I struggled greatly with math anxiety through my years in school.  As I look back and reflect on the feelings of animosity that I held towards math, I realize that they were cause by the fear of making mistakes and not understanding how the concepts applied to my life.  Considering these personal experiences, my two greatest goals when it comes to math instruction will be:

• Create an environment where my students feel comfortable making mistakes.  

• Provide the students with real life examples of each math concept, so that they can see how it applies to their life.  This will help them to understand math concepts better and help them see the importance of learning the skills.  

Many of my beliefs about math instruction stem from the thoughts of famous psychologist, Carl Rogers.  Carl Rogers developed a theory known as Unconditional Positive Regard.  This theory focused on the idea that children learn through unconditional acceptance and understanding.  Having unconditional positive regard for someone means that you will never see any child as "less than" based on their mistakes.  It does not mean that you accept all of their behaviors, but that you can see and connect with them on a level deeper than the surface.  Teacher's must create an environment where students know that the way they are viewed and their value will not be affected by the mistakes that they make. 

Everyone can remember a time when someone made them feel like they were less than because of their mistakes.  Teachers need to make students understand that it is okay to make mistakes.  They are not an unfortunate event, but a new opportunity for learning and growth.  Math is a difficult subject.  Mistakes are bound to occur.  The way a teacher responds to a students' mistakes will shape their feeling towards math.   

As every teacher knows a child's favorite question is "Why do we have to learn this?".  While this question may seem redundant and rude at times it is valid and deserves to be answered.  Students aremore likely to be motivated to learn a skill when they see its importance and how they will use it in teh real world.  In addition, to students feeling more motivated by connecting math skills learned in the clasroom to teh real world, they will also have an easier time understanding and relating to the concepts.  I plan to relate every mathematical concept that I teachg to the real world.  I will do this through role play, word problems, stories, peer discussions, and visual representations.  

Math is repetitive subject where it can be easy to fall into the routine of rinse and repeat.  While it is important that students understand arithmetic, it is equally important that they understand why the procedure makes sense.  They need understand how it works.  It is important that teachers focus on enhancing students conceptual understanding as well as their procedural understanding so that students know when and how to apply the math skills that they learn in school in real-world situations.  

The number of English Language Learners in the elementary classroom is rapidly growing.  This is why it is important that teachers ensure they address a variety of English proficiencies and variety in culture.  I plan to do this in my classroom by relating to teh mathematics being covered to real world situations that apply to all cultures.  I will also cover key vocabulary at the beginining of every unit with the inclusion of visuals.