tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816441863716070776.post8414686818656613758..comments2024-03-11T02:46:16.799-04:00Comments on ABQ Math Blog: "Not a Math Person"David Petrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16551690042242217798noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816441863716070776.post-37481154644756793012012-06-07T00:51:32.843-04:002012-06-07T00:51:32.843-04:00I think we have all at some point in our lives tol...I think we have all at some point in our lives told ourselves that we don't like something or are not good at something. I think as educators it is so important to demonstrate perseverance, especially to our students. I like to continuously make reference to my own experiences in my own classroom to show my students that regardless of how I feel about a certain subject or thing, I have the confidence to try my best and not give up. I think as an educator we need to show our students that we believe in ourselves, and that we believe in our students. Just as Damian Cooper said, we need to strive for excellence in all taht we do and believe in the potential for all students to learn. If we can do this, then our students will believe in tehmselves.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09519680423368866921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816441863716070776.post-1991875668397119652012-06-02T22:52:06.420-04:002012-06-02T22:52:06.420-04:00I think that statement is one of the most common p...I think that statement is one of the most common phrases that I hear from my students which is second only to the comments "I am not good at math" or "I can't do math". My normal response to ALL of these questions is the same... "Well you have never had me as a math teaher before". They usually laugh it off but before they know it I've chipped away at them enough that their confindence builds and they begin to come around to the dark side. I find most of the time that is is their confidence in doing math is what the problem is not the thinking/problem solving skills. It is the fear of trying something and being wrong or having to put a little effort into it. I hate hearing a student respond to getting a question worng by saying "ug.. Im so stupid". I am always quick to tell them that they are not stupid they just made a mistake and we all make mistakes. They just need to have the determination to try it again until they get it. People dont learn to walk in a day, nor do they learn to walk in the same amount of time and math is no different.Melissa Kraussehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05806267264793251088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816441863716070776.post-30056387991675308452012-05-21T19:56:40.622-04:002012-05-21T19:56:40.622-04:00"Not a math person"... this is something..."Not a math person"... this is something I use to say and truly believe. I think the opinions and feelings teachers have towards math can have a huge impact on the students they teach. Some teachers teaching all subjects at the elementary level may not consider themselves to be a "math person" and this can have negative consequences for the attitudes students have toward the subject. <br /><br />In elementary school I remember some of the teachers I had and although they never said anything about not liking math, it was obvious that when we were doing math it wasn't something they were passionate about. As educators we need to do everything we can to learn and grow in order to become equally as passionate about every subject we teach!Christine Gibsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12398428623221597540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816441863716070776.post-33351742836239679732012-05-18T00:39:34.207-04:002012-05-18T00:39:34.207-04:00Opinion is another type of blog post and one of th...Opinion is another type of blog post and one of the great things about blogs. They are yours to say what ever you wish.David Petrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16551690042242217798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816441863716070776.post-57138714973114161852012-05-08T17:55:35.463-04:002012-05-08T17:55:35.463-04:00I had the privilege to attend a math PLC where one...I had the privilege to attend a math PLC where one of the guest speakers was from the Ministry of Education. He too discussed how students ability to understand math is all based on how we teach them. He then proceeded to give us an example where we were on a new off world planet and that math as we know it has changed. He then proceeded to tell us that tens were now actually composed of 5 units He showed us with building blocks. So twenty building blocks were called 40 on this planet. (4 groups of ten) Anyways, the point I am getting at is that we need to always remember that we are starting with these kids from the bottom up and that "not being" a math person is not an excuse. We all have difficulties. (At first I was confused by this Ministry guy's approach) However, with patience we can supersede difficulties, take risks and become more confident and proficient.Liam Bauerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18039232370798863689noreply@blogger.com