Omne Trium

For the past three years of my high school career, and now my fourth, I have made it an obligation to continually expand my horizons in regards to math; when I cannot fully grasp an idea or concept, rather than giving up, I relentlessly pursue the idea until it is understood. During freshman year, math did not come easily to me. I was forced to go in early some days because, simply, I did not comprehend the concepts. However, taking initiative with my school work, and constantly working through problems that were difficult can be deemed one of the best decisions I have made. Although my final grade may not have been an

Algebra is a critical aspect of mathematics which provides the means to calculate unknown values. According to Bednarz, Kieran and Lee (as cited in Chick & Harris, 2007), there are three basic concepts of simple algebra: the generalisation of patterns, the understanding of numerical laws and functional situations. The understanding of these concepts by children will have an enormous bearing on their future mathematical capacity. However, conveying these algebraic concepts to children can be difficult due to the abstract symbolic nature of the math that will initially be foreign to the children. Furthermore, each child’s ability to recall learned numerical laws is vital to their proficiency in problem solving and mathematical confidence. It is obvious that teaching algebra is not a simple task. Therefore, the importance of quality early exposure to fundamental algebraic concepts is of significant importance to allow all

I come from a family of critical thinkers and problem solvers and ever since I was young I was put in situations where I had to use my critical problem solving skills or had to answer any questions my mother threw at me. Some of these questions would be the application of math in real life. I would have to calculate change and taxes on things my mom bought or calculate the sale percentage on an item. As a kid, I thought these were another one mom my mother’s ploys to my life about learning. When I look back I wish I could go back and tell my 8-year-old self to pay attention because this real-world application of math is something I wouldn’t explicitly learn in school. Throughout my primary and secondary schooling math and I would have a love hate relationship, often being a class dreaded though sometimes offering a sense of wonder and excitement.

My passion for mathematics was fixed at the age of ten, on the morning that my mathematics teacher told I would be sitting the Junior Maths Challenge, 'as practice for when you are older'. As I nervously started to answer the questions, a whole world began to open before me. I revelled in the problem solving, answering questions of a nature I had not seen before. My teachers were delighted when I emerged from the exam hungry for more. Since then I have consistently demonstrated my aptitude, achieving gold awards through to senior level, and scoring highly in the European Kangaroo.

In the article, “13 Rules That Expire,” by Karen S. Karp, Sarah B. Bush, and Barbara J. Dougherty, the three authors discuss thirteen of the most commonly used tricks, tips, and strategies that do not promote a full understanding of mathematics. Furthermore, this promotion of shortcuts and alternatives that are commonly steering children to misunderstandings as they grow and expand their knowledge in a higher level atmosphere. These strategies are that discussed in the article are taught in elementary and middle school levels. However, once these rules are taught and established they tend to expire around grade seven and up when children start learning complex multistep problems. The overall content of the article is accurate when

Every day, mathematics is used in our lives. From playing sports or games to cooking, these activities require the use of mathematical concepts. For young children, mathematical learning opportunities are all around them. Knaus (2013) states that ‘Young children are naturally curious and eager to learn about their surroundings and the world they live in’ (pg.1). Children, young and old, and even adults, learn when they explore, play and investigate. By being actively involved, engaging in activities that are rich, meaningful, self-directed and offer problem solving opportunities, children given the chance to make connections with their world experiences (Yelland, Butler & Diezmann, 1999). As an educator of young children,

Imagine being given a math problem, such as, 7+7. Most people would do simple mental math to get the answer fourteen. But in American education millions of kids are forced to solve these problems with a concept called “number bonds,” and being restricted to one way of solving is greatly reducing creativity in American kids. Not only has this change in education caused stress in children of all ages but also in their parents who greatly struggle with helping their children on their homework because they don’t understand the new concepts.

As a student, I always enjoyed math. In high school I took all of the offered math classes, including Calculus. The first math class I took in college was a breeze, and I thought that this one would be no different. What could I learn about elementary school math that I did not already know? Contrary to my expectation, the first day of class, I learned things about math that had never been brought to my attention. This paper will discuss what I have learned about subtraction, about students, about the Common Core State Standards, and how my concept map has changed since my first draft.

Prior to Math 2414, my knowledge of mathematics consisted primarily of the math courses that I completed at Salesian High, Sierra Academy of Aeronautics, and Alvin Community College during the fall, spring and summer semesters. During my four years at Salesian High, I completed three math courses, which included Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry. My education began with Algebra I, which focused primarily on linear equations and eventually taught me the basics of solving quadratic equations. Upon completion of Algebra I, I proceeded to Geometry, which centered on the basic elements of geometry and taught me how to use the Pythagorean Theorem. The highest level math class that I completed in high school was Algebra II. The Algebra II course further

students eyes to a world of mathematics that they never before could have even began to

There is a metaphor about math education which posits that doing math is like painting, and yet most students focus on whitewashing fences rather than examining pieces by the great masters of art. Up until taking calculus in high school, my thoughts about math rarely strayed beyond fence painting. However, I was lucky enough to get a passionate high-school calculus teacher who made it a goal to introduce us to Van Gogh, Salvador Dali, and the like. From such introductions I began to build my own sense of mathematical curiosity and build internal motivation to explore deeper problems than fence painting. As a result, I have come to a place in life where I believe that making a career of math research will be the true path to my own eudaimonia.

Math, being one of the essential skills for the civil society to develop and progress, its importance does not require further explanation. As we become more technologically dependent, technical reasoning is needed for survival. Mathematics is no longer just a subject taken by the elite. Now it has rightfully become a staple in our educational systems even though many people do not appreciate it until it is needed. Throughout the course of MATH124, I have learned many skills and knowledge that helps me not only mathematically but also overall development.

In the third grade, I was given a complex problem in Math that gave the amount of times someone blinked, and wanted to see how many times I blinked in a minute. The rest of the class was stumped and turned to me for the solution. At that time we were learning the beginnings of multiplication, and I started applying it to everything. So for this problem, I began to apply multiplication, noticing trends in the data, and ended up doing Algebra, something I never learned, which the teacher was dumbfounded to see. The teacher explained to me that she did not expect anyone to do it the way I did, rather they would just count how many times they blinked in a minute, but she was still impressed. A couple of years later, we were dealing with more

When we read Tough’s (2012) How Children Succeed in class, some of my classmates were shocked by Spiegel’s frank and harsh tone with students. A line from her blog reads, “ ‘I said some amazing things to kids, including ‘You can count to two, right? Then you should have seen that!!’ and ‘If you are not going to pay more attention you should quit chess, because you are wasting everyone’s time.’ ” (Tough, 2012, p. 119) When Spiegel says, “ ‘Most people won’t tell teenage girls...that they are lazy and the quality of their work is unacceptable’ ” (p. 120) most people would respond, ‘Well,

Maths is ubiquitous in our lives, but depending on the learning received as a child it could inspire or frighten. If a child has a negative experience in mathematics, that experience has the ability to affect his/her attitude toward mathematics as an adult. Solso (2009) explains that math has the ability to confuse, frighten, and frustrate learners of all ages; Math also has the ability to inspire, encourage and achieve. Almost all daily activities include some form of mathematical procedure, whether people are aware of it or not. Possessing a solid learning foundation for math is vital to ensure a lifelong understanding of math. This essay will discuss why it is crucial to develop in children the ability to tackle problems with initiative and confidence (Anghileri, 2006, p. 2) and why mathematics has changed from careful rehearsal of standard procedures to a focus on mathematical thinking and communication to prepare them for the world of tomorrow (Anghileri).