End of Term Reflection

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What I have learned

This course helped introduce me to the vast body of literature about mathematics education that exists. It has been motivating to see that there is a history of reform and continual research amongst academic institutions, and that often practicing teachers are involved in this research too. I hope to continue reading as part of my ongoing professional development. I also find some of the theory very interesting! I've also learned that it's important to stop and solve a fun problem every once in a while! Having the little problems interspersed with the readings was not only educational in how we think about problems from our "teacher bird" and "student bird" perspectives, but they were also just really fun and having fun is encouraging. 

How my ideas have changed throughout the course

I think that I have opened my mind a bit more throughout this course to the possible efficacy of less conventional methods of teaching mathematics. Although the planning can be difficult, there are countless interesting ways to connect curricular competencies and content with areas of interest. I'm also more inspired to try out "thinking classroom" practices in the near future than I was before (I didn't know the name behind it either).

Suggestions to improve the course for next year

I don't have many suggestions for improvement as I was very pleased with the course overall. Here are my best stabs at some suggestions (though these experiences may have been more personal than universal).

One suggestion might be to keep all due dates for blog posts aligned with the scheduled class meeting times (like the day before, for example). I think this was usually the case, but there were a few Wednesday or Thursday due dates for homework that caught me by surprise (balancing 7 courses, part-time tutoring, and practicum, and already being slightly disorganized, this made for a challenge).

Also, I think that fewer required blog posts but deeper reflections on a more occasional basis might be nice. Many times this term, I felt like I was just getting into an interesting reflection or discussion, but then had to pack up and move on because there was a long list of small tasks that never seemed to end. I think it's good to spot ways that we can disrupt that pattern.

All things considered, thanks to everyone for a very fun year! I will be posting my unit plan tomorrow or Sunday night - thank you very much, Susan, for giving us an adequate amount of time to complete this during these busy last few weeks!! Happy holidays and see you January 4th :)

Comments

  1. Susan Gerofsky31 December 2020 at 14:24

    Thanks Adam! I appreciate your observations and suggestions, and I'm glad that the course was a good one for you. Happy New Year, and looking forward to seeing you next week as we start our 451 class.

    ReplyDelete

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