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I am comfortable teaching in various settings, from libraries to kitchen tables. In the picture to the left, I worked with people in a factory setting for several years. I was brought in because they needed to incorporate themselves into the changing times of technology. Learning to use a computer was the first step to higher job satisfaction and internal hiring for more technology-based positions.
I am comfortable teaching in various settings, from libraries to kitchen tables. In the picture to the left, I worked with people in a factory setting for several years. I was brought in because they needed to incorporate themselves into the changing times of technology. Learning to use a computer was the first step to higher job satisfaction and internal hiring for more technology-based positions.
"I do not believe in 'working' with math, so in this class, you are going to learn how to play with it instead!"
This is how I usually start my math classes. I believe this is a very important distinction. To "work" with something implies blood, sweat, and tears, all which contribute to math phobia. The "fun" has been stripped away, and replaced with dry textbooks, "plug and play" formulas that lost meaning, and teachers without a sense of humor.
I have used altering a recipe to teach proportions, Skittles and M&Ms to teach graphing, and even brought homemade Play-Doh to an interview once to demonstrate how I teach fractions. Math surrounds us every single day. I believe it is my job to help students see the math that permeates our lives using real, contextualized examples of learning.
Recently, I completed the first two courses of the Vermont Mathematics Initiative, Math as a Second Language, and Functions and Algebra. In these classes, we tackled everything from turning subtraction into addition problems to solving linear equations. I also learned why we "switch and flip" while solving dividing by a fraction: it's a reciprocal! I loved taking these courses, as both my knowledge and comfort level of math increased greatly.
By being in the position of learner, I enriched my store of empathy for my students. Knowing how stressful a math test can be truly helped me relate to many of my students who needed a fortifying breath--or push through the door--to begin tackling their academic fears.
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