Final Blog, Final Thoughts

So here we are. Final blog. Well, as far as I know, that is. And I must say, this class has been somewhat of a surprise. I had no idea that literacy was so important to think about as an educator, especially as a mathematics educator. The creative thinking that goes into incorporating literacy (all kinds of literacy, that is) has been a challenge but very enjoyable at the same time. I firmly believe that the abilities to read and write and think critically are all literacy skills that are important for the mathematics learners.

So, this week was about writing! Something quite bittersweet for me both now and in high school. I generally absolutely loathe writing. Mostly because it takes me so long to do! But, I have practiced it enough that my end result is usually satisfactory. I have set personalized practices in my writing process that work for me and the way I function. This was all learned in high junior high from a homeschooled writing curriculum and my senior year of high school in CP English. All of the advice and methods that seemed to work for me were for the most part mentioned in chapters nine and ten of the Hinchman text. I especially liked the part that talked about the “thinking” step in the writing process. This is a hard concept to teach to students. I remember learning it and feeling that it was a waste of time. Both my mom and my high school teacher was very interested in “brainstorming” using diagrams and outlines and mind maps. I remember being so skeptical! But, since I was forced to do these things, to brainstorm, to trim my sentences, to create first, second, and third drafts, I ended up creating my own personal writing process. This is what I want my students to create!

I want my students to be able to create a custom learning process. After all, as a secondary teacher, I consider it apart of my job description to prepare my students for higher education. And there is no spoon-feeding in college. You have to learn to read critically and take notes and study specifically. You have to have original ideas and reactions to the things you learn.

Now how, in a math class, can I help my students develop these skills? Well, the article I summarized and shared about in class had a perfect description of an activity that required reading, critically thinking, and application. The teacher had his algebra I students read and respond to articles that had to do with mathematics and/or problem solving.  Students began to take ownership of their writing, reactions, and creativity. Because of the relative regularity of the assignment, students created their own processes and timelines. Thus, repetition with some added adjustments to keep a task challenging and interesting is a valuable teaching strategy.  I think another practice takes the form of teaching others. Requiring my students to inform their peers about a topic or concept requires them to do research, be kept accountable by their peers, and benefits the students they will be “teaching.” This allows students to reveal their personalized strategies for learning which, for mathematics especially, can help other students tremendously. I remember doing this in high school with my peers. I would essentially reteach the topic using my own approach and strategies. It almost never failed to help the receiving party.

This class has opened my eyes to the importance of literacy which includes not just reading but digital, critical, writing, and mathematical literacy. All of which are important for students’ futures whether that be at a university, in the job world, in the military, etc. After all, the thought process behind literacy and mathematics skills are not just useful for the technical applications but reach into all areas life.

February 29 - Multimodality or Logic?

If you ask anyone who knows me, they could affirm that I love specifics and tend to be skeptical and frustrated with generalities. For example, I prefer a pastor to preach on a specific bible passage or talk about a specific problem and its specific solution instead of talking about general concepts and general problems and how we should generally change our lives. If this is confusing, ask me about it sometime, I'd love to explain. What I'm trying to communicate is that I would rather have you tell me straight about a teaching strategy using specific examples and clear, short definitions instead of a list of researched standards and clever pneumonic devices. I feel that the Hinchman text this week was full of this. It had paragraphs and paragraphs of big words and processes and standards that made for heavy reading and frustration. It left me thinking that I could have easily written that same chapter in a shorter and clearer fashion….and this is one reason I'm going into teaching. I’m often left feeling that I could explain something in a much better way than the teacher (or book) could explain. On the other hand, the Beers text was a breath of fresh air after struggling through the Hinchman text. It was specific, open for interpretation, and readable. And it conveyed the same information without dwelling on the theory and standards behind multimodality.

Okay, I just had to get that off my chest. My initial reactions to this topic is that, as a student and a recent high school graduate, multimodality does not blow my mind. It makes logical sense to use multiple forms of information besides straight text to teach something. Photos, websites, blogs, videos, podcasts, guest speakers, these are all ways of educating students about a concept or idea. I reflect on past teachers who have made an impact on me and I am able to tell you right away that these forms of education are so beneficial in helping students think about something differently and keep that something in their memory. The Internet is the perfect place to foster this type of instruction. Additionally, it would advantageous for educators to also take the time to teach Internet etiquette and safety along with taking advantage of its assets.

