Sept 20 - My Mathematical Path

1) Something that really reached me as a math learner at any age.

I always loved how each math problem had one right answer. There were many ways to approach and arrive at a final answer, but I loved how logical each method was. Once I developed an understanding of the material I was always able to find a solution. I loved the satisfaction of finding THE solution. It was a reward system that truly worked for me, I felt the accomplishment of solving a problem, which made me want to continue working.

2) Frustrations with math learning.

I struggled with math in third year university. I reached a new level of math that was no longer algebra or calculus, I began learning concepts I had never before seen and I struggled to understand. The only way I survived my third year of math was by seeking as much and all opportunities for extra help that I could possibly find. I went to all office hours and all tutorials and all lectures, I asked other students for help. Then by fourth year I had reached a much better understanding of the new concepts I encountered and even if I didn't, I knew what resources to seek in order to fill the gaps.

3) Math teacher you want to emulate.

When I was a kid I remember my Mom always helping me with various math homework. My Mom is brilliant in math and is the reason I think I truly learned to appreciate math. Her enthusiasm about math helped me gain excitement in my learning too. I also really appreciated her perseverance when trying to solve problems. She would work and work and work on a problem if she could not solve it immediately and I feel as though watching her helped me develop my own persistence when solving problems. I learned that not all problems were going to be easy, but that I could always solve them it would just take some time and hard work. I learned by example when my Mom helped me with math.

4) A math teacher whos ways you want to avoid.

Although I loved the example my Mom set for me as learner, she did struggle with teaching techniques. Although she was brilliant at math, she struggled to find a way to explain it to me sometimes. She was often used to a rigid way of thinking and had difficulty explaining it in different ways when I could not understand what she was saying. So from this I learned that it is important to understand each individual student's needs and try to find a variety of ways to explain a problem that might not follow the typical instructional methods, even using something like metaphors or pictures.