Why do you teach math?
11/14/17
I have been battling with a big question for a while now. Why did I choose mathematics? I ask that of myself a lot, and I try to challenge my colleagues with the same question. The number one response I get from other math teachers is that it was easy for them. I fell into this category for a long time. I now have a different answer, but want to first address my thoughts on the "easy" group.
If math was easy for you, do you really understand it? Procedure is easy for you. You understand how to follow a set of directions in a particular order, but do you really understand mathematics? I struggled with this for many years. I loved math in school. I was doing Algebra in 6th grade. Numbers made sense to me, procedure was easy to follow. That was until I got into geometry. Why was this class so different? Why do we as a profession tell people you might be good at algebra but bad at geometry and that is ok? Do you really understand the math?
I had to find the answer to this or it was going to end my career. I was falling into the trap of "do it my way or its wrong." I hope none of you reading this are that way. if you are, I challenge you to rediscover true mathematics. I tell my students now that I see math the way I think Beethoven saw music, or Michelangelo saw art, Shakespeare saw the written word. I love it. Not the procedural solving we teach in our classes; no, I love the mystery of the numbers. It is my goal to start every class with a question that might lead us as a class into uncharted areas. I love telling my students "I don't know of this is going to work, but lets look at it and see." I feel like we are experiencing mathematics the way the ancients did.
The problem that opened my eyes to this magical world was a simple problem I found on the website www.nrich.maths.org. The problem was about multiplying by 11. We all know the basic rule, multiply 11 by a single digit number and you just write the single digit number twice as a double digit number. We might even take the time to memorize 11 x 11, 11 x 12, perhaps even 11 x 13. But did you know there is a pattern that allows you to 11 x 2,378 without pencil and paper or a calculator? This started me thinking about all the problems we teach. Is there meaning in the structure? Is there a pattern that is created that we can discover and find meaning in? In other words, is there a deeper meaning to the study of mathematics than just solving for a variable and boxing my answer?
I challenge anyone who reads this to really ask yourself, why do I teach mathematics? If we want to change the impact mathematical education has then we need to start with us. I teach it now because I love the puzzle. I love not always knowing what is going to happen and needing to rely on my ability and knowledge to trust we can find an answer. I love seeing students struggle with patterns and structure, rather than reteaching step by step procedure. I am not a computer programmer, I am a math teacher.
If you have any problems you use to ignite problem solving and teach thinking and not procedure please share. I am always looking for new and exciting problems to use with my students.
I have been battling with a big question for a while now. Why did I choose mathematics? I ask that of myself a lot, and I try to challenge my colleagues with the same question. The number one response I get from other math teachers is that it was easy for them. I fell into this category for a long time. I now have a different answer, but want to first address my thoughts on the "easy" group.
If math was easy for you, do you really understand it? Procedure is easy for you. You understand how to follow a set of directions in a particular order, but do you really understand mathematics? I struggled with this for many years. I loved math in school. I was doing Algebra in 6th grade. Numbers made sense to me, procedure was easy to follow. That was until I got into geometry. Why was this class so different? Why do we as a profession tell people you might be good at algebra but bad at geometry and that is ok? Do you really understand the math?
I had to find the answer to this or it was going to end my career. I was falling into the trap of "do it my way or its wrong." I hope none of you reading this are that way. if you are, I challenge you to rediscover true mathematics. I tell my students now that I see math the way I think Beethoven saw music, or Michelangelo saw art, Shakespeare saw the written word. I love it. Not the procedural solving we teach in our classes; no, I love the mystery of the numbers. It is my goal to start every class with a question that might lead us as a class into uncharted areas. I love telling my students "I don't know of this is going to work, but lets look at it and see." I feel like we are experiencing mathematics the way the ancients did.
The problem that opened my eyes to this magical world was a simple problem I found on the website www.nrich.maths.org. The problem was about multiplying by 11. We all know the basic rule, multiply 11 by a single digit number and you just write the single digit number twice as a double digit number. We might even take the time to memorize 11 x 11, 11 x 12, perhaps even 11 x 13. But did you know there is a pattern that allows you to 11 x 2,378 without pencil and paper or a calculator? This started me thinking about all the problems we teach. Is there meaning in the structure? Is there a pattern that is created that we can discover and find meaning in? In other words, is there a deeper meaning to the study of mathematics than just solving for a variable and boxing my answer?
I challenge anyone who reads this to really ask yourself, why do I teach mathematics? If we want to change the impact mathematical education has then we need to start with us. I teach it now because I love the puzzle. I love not always knowing what is going to happen and needing to rely on my ability and knowledge to trust we can find an answer. I love seeing students struggle with patterns and structure, rather than reteaching step by step procedure. I am not a computer programmer, I am a math teacher.
If you have any problems you use to ignite problem solving and teach thinking and not procedure please share. I am always looking for new and exciting problems to use with my students.
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