One thing that I appreciated that the Beers text mentioned was the sensitivity we need to have as teachers when requiring the class to use technology. Some students do not have Internet access or a computer at home. It depends on what school district and community you teach in. Always be aware that not every student has the same resources as the next.

All of this said, I write down a few ideas I gathered from the reading to use in my future mathematics classroom. One that stuck out to me was the podcast idea mixed with the class blog idea. Podcasts of students solving problems and/or explaining their personal thought processes could be shared between students to allow them to approach mathematics from different ways. This helps students see how they think about math versus how their peers think about math. Throughout the years, I could even have my class look at past class’s blogs. With students acquiring and using Internet skills, we need to take advantage of this.

February 24 - EAL

If Shakespeare and the scientific method were hard to learn, comprehend, and use in my own language, I can’t imagine how hard it would be to be taught these things in a second language! I remember learning the basics of Spanish in high school and realizing how daunting it is to learn a second language. There are so many idioms and phrases and rules and contexts that can not be easily explained between languages. You would think that this just applies to classes dealing with English and reading and writing and interpretation and poetry. But this can also apply to mathematics. Math has it’s own “language” and idioms and phrases and rules and contexts that are hard to master as an English-speaker. An EAL speaker, on the other hand, must not only master these aspects of math, they must also learn these details in a second language. One thing that many people forget (usually not teachers) is that English language learners are so incredibly gifted to be able to know two languages! I wish I could claim such a feat at this point in my life.
One thing that I connected from the texts to what we have been talking about in class was the importance of vocabulary instruction for EAL students. I have been thinking about and playing with an idea for teaching mathematics vocabulary for students in general but quickly realized that it would also be extremely helpful for EAL students as well. The basic design of the method is that students are asked to define (in their own words) the word, draw an example/visual of the word, and connect that word to other words. Kind of like a mind map mixed with a word wall. This helps visual and kinesthetic students learn the vocabulary in the proactive ways that cater to their learning style. Auditory learners on the other hand can also add a step in which they explain out loud, in their own words, the definition. This can be used as a homework exercise, as a review game, and even put on the test. I imagine that it would be especially helpful in a geometry class. For EAL students, this multistep process in learning a mathematical word can help the student visualize and process a frequent word instead of never learning the word and being confused by additional lessons involving the vocabulary word.
Another take-away from the texts deals with the way notes are structured. The Hinchman text emphasized how fill in the blank notes can be especially helpful for EAL students since this allows them to be engaged through note taking but not left behind. This reminds me of how Dr. Hathaway structures his notes. This is often a helpful method since writing down the definitions and theorems of mathematics takes much longer than the explanation and, before you are done writing the notes, the teacher has already moved on and you were not able to listen to the instruction because you were busy writing notes. If this is the struggle of a native English speaker, imagine the frustration of a EAL student!
The most important take away I got from the texts, though, is that each student is different when it comes to language, culture, personality, motivation, and level of learned-English. I also think it is important for us as teachers to know when we are ill-equipped for dealing with language barriers and seeking out resources to help us serve our students in the best way possible. I will be honest, teaching children who are not fluent in English is intimidating to me. But I know that being patient and keeping high expectations is key to helping EAL students succeed in the classroom.

February 10 - Words, Words, Words

As this class has progressed, I have been trying to view the content and teaching methods described in the texts with a mathematical lens. In other words, how does a mainly English/literature, history, and sometimes science based subject like reading apply to mathematics education. Since there isn’t much reading involved with math, I usually used the context of mathematics vocabulary to apply the concepts taught in class and through the texts. So the 7th chapters of Hinchmen and Beers seemed much more applicable than past chapters. This being said, there were some very interesting teaching methods that I would definitely apply to my future classroom.

The vocabulary teaching strategy that stuck out to me the most included that of a word wall. Both texts described the use of a word wall which I found helpful. I remember making word walls in English class. We would read the chapter and everyone was required to find a word that they were not familiar with in the text, define it, learn about it, and use a picture to describe it. This experience helped me learn tons of new words and develop strategies to learning new words. This got me thinking, why wouldn’t I apply this to a math classroom? Many units through out a semester (especially in geometry and trigonometry) contain many new and unfamiliar words and definitions. Requiring students to independently learn words and then share what they have learned makes a lot of sense! The Hinchmen text described a method called Teach-Teach-Trade (p 125) in which students learned a new word, made their own definition using both words and pictures, taught their peers the word and then traded words. Now, the exact methodology of this might not work perfectly well for high school classrooms. But a modified version would be perfect for those chapters heavy with unfamiliar vocabulary.

