Math Reflection

Leila Turner

In order to properly teach mathematics in elementary school you need a wide

range of knowledge. This includes how to create a concrete understanding of operations and their
functions in math, all the aspects of Base Ten, fractions, geometry, decimals, measurement, and
the knowledge of how to assess and teach in ways that show the students' understanding. Math is
a difficult subject to teach because it is a subject that is often feared. My math classes, Math 107
and 207, have prepared me by teaching me tools for myself to better understand and therefore
teach core concepts. These classes do not just teach you math concepts but they also teach you
just how to teach the content.
I think one of the most important concepts that I got out of my math classes was
deductive reasoning skills when taking tests. Deductive reasoning has helped a lot and it will
definitely help when teaching children how to problem solve. I have always had a lot of anxiety
when it comes to math because my mom hated math and my sister hated math so I grew up
surrounded by people who feared it. To this day math is still my weakest subject because of this
anxiety and fear of it but I know it is way better than it was before.
I feel well prepared in the areas of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division,
base 10 operations, and basic algebraic forms and expressions. I am also prepared for teaching
measurement as well as graphing. I feel less prepared in geometry and fractions as well as the
more complicated concepts like statistics and probability. I am very aware that my content
knowledge for math is severely lacking but I know with a lot of hard work I can get better. Not only will
my credential courses help me but I will also utilize my dear friend Eva who has been wonderful at
helping me understand math better.

For my portfolio I will use my math lesson plan, my math reflection, as well as a photo
and description of a game I did with kindergarteners that focused on comparing objects and describing
them based on size. This game was a way to introduce measurement and comparison of data. My work
samples demonstrate my math knowledge by showing that I understand the content as well as how to
teach it. My experience with math has never been the most positive but I am confident that my feelings
about math will just continue to improve as I get more experience and practice teaching it,