Tabitha Lamont
Altering Our Mindset to Assist Students to Love Mathematics
Whether you grew up in the 1960's, 70's, 80's, or even the 1990's we can all recall what it was like to sit in our mathematics classrooms. Our desks were traditionally in a row one directly behind the other, sitting forward just to see the backside of the persons head that was in front of you, the teacher at times with their backs towards you as they talk to the board; or those rare occasions where the teacher is actually facing you but reading off the projection with little to no eye contact with you or the rest of your peers. There was no collaboration with your peers and asking your teacher for assistance was more like a chore to be done after school, and asking questions in class would almost make you feel as though you just asked the teacher to explain the meaning of life.
As an adult who grew up during this period I have always been told it is 'just because' and 'to do it this way because that is the rule'. We need to alter our mindset towards mathematics completely to assist the current and future students to love mathematics and enjoy the simplicity of it. If we fail to change the way we teach; we run the risk of falling deeper into a hole that we cannot get out of. Therefore we are unable to develop an out of the box-thinking concept for our adults of the future.
Far too often I've always come across someone who asks me 'what are you going to school for?' When I reply that I want to be a math teacher, 90% of the time I am always confronted with the same statement 'Oh wow, I hate...