The basic strategy I think I would use is as follows:
• Teach a lesson normally. Define vocabulary using both the textbook definition and your own definition. Get students thinking about the words.
• Assess what students might need help understanding. Ask questions and check for understanding.
• Assign words or processes or equations to students. You could even let students pick their own words.
• Require students to define their respective words on a piece of paper using the textbook definition, their own personal definition, and a picture/visual representation of the word.
• Share the information with the rest of the class. Have students Teach-Trade. Put the words up on a bulletin board.

The more I think about the vocabulary wall I made in high school English, the more I think that the same strategy would be perfect for the rigorous vocabulary of a geometry class or the strange symbols and equations of calculus. I often feel that math class is hard when I do not understand the language of the subject. It’s hard for me to grasp. I can’t imagine how hard it would be for a struggling math student to be expected to just know every word used.

February 8 - Stand Outs

Blog #6

It seems to me that high expectations are the hot topic of education right now. Last semester, I took classroom management, and high expectations were one of the criteria of an effective teacher. I must say, I feel like this idea has been pounded into my head over the past two years. And I am so thankful for that! High expectations are so important! What I am trying to say is that the contents of this chapter were mostly a reminder of what I will have to live out as a teacher in the future. I didn’t learn anything mind blowing.

Holding your students to high standards no matter what seems like common sense when I think about it in terms of my high school experience. The chapter talked about the “dumb kids” and the “smart kids” or, in other words, the students expected to achieve and the students expected to fail. As a student, you can tell when a teacher puts kids in the categories the students to create. And I remember it would surprise me when one of these kids, doomed to fail, would reveal their true intelligence. It always happened in English class for me when I would proof read papers or listen to presentations or participate in discussion. My English teacher did a wonderful job of expecting the same quality of work out of everyone. It was inspiring.

So, one thing that the chapter touched on when it came to expectations was having faith in and developing students’ textbook reading skills. I don’t know where I yet stand on textbook reading in a mathematics class. I was never required to read the textbook in high school. The teacher would always teach the material and the textbook only served its purpose as homework material. Should I teach/require my students to read and comprehend the textbook in a math class? Often times, math textbooks are just frustrating, poorly edited, and hard to follow, even for me! But maybe this is because I was never taught how to read them. Like I said, I’m not sure where I stand there. I expect that this class will help me decide what I think about mathematics textbooks.

The final idea that stuck out to me was the concept mapping at the end of the chapter. I loved these! As a visual learner, maps and diagrams really helped me see the connection between ideas. I know that, at first, students will think that forcing them to use concept maps is purposeless and annoying. I remember thinking the same thing in English class when my teacher made us write outlines and rough drafts. But, because of the forced practice, I was able to develop my own writing process that I use to this day. It was all about learning different ways to learn and internalize information and then finding what works best for each individual. I want my students to be able to know what learning styles, studying habits, and organizational strategies “work for me.” Like the chapter said, personalization is the key to helping students become engaged and independent learners.

February 1 - Apart of a Whole

I’m going to be honest in this blog. I was having problems taking away useful information related to my area of study. The chapter focused on methods in teaching high school students how to read challenging texts. It high lighted the knowledge needed to tackle hard readings and some specific ways the authors taught their students ways to approach a text in their classrooms. Now, the content was full of very handy and useful knowledge for a literature or history classroom. I just felt that it lacked a substantial amount of information pertinent to mathematics literacy. I know that most of the readings in this class will be focused on literature, the humanities, and history. Despite this, I have usually found the readings to be applicable to my discipline, mathematics. This chapter, though, was a bit of a challenge. This all being said, I will share what I was able to take away.

One thing I noticed as I read about the skills and knowledge necessary for reading challenging text is that mathematical proficiency can actually be very helpful when reading in other disciplines. Besides the obvious mathematical knowledge section, there were the pragmatic and analytical knowledge and skill sections. A pragmatic reader will question the text to further understand it. This is a clear skill that you use and develop in mathematics. To find a solution, you often have to question and reason out the purpose before you can find the answer. And then, often times, you have to analyze how that answer can be applied practically. You develop these abilities by developing questions that you ask yourself as you solve a problem. And then, there’s analytical knowledge and skill. This section included the ability to read tables and graphs, both skill sets that are introduced and cultivated in math and science classes. So what’s the point of this? Well, it just goes to show that teachers in all disciplines need to be able to collaborate to help their students practice skills that are needed to read the challenging texts they will face in college and graduate school.

