Mathematics is an area that I have consistently struggled with throughout school and has continued into adulthood. The difficulty and negative experiences that occurred as a child impacted how I viewed and achieved in mathematics. I believe I perform at an average to below average skill level when completing mathematical tasks and struggle to attempt higher level activities. Simple maths that I find relevant to my everyday life I view as very useful and is an integral part of my life. Mathematics components such as algebra and quadratic equations are seen as not relevant and a waste of time as they are not utilised in everyday living. In school, I achieved high academic results for English and English-based subjects such as History. This resulted in being drafted into higher level mathematics classes although my performance and abilities within mathematics were below average. Constant inability to achieve good grades and predominant failure or barely passing created a negative disposition and unwillingness to try which inhibited further academic achievements. For the Mathematics Competency Test (MCT) I expected to achieve around sixty percent. For the surveys, I expected them to reflect an attitude of low confidence and strong negative disposition towards mathematics. The MCT results differed from what I expected. Due to previous experiences with maths tests I expected a low grade no higher than 60% and actually scored a mark of 82%. Upon completion of the MCT I realised I
2. Describe the pattern of growth in the “Number of people told” column for both Scenario A and Scenario B.
List Mathematical Guiding Principles from California Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CA CCSSM) and describe in your own words the importance of these principles
My first failure discouraged me to the point where, I felt like I would never reach an advanced math level again. The lack of self-confidence that resulted from my sub-par math scores soon began to negatively affect some of my other classes. I quickly realized that the trend had to stop. I worked diligently to achieve what, at the time, seemed unattainable. My change in the outlook of my repeated failures helped me to finally succeed. Throughout the course of the last two years, I have grown more self-aware in my study habits. I push myself even harder when I think I have done the best I can.
Throughout my education I excelled in every subject, until I entered high school. I began to take more rigorous courses and my grades began to drop. The coursework was a dozen times harder than any other courses I’ve ever taken and I struggled greatly. Instead of taking one AP course my junior year, I took three: English Literature, Physics 1, and Psychology.
The math is something that people usually hate on school. But i don't. I always had facility with calculations. And my love for numbers increased when I firts won a certificat of merit on OBMEP (Brazilian Olympiad of Public School Mathematics).
Math has never been difficult for me. I think math has always been one of my strongest subjects. I think this because when I was younger I spoke Spanish first and then my parents put me in an all English speaking school and the only thing that didn't change for me was math. I never struggled in math through middle school because I always found it easy so my teachers would give me harder work than others. In the past when I struggles on a problem I would get frustrated really easy. I still get frustrated when I can't get something correct because I feel like I just want to give up and not try anymore. I would try to quit but then I remembered that if my parents found out I would get in trouble so I continued to do it. I wouldn't quit on it,
The clock ticked by quietly, as my 6th grade teacher Mr. Parson rapidly went around the classroom to pass out the math tests. Sweat was dripping off my face and I could not stop fidgeting with my fingers. Mr. Parson smiled as he came to give me my math test. I smiled at him nervously. I slowly looked at my test score and grinned. Thankfully, I received an A on the test. (#15) Sometimes I was a little lazy and wasn’t really successful as a 6th grader. Other times, I was always working hard and earned good grades. Because of my friends, teacher, and older sisters, I was able to find success in 6th grade.
After thought, I remembered my poor fifth grade math performance and thought about why I did better in the years after. I falsely concluded that I became more hardworking and proceeded to apply that solution to my present problem. I attended as many after-school study sessions as I could, and did every question in the book. On a few occasions I even found more online resources that could help me evaluate my knowledge and increase it. The culmination of my efforts succeeded, even though they were based on a false assumption. I had grown as a
I found not only Consumer Math but Geometry to be the two most difficult areas in which I struggled the most. In realizing this, I sought out the necessary help needed in better grasping the two different subjects of math. As I have later come to notice, my family often times does not understand me when I voice to them that I enjoy figuring complex equations out. Often times, they will ask me to solve a problem for them because not only do I enjoy it but I am able to figure it out with more ease than they are. When I was younger and even now, I will sit and figure things such as my bills and paychecks out to a penny. I use to have notebooks full of math figures that I would try to solve just for sheer entertainment along with a dozen or more Sudoku books that I have either worked on or completed. To me, Math is a way to relax when to most other people it is found to be a bit stressful. I love how Math allows you endless possibilities to continuing education. With the knowledge of numbers, you are able to obtain a job in a multitude of professions. Math opens the door to so much insight into ones personal as well as professional
Remember going into second grade and fearing those one minute division tests? I remember very clearly how afraid and intimidated I was. I panicked because I was scared that I was not going to get a good grade on it. To my surprise, I did not get a high score on it compared to my classmates. I was devastated because I had tried really hard on it. After that, I hated math until seventh grade. Math was my worst subject, and I acknowledge I was terrible at it. I hated it so much that after years of hating it, I developed a passion for math. After some years of practicing math, I fell in love with it. Entering middle school, Algebra was introduced. I loved Algebra because I was not only adding numbers, I was solving for certain variables at the
I have always considered myself a mathematician; however, that did not keep this subject from being difficult. Math has a glorious way of growing you up. For me, it began in the first grade where I was introduced to the multiplication table; my instructor used to test us with mental exams and I remember enjoying it like I was playing a game and winning.
Sometimes, it seems that other students effortlessly understand everything that's put in front of them. That's not the case for me. I try extra hard at everything and try to avoid thinking my obstacles are greater than other students’. I always strive to make sure that I am doing what’s needed to offset my academic weaknesses. I seek help from my teachers and tutors, always spending the extra time needed to perfect my homework. Fortunately, my passion for reading, writing and verbal communications has paid off. While math and science are very hard for me, I’ve been able to build on my interests and do well in English and history.
I received a C in my first semester of Algebra 2 freshman year and was mortified, too ashamed to speak of it. When I opened my mail-home transcript, I felt as if I were watching my college dreams wither away. It was my first year of high school, a scary indicator of how my math career would pan out the next few years. After my meltdown, I relaxed and wondered, why did this happen? I had five As. What exactly was I doing wrong? After some self-evaluation, I realized I had an issue with math as a subject. In middle school, I only received a B in geometry, which should have given me the idea that I might not be ready for the next level. This is the cliché “denial” phase, where I was making excuses instead of accepting what had
In today’s society mathematics is a vital part of day-to-day life. No matter what a person is doing at home or at the workplace, he/she is constantly using different mathematics skills to simply function. Then what does this mean for mathematics education? When someone needs to utilize a skill every day then he/she needs a strong background in the skill. Therefore, today’s students need more than a just a working knowledge of mathematics or enough knowledge to pass a test. Today’s students need to understand how mathematics works and how to utilize mathematics skills in the best way possible.
Mathematics, like every creation of man, have evolved without really knowing how far you can get with them: the scope of the computer, physics, chemistry, algebra, all are evidence of this. Every aspect of our culture is based in some way or another in Mathematics: language, music, dance, art, sculpture, architecture, biology, daily life. All these areas of measurements and calculations are accurate. Even in nature, everything follows a precise pattern and a precise order: a flower, a shell, a butterfly, day and night, the seasons. All this makes mathematics essential for human life and they can not be limited only to a matter within the school curriculum; here lies the importance of teaching math in a pleasure, enjoyable and understandable way. Mathematics is an aid to the development of the child and should be seen as an aid to life and not as an obstacle in their lifes.