
to teach math. I always assumed that it would be too difficult for me to teach
because of how long it has been since I have taken a math course. I thought
that I would only confuse students by trying to explain concepts to them that
were foreign to me, and that they would ask questions that I would not be able
to answer.
Reflection on reflection: What I found was the total opposite of it. I found it
was slightly more difficult for me to teach my main subject area of English to
them than it was to explain math. Due to the fact that I have studied English
for quite some time, it almost seems to come naturally to me. It was difficult
to have to break down concepts and the reasons why we use commas in certain
places and when certain words change from only adding a “y” to “ies”.
When
it came to teaching math, it was a lot easier, because I was learning somewhat
at the same pace of the children. I had to explain to myself why we did some
things, and it made it easier to explain to them the same way. They seemed to
understand exactly what I was saying, too! …Which was a relief. This first
experience of teaching math was a positive one and gave me confidence to teach
math in the future. My advice to any other teacher fearful of teaching math to
students would be to inform them at the beginning, and continually remind them
that you are not an expert. Tell them that you will try to your very best to
learn the material and teach it to them to the best of your abilities. I think
that if you show them that you are always learning too, that they will mimic
your efforts and try to do the same.
WOW!! You've opened a can of worms. Why do you think it was more difficult to teach English than Math? Several thoughts come to mind. One of the first is that because you have a thorough understanding of English it comes very easily to you. You naturally assume it should come easily to your students. Consequently you may be teaching ideas too quickly. Think about this.
ReplyDeleteAn even more important factor is that in your example you are teaching a "silly" rule in English. The teaching of rules or teaching by rules is very difficult. IT requires memory and often is irrelevant. Think about this and see if it makes some sense to you.