I have been thinking about and starting research in a few of my classes this past year. It has required me to read articles and studies that are full of highly challenging text structures and aspects. Often times, the language and vocabulary are above my knowledge and graphs, tables, and statistics are included. Conclusions and methods are very detailed and require focus and discipline to read. This type of reading is a perfect example of what a well-rounded student should be prepared for in high school.

Because of the research that most students will face in college, learning data and information retrieval skills are beyond important. Hinchman writes, “ In our current context, we relied heavily on the Internet, which meant that we not only need digital search skills, but also needed critical digital search skills. We checked and double-checked sources, assessing the sites’ provenance and checking the numbers across multiple sources” (p 218). In high school, I had a history teacher who assigned Timeline Projects in which he gave use events covered in the unit and we had to research the exact day, month and year in which the event occurred and put it in order. This required extensive research online and double and triple checking a date’s validity because not every website had the correct date. I learned which websites were trust worthy, how to quickly scan a search result page or a website for accurate information. I could not be more thankful for those projects because they taught me skills I have continued to use in my academic career.

So where does mathematics fit into this? Well, what I gathered from this chapter is that in order to help a student develop skills and knowledge necessary for reading challenging text, we need to collaborate with each discipline, mathematics, science, history, literature, etc. They are all intertwined.

January 27 - How Much Do You Remember?

Comprehension. Understanding. Recall and interpret.
These are the hot topics of education right now because it seems that, with the current system, students are not retaining the information that they learn. The consequence of this is wasted time spent reviewing and prompting and reteaching. The Hinchman and Beers text both discussed comprehension and ways to improve it. But they mostly focused on how to improve literacy and understanding in the humanities, literature, and history. As I read, I tried to keep in mind how the problems and methods pertained to a math classroom. How do we get students to learn the mathematical concepts on a deeper and more meaningful level? Can we help students retain the information taught in algebra two years before? Will students be able to take responsibility for their own education and success? I was getting excited thinking about the ways I can help my students become excited over math or, at least, understand it’s purpose and ways that they can improve their own abilities to learn and synthesize information.

Vocabulary
In class, we discussed text complexity and how to help our students approach challenging texts. Specifically, Katie and I talked about math text. We came to the quick conclusion that much of the challenge behind mathematics reading is the vocabulary which is often unfamiliar and unique to mathematics. Hinchman wrote about how students should develop a “multi-pronged problem solving process” (p 145) when it comes to vocabulary. Her process was quite broad since it sought to encompass all of the disciplines. I attempted to make my own process based off of her general one:

1. Logic and Inference
a. Students use general language logic to determine the meaning of a word. For example, the word “linear” sounds and looks like the word “line.” Therefore, “linear” must have something to do with lines.
b. It is also important to encourage students to attempt to infer a word’s meaning by the surrounding text. For example, a “system of equations” is a somewhat strange phrase to students unfamiliar with multiple equations. But, a student might look at the text and see that the problem has three equations or graphs and might infer that a system of equations refers to a group of equations.
2. Resource
a. Often times, a math textbook will have unfamiliar words highlighted and defined. It might take a student a few extra minutes to look up the word, but it is always a good skill to learn how to independently find unknown information.
3. Peer Collaboration
a. Asking/discussing a word’s meaning with my peers never failed in high school. Everyone’s brains work differently and someone is bound to have an idea of what a word or phrase might mean.
4. Teacher Referencing
a. If all else fails, asking the teacher never hurt. This could also be helpful for the entire class since it brings to light some of the confusion that might be plaguing other students.

These steps point a student towards independence when dealing with unknown words or information, a good skill to possess when peers and/or a willing teacher are not readily available.

Purpose
“What will I ever use this information for?” This is the dreaded question I used to be afraid of when I began to consider math education as my major. Many of the math concepts you learn in high school never actually translate to most real world applications and/or most occupations. These past two years have changed my mind on this a bit. Hinchman writes, “Other times, relevance is established because the content allows the student to learn about him or herself, such as how to solve problems or compose effective arguments” (p 147). I think it is vitally important to help students understand that mathematics is not just about learning equations and proofs and processes. It’s also about shaping your mind and thoughts to approach problems in a systematic, logical, and rational way.

