My Inquiry Question:

I knew before coming to Korea that the beliefs in math education were very different from my own, however experiencing these differences was much more eye opening.

I observed so many students using algorithms and talking about math as numbers to be memorized. Parents were sending their child to academies after school so that they can "advance in math." They often expressed concern and frustration about what they believed was happening in the classrooms. Teachers were working furiously to cover the standards and desperately trying to manage the wide ranges of ability they had in the classroom. Each day the gap between the Korean and Non Korean student understanding widened.

After several months of experiencing what math was like in Chadwick, I wanted to know more. I started building relationships with students and teachers. I set out to read a little more about the history of Korea and why there is such a huge push for school after school. Through these experiences I came to wonder how I could help the community understand that math was more than numbers, memorization and standards.

While I know I cannot change an entire culture in the two years I work here, I at least believe that I can give the community opportunities to engage in math differently than they have in the past. Even if I have one person think differently, I know it has been a job well done.