Sara Brisby

MIAA 350

My overall question for this class was, How can my own mathematical
understanding insure student understanding and achievement. For my reflections, I
decided I would interview other grade levels and ask them questions about their
understanding of math and how they think it affects their teaching and their students. I
interviewed three first grade teachers, three third grade teachers in our district, and an
algebra teacher. For reference, here are the questions I asked all teachers, K- Algebra
1:
1. What grade do you teach?
2. What math do you teach if you are single subject?
3. What are your memories of math growing up? (Do you remember specific things you
did? Doing a lot of worksheets? Projects? Did you like or hate math? Were you good at
it?)
4. Do you think those experiences have played any part in how you teach math now?
5. What professional development for math have you had? Has it been valuable to you?
6. Is mathematical discourse part of your day? Do you get your kids talking and
discussing math daily?
7. Do you feel your math curriculum is effective? Do you have to supplement?
8. How do you engage students?
9. How do you feel about teaching math?
10. How do your students feel about math? Do they get excited? Are they getting it?
Reflection K-3
None of the first grade teachers had very many memories about math. The ones
they did were just of worksheets, or opening to a certain page and doing problems.
Some did well in math, others didnt understand it, but they got through it. All of them
supplement their Envision curriculum with things such as, Making Math Real, or coming
up with their own materials. All of the first grade teachers said they really like math and
enjoy teaching it. They relate it to real life problems, and get their kids to enjoy it through
their own excitement. Some read literature related to the lesson or make a game that
goes along with it. There is frustration in the lack of available materials to use, but they
do the best they can. They feel like even though their kids are excited about math, and
like the activities, the high ones are still getting it, while the low ones arent.
The third grade teachers have similar memories of math growing up. Worksheets,
being frustrated as they got further along in high school, no projects. Others hated math
and struggled. They all said they now enjoy math. One would teach math all day if she
could. They have all had professional development that has helped them. Making Math
Real and a professional development on math with Satindeer really helped with making
math conceptual. They all create their own materials, or use online sources as well as
our district curriculum. They try and engage their kids by showing their excitement and
focusing on academic language and activities to help cement the concept. All of the
teachers agree there is a mixture of student levels in their class. Some love math, some
are performing at the first or second grade level, so it is difficult.
I understand as a teacher myself, we have limited time to come up with all of the
different lessons for the different subject areas. When trying to use our own enthusiasm
and even love for math, it is difficult to find time in the day to come up with engaging
activities, and valuable lessons. These first grade teachers dont have many memories
of math as kids, but have somehow found an excitement for it now. They try and make it
memorable and engaging for their students. Knowing the content well is key in teaching.
You know more strategies, and it helps in looking for supplemental materials. You know
exactly what you want to teach and how to teach it. Its just a matter of making it
engaging and valuable for your students.


Reflection 4
th
grade (1
st
reflection)
My own experience with math growing up was rough. I remember crying most
nights because I wanted to do well. I got good grades, but I studied all the time to
understand. I remember my brother making fun of me for trying so hard at home and
working with my dad every night. I hated math with a passion. I wanted to draw pictures
for everything and teachers made me solve the problem their way. I could memorize
formulas for days as I was excellent with memorization, but I remember asking, why?
and never understanding. I think my memorization got me through school. I dont
remember projects, or fun assignments; just hard work that I hated. As a student at
Delta College, I went into my professors office everyday after class. He would get out a
golden color piece of paper and go over the days work again. I am so thankful for that
man because I finally got it at 21 years of age. I vowed I would become a teacher and
make sure every kid just like me would finally feel successful in math. I still draw
pictures with my students. I can explain it with formulas now too, but pictures and
diagrams are my thing. Most of my kids are excited about math, and so many of them
have made great improvements this year.
I think with the math classes I am taking, I am making my own understanding
even better. I am seeing new ways of solving problems, and seeing how the grade
levels relate to each other. I can easily go back in a lesson to a skill a student needs,
and I am better at moving other students forward. There are always lessons we are
doing where I can tell them the value of what we are doing for math further down the
road.
It makes it tricky to supplement our curriculum, but it is very valuable to spend
the time to do so. I see some of my resource students understanding math and
answering questions and it makes me even more excited about planning for them.

5
th
grade (2
nd
reflection)
I interviewed a 5
th
grade teacher, asking the same questions. She disliked math
growing up and didnt have very good memories of it. She still does not care for math,
but is trying to understand it better. She has taught 3
rd
, 4
th
, and now 5
th
grade. She
relies heavily on the teaching manuals and high students in class to help. She
supplements, but finds it difficult to find good material. She tries to get her students
excited about math, but with her own lack of excitement and experience, it makes it
difficult. She hopes that the longer she teaches 5
th
grade, the more she will learn, and
the better she will be able to explain things, or give more strategies.
I found this interesting because here is the first teacher who says she doesnt
care for math, and has a hard time with it herself. She works hard to understand it, but
struggles. Relying on the text to explain and teach can be tricky. Sometimes manuals
are wrong, or they give the wrong answer. If students have questions, does this mean
she cant give a thorough explanation? Does she encourage her students to ask
questions? What if the manual doesnt have the answer, or what if one of her students
cant help?



High School-Algebra
The high school teacher I interviewed teaches various high school math classes.
She loved math as a kid and did well at it. She thinks it helped her when her teachers
were excited about math. She doesnt remember anything standing out about how she
learned, or doing projects. She feels that on days she does direct math instruction, her
past experiences have been helpful and relies on them. She tries to use other methods
and get the students to do more problem solving. She has had very valuable
professional development in math and is constantly thinking of the ways she can
implement the new things she learns. She has students present daily to get them talking
about math, and uses the curriculum, with some supplemental materials. She feels that
engaging high school students is tricky. She asks a lot of questions to get them thinking,
and uses group time to get them to problem solve. She has a variety of students. Some
have given up on math awhile ago, others like it and do well.
As students get older, and math gets more and more difficult, it is essential to
have a solid understanding of the content you are teaching. You cant just get by on
manuals, or trying to talk your kids into loving math, like we can at younger grades. You
have to have a deep understanding of math, and like this teacher, continue to learn how
to be a better teacher. I think her own love and understanding of math growing up, and
her continual growth and development, have helped her with teaching older kids. I
wonder if all teachers of high school or college have positive memories of math growing
up. Not memories of just doing okay in math, but of loving it and excelling early on and
into their own high school experience.