Modeling
Both texts touched on the importance of modeling. Of course, teacher modeling is key to student success. Writing out examples and verbally explaining your thoughts as you solve a problem can help students create their own methods for comprehension. Besides this, student modeling can be another valuable tool. I plan to require my students to help each other with homework, teach/review a concept for the class, and maybe even assign a lesson for them to learn about and teach independently. Why? Often times, seeing how another student tackles a problem can illuminate the lesson for another student. And, students will put more time and effort in mastering a lesson’s material if they have to present it in front of classmates.

So what is the goal of mathematical comprehension? After reading the text and recalling past experiences, this goal, for my classroom and students at least, takes the form of recollection and independence. If my students can retain the information after the test and have some process to learn past or new information independently, I will consider my goals accomplished.

January 25 - Goals and Expectations

One concept that always seems to be brought up in every education related class I have taken is this: expectations are critically important. Education fails when we start to believe that our students are not bright enough to learn. I feel like this is often an unspoken problem. I remember in high school that my favorite classes were the classes where the teacher knew we were smart and expected us to adapt, infer, and learn as we went. The easy classes seemed a bit insulting, boring, and useless. And students have a knack for knowing if the teacher has high expectations or low expectations. So, when it comes to reading and literacy, expectations play a key role in developing a student’s abilities.

I have been trying to think back to when I was learning to read and what helped me become a proficient reader. After reading this chapter, it was clear that new challenges were one answer. I will never forget my attempt at reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin. It was the hardest book I had read at the time. I might have been in 4th or 5th grade; it’s hard to remember. The book itself was full of big words, challenging dialogue, and sometimes detailed imagery, all things that I struggled with. It took me months to finish the book. But it taught me dictionary skills, new words, and inference skills. The reason this book was so effective at developing my literacy abilities was because it was so challenging and beyond my reading level. Hinchman writes, “Quantitative measurement tools can be used no only to select texts based on a reader’s present level of ability but also to select texts that increase in complexity” (p 103). We must always be challenging ourselves if we want to improve.

If schools do not have high expectations, students often hit a “skill plateau” (p 108). I remember feeling as if I had hit this plateau in high school. I would consider myself an avid reader in high school. But, rarely, were we ever required to read outside the classroom. We usually read in groups or silently. I look back on that and I am disappointed that my high school education did little to prepare for the vigorous reading load of college. Hinchman quotes a CCSS document, “Most of the required reading in college and workforce training program is information in structure and challenging in content” (p 100). I couldn’t agree more! And was I ever exposed to the amount of reading or the level of reading that college? Absolutely not!

So , where does mathematics fit into this? Well, I was looking at the “Qualitative Measures o Text Complexity” and thought to my self, “How does this help me as a math teacher?” After all, most of the criteria on the chart was quite biased towards english majors. That being said, I attempted to come up with my own criteria for the four categories as they pertain to a math textbook etc..

Levels of Meaning:
• Lower Complexity
o Single level of mean; nothing hidden
o One process, concept, equation is taught
• Higher Complexity
o Multiple levels of meaning
o Interpretation required
o Teaching the different parts of a process
Structure:
• Lower Complexity
o Step-by-step is easy to follow
o All explanations can be easily seen by anyone looking at the textbook
• High Complexity
o Switches between words and numbers
o Multiple sections that combine to one answer
o Ex: Proof
Language Conventionality/Clarity
• Lower Complexity
o “Layman’s terms”
o All words and vocabulary can be understood by most everyone
• High Complexity
o Vocabulary is unconventional and must be introduced
o Word meanings and usage are unique to mathematics
Knowledge Demands
• Lower Complexity
o Can be read and learned with out previous knowledge
• High Complexity
o The information is built off of previously learn information

As I read the conclusion of this chapter, I asked my self this question: What are my Reading Goals in a Math classroom? After this first week of reading and blogging, I think I am ready to answer that question. Maybe not fully, but at least in part.

1. Challenging
a. I want my students to be challenged by what they read and learn. This is the only way to improve capabilities and confidence.
2. Independence
a. My students should be able to read a textbook or math related book independently.
3. Inference
a. If in doubt, I want my students to be able to make inferences from the text about what they should be learning, what the answer will be, and why the answer is important.
4. Analyze and Synthesize
a. Finally, my students will be able to analyze a situation, text, or problem logically and rationally as well as synthesize any and all information learned and come up with new ways to use information.

