Being a young, new teacher fresh out of Teacher's College is frightening! Now with the program being 2 years, it still seems like what you learn in practicum as a student teacher is not nearly enough and there is so much more to learn! And with this, so many things have changed since we were students - the internet has changed the way things are being taught from traditional math on a chalk board to interactive, online approaches, videos, and more! The learning curb is steep and even if an LTA presents itself, there's only so much time for us to prepare for it and then so much more learning comes with it.
Being a science teacher, I have never taught math (hence taking an ABQ). What is your advice for new math teachers? What are the best approaches? What are the must-do's vs. the things that might not need to be emphasized as much? I found a thought provoking article called Meet the New Math, Unlike the Old Math that encourages a new approach to math (written in the US). Away from teaching how to solve equations but more on how to analyze functions, as well as shifting more towards big ideas in the curriculum and having more communication about mathematics. The article is a bit long but quite an interesting read. Is this the approach that most math teachers frequent now? Or is the emphasis focusing on teaching concepts one by one from the curriculum? What are the best strategies to making math education fun and effective for all (student and teacher)?
Hi Joanna,
ReplyDeleteI am in somewhat the same boat as you. I just graduated and been hired and am now taking my ABQ qualification for Math. I completely understand you when you say it can be frightening because it is all new and there is so much information to go along with it. So much has really changed sine the time that I was in high school and the way students learn now has not only changed but only continues to evolve as time goes on.
I feel the need to always keep myself updated and look at new resources that would be beneficial and of interest to my students. Even though I have not been doing this long enough to give anywhere near great advice, the one piece of information that I can definitely recommend is to never stop learning ourselves. Always keep your education going and looking for more ways to engage and surprise your students. Researching online, asking colleagues and always keep an eye out for something new will keep you at the top of your game and always ready to tackle a challenge that you know will pay off in the end.
I wish you a lot of luck and success in your future career of teaching!
Hello!
ReplyDeleteI love this post! Being a first year teacher is an interesting experience. It is almost like being off training wheels for the first time! In my limited experience with teaching math, I noticed that you have to be flexible that there isn't just one way to teach math. Knowing your students and knowing that one method might work for one unit and not work for another. Flexibility is the most important thing I've learn and its okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them.
Thank you for your post! I am also a recent graduate with my teachables being within the Science field. Therefore, I can highly relate. I found the article very interesting in that it poses some interesting dilemmas in incorporating new strategies/curriculums. As a Science teacher, the connection to "inquiry based learning" was very relatable. Thank you to the writers of the additional comments - I think that one way that is highly beneficial is discussing with colleagues. Maybe even making a Google Drive for the department to utilize to share new resources they found?
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling the same way. Thanks for your post. The biggest contribution to my slowly elevating comfort and confidence is curriculum knowledge. With every reread of the content and familiarizing myself with unit by unit terminology and vocabulary I find myself feeling better. The other biggest thing that is now presented in the digital version of the 2020 curriculum document is the continuum, comparing expectations grade by grade. I know that this has nothing to do with teaching strategies, I'm only speaking to my own solutions. Thanks again for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I am a new science teacher who is taking the Intermediate Math ABQ, and to be honest, I am SO nervous about teaching math especially with all the new changes to the curriculum. In addition to that. it seems like it has been forever since I was in a high school math classroom, so I will take any tips that I can get.
ReplyDeleteI love how the article brings up the point "Less is more". I think this is something that all teachers should keep in mind, no matter the course! It's great to have rich, engaging mathematical activities, but make sure students can follow them!
Thank you so much for sharing! I will be sharing this article with a few of my colleagues who are also new teachers.