"Oh you must be really smart then." This is the response I usually get when someone asks me where I go to school.These people think I am some genius, when really I am not that different from them, aside from the fact that I actually try. I am not one of those people who can get away with never taking notes, not paying attention in class, and still get just as good of grades as me. I have to do everything the teacher asks, and sometimes even go to my teacher when I don't understand something. I am not naturally gifted at math, but I do well in math class because I TRY!
It seems that ever since I was little, I have been surrounded by this idea that math is some foreign language. Math is popularized as being something that normal people shouldn't be good at. It always seems as if there is something about math that is hidden, that we cant see. When we type an equation into a calculator, and it spits out the answer for us, the majority of the time we have no idea how it happened. It seems like some magic trick that can read our minds. We rarely have to think for ourselves anymore. Between calculators, smart phones, and computers, we can search for anything we don't know the answer to and find it within a matter of seconds. Math is presented to us by the media as something that goes on behind the scenes, yet can be found in every aspect of our lives. Whether it is the simplest forms of math such as seeing that everything has a shape, or the most complex forms of math such as the technology behind the newest iPhone.
It seems to me that U.S. citizens aren't good at math, because we choose not to be. We choose to think that math is hard, and something that we are incapable of, when quite frankly if we were raised in a society that didn't present math as being impossible, maybe we would think that it was something more commonly achievable. The United States and the media need to stop complaining about how we are so bad at math compared to other countries, and instead maybe present math, and even school in general, as something that can be achieved if we set our minds to it.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Math and Peaches?
GA2:
In response to: http://jammnpeaches.blogspot.com
Math can be found in every hidden corner of everyday life. Even the most random things like an old experience with peaches.
Ms.Mariner's experience with not liking peaches can be paralleled to the way many students see math class. Its common knowledge that students like to get a feel for what they will be learning in math class and how their teachers will be. Most of us quite frankly get our mind set on the fact that we are going to hate math, it is going to be hard, and we will just not understand it, similar to the way Ms.Mariner knew she would not like these peaches, and most certainly knew that if she tried to trim those rose bushes, they would subsequently die.
Although the majority of students really don't like math, there remains an inside curiosity about how all of the math works, at least this is true for me. Curiosity can lead to great things, whether it be a student learning a new method of math or Ms.Mariner discovering for herself that cutting the rose bushes the way Barbara had recommended really can make a difference.
This is what leads me to believe that everything deserves to be given a chance, even math class. You never know, you may find your niche, just like Ms.Mariner and her jamm'n peaches.
This is why I like to approach math with an open mind. Although it is certainly not my calling, I do not hate it. I find it very rewarding to figure out a difficult math problem. Its easy to become frustrated with math for me, so I frequently find myself learning better through the powerpoint presentations we do in class. I am more of a visual learner, so for me seeing someone do something first, and then practicing myself is the most beneficial way of learning.
In response to: http://jammnpeaches.blogspot.com
Math can be found in every hidden corner of everyday life. Even the most random things like an old experience with peaches.
Ms.Mariner's experience with not liking peaches can be paralleled to the way many students see math class. Its common knowledge that students like to get a feel for what they will be learning in math class and how their teachers will be. Most of us quite frankly get our mind set on the fact that we are going to hate math, it is going to be hard, and we will just not understand it, similar to the way Ms.Mariner knew she would not like these peaches, and most certainly knew that if she tried to trim those rose bushes, they would subsequently die.
Although the majority of students really don't like math, there remains an inside curiosity about how all of the math works, at least this is true for me. Curiosity can lead to great things, whether it be a student learning a new method of math or Ms.Mariner discovering for herself that cutting the rose bushes the way Barbara had recommended really can make a difference.
This is what leads me to believe that everything deserves to be given a chance, even math class. You never know, you may find your niche, just like Ms.Mariner and her jamm'n peaches.
This is why I like to approach math with an open mind. Although it is certainly not my calling, I do not hate it. I find it very rewarding to figure out a difficult math problem. Its easy to become frustrated with math for me, so I frequently find myself learning better through the powerpoint presentations we do in class. I am more of a visual learner, so for me seeing someone do something first, and then practicing myself is the most beneficial way of learning.
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