Posts Tagged math teacher
Mathematics Word Problems – What If You Asked the Question First
Are you a math teacher? Are you a parent of a child or teen who is taking a mathematics course? If yes to either question, then I’m sure you’ve seen students struggle with word problems. It’s so frustrating to watch and we want so badly to help them.
A perennial complaint of mathematics teachers is that students are unable to cope with word problems. This inability to deal with such problems often becomes a major stumbling block to success in mathematics courses (Nolan 1984). National trends in mathematics problem-solving, as measured by the 1986 National Assessment of Educational Progress, indicate that students, even 17-year-olds, have difficulty solving word problems (Dossey et al. 1988).
Is Mathematics For The Left Brain
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is a drawing-instruction book, first published in 1979. In her book, Betty Edwards, Professor of Arts at California State University, builds on the then novel theory that the two halves of the brain function differently. The left hemisphere is responsible for verbal, abstract, symbolic activities. The right hemisphere serves for synthetic, holistic, intuitive perception and information processing. Under normal circumstances, the left hemisphere is the more active of the two. The book offers a series of exercises designed to subdue the rational, left side of the brain while firing up its right, imaginative part. The book carries the subtitle of A Course in Enhancing Creativity and Artistic Confidence. In the preface to the second edition (1989), the author describes how surprised she was to discover that, in the 10 year period following publication of the book,
… individuals and groups working in fields not remotely connected with drawing have found ways to use the ideas in my book. A few examples will indicate the diversity: nursing schools, drama workshops, corporate training seminars, sports-coaching schools, real-estate marketing associations, psychologists, counselors of delinquent youths, writers, hair stylists, even a school for training private investigators.
Overview on Degree Programs in Mathematics Education
Are you one of those who are looking to make career as a mathematics teacher? If your answer is yes then there various options to become mathematics tutor. Either you can follow an education degree at the master’s or bachelor’s degree level and have your regular education training in math, or you may even earn a math degree at different levels and then have training with the necessary coursework. Nevertheless, if you are already a mathematics teacher and looking forward to advancing your career then selecting a degree program in mathematics can be the best option. These days many colleges and universities in the United States are offering mathematics education programs that may further help you improve your individual proficiency.
Generally, a degree program in mathematics education primarily focuses on math-specific education training along with the general education necessities that are necessary for every professional licensure. The degree programs can be broadly categorized into two sub-categories, mainly the bachelor’s and master’s degree. The bachelor’s degree in mathematics education focuses on a science prospectus along with math-focused tutor training. In addition to this, the bachelor’s degree program primarily includes learning of mathematics in different areas and provides mathematics major as a specialization. Apart from all this, the master’s degree program basically emphasizes on K-16 schools and methodology or the way students are educated in mathematics. The program can be very beneficial for you if you are a licensed teacher. Moreover, the coursework includes studies in math-centric topics and classroom administration.
How to Teach Mathematics
I once asked a math major what integration meant. The question must have caught her by surprise since she stopped, looked at me and said “I don’t really know, but I did get all A’s in Calculus.”
Math teachers are notorious about introducing a concept with abstraction before explaining the relation it has with real life. Take the first day of a typical college Analytical Geometry class; the teacher introduces the class by drawing a graph on the board and asking, “Is that a relation or a function?” Relations and functions have different properties and the question is legitimate, but ‘you lost your audience professor’ – except for the top 3%. This is because most of the students have no concrete concept of functional or non-functional graphs. First, explain what function vs. relation means and then let the class try and create both.
A great rule of thumb in getting your point across to people is to draw a picture of what you are talking about. I thought I knew this completely until I ran across an Algebra problem given to us by a good Math teacher in Freshman College. I usually whipped through the Math homework with ease but I found myself stuck on this problem. It was a simultaneous solution of only three equations but composing the last equation was not happening! So, after an hour of getting nowhere, I said, “This is one for the teacher.”