January 19 - Independence = Success

What is the goal of a middle school and high school mathematics education? Why do students learn math in the first place? There’s the obvious: they learn to use that information for future college classes and careers. But not everyone is going to need to know the equation of a sphere or SOHCAHTOA in the future. So, as far as I can tell, the two most broad goals of mathematics education are as follows:

1. To teach mathematics (i.e. the processes, terminology, and concepts)
2. To help students develop rational, logical, creative, and spatial thought processes

The second one is something I had not thought about until I arrived at college and began to learn upper division mathematics alongside education methods and philosophies. So many students complain about how they learn math and will never use that knowledge again. But what they don’t understand is that in the process of learning the formulas and word problems and procedures, that were teaching their brains good habits (as I like to think of it). And this is where literacy, including mathematical literacy, comes in handy.

Up until high school, my mom homeschooled me and my siblings. I loved the experience but also loved my time in high school and slipping in to the schedule of multiple classes and multiple teachers. One thing I learned while I was homeschooled was self-education. And this was one of the most important skills that my mom made me learn. In middle school, it was my responsibility to read the chapter, lesson, or textbook, do the homework, and ask my mom for assitance when needed. I did most of my school this way. From what I have experienced, learned, and read, the school system is not often like this.  The Beuhl text reveals the general trend of education in most classrooms, “Students rely predominately on teacher telling and explanation for their learning of new content” (p 41-42). And I experienced this in high school. I used to think that if the teacher didn’t teach us something directly, they had no right to expect us to know that information. But, as I have studied education and thought about my philosophy of teaching, I think that being able to learn something or problem solve independently is crucial to succeed in college and beyond.

Teachers are doing their students a disservice when their expectations are low and they do not teach their students to figure out new concepts on their own or with peers. The results of this kind of teaching are explained in chapter one of Beuhl’s text, “However, homework is predicated on independent behavior, when students are asked to independently do a task when they are not yet accomplished, they will likely fail” (p 28). The author goes on to highlight how many students have lifelines when they can not figure out homework or a project. These lifelines might take the shape of a parent, friend, or the internet. But not every child have parents always there to ask for assistance, readily available friends to collaborate with, or the taken-for-granted internet. This is why teaching students independent learning skills, especially in math, is pivotal.

I’d like to end with a final observation from chapter one where Beuhl writes about academic identity. I think it is safe to assume that if a student is taught to learn mathematics (or any other subject for that matter) or figure out homework independently, they would never say, “I am the kind of student who does not get math” or “I am the kind of student who will not understand even if I try” (p 7-8).

January 17 - Just Getting Started

Teaching Reading in Content Area is listed under “Required Supporting Courses” on my major class list. It’s listed on all of our lists, I’m sure. But my content area is math! I never thought about ever considering methods to teach/improve students’ reading skills. I will be teaching numbers, formulas and symbols after all. But, as soon as I think about the goals of education in general, having a game plan to nurture and grow my students’ reading abilities makes sense. From what I have experienced and read, education is not about stuffing as much information as possible in children’s minds; it’s about preparing them to live in a competitive world or, as the text called it, a “Flat World.”

One thing that struck me was the section in the text about Colin and his failing literature grade despite his flourishing blog. Beers writes, “She [the teacher] saw him as a ‘struggling reader and writer’ and someone who would ‘struggle with literacy in the real world.’ He saw her as ‘just completely out of it’ and having ‘no clue’ what he knew or could do” (p 10). Through this narrative and my own experiences in school, I feel that our education system and many of our teachers have failed to take advantage of students’ interests by pushing students to explore, analyze, synthesize, and experiment with topics of interest. The best way to help anyone learn is to get them interested and involved in the process. And we, as students, know it. But the question is, how do I as a future mathematics teacher ensure that my students develop the literacy needed to thrive in the working world? That is the question I want to often come back to as I blog in this class. I am not sure where it will take me because, like I said, I am not sure how reading is necessarily emphasized in a mathematics classroom. But I am excited and intrigued by the prospect.

The first chapter of Adolescent Literacy got me thinking about why literacy is important to consider in every classroom, including a math classroom. Chapter 10 was a bit different. The goals of our school systems seem to be focused on standardized tests and becoming proficient in each of the subjects.

But the real world isn’t broken into subjects.

To succeed in almost any job (not just survive, but to succeed), one needs to have a plethora of skills. This is why I loved chapter 10! It outlined some of the basic skills that a working adult needs in order to thrive in their workplace. Something that I have noticed since coming to college is this: universities generally teach these skills while high schools (and elementary schools I think…I was homeschooled before high school so I can’t say for sure) seem to neglect them. I have learned how to collaborate, synthesize and adapt through my experiences at Olivet than I ever did in high school. Why not teach basic life skills and tools in high school that prepare for the real world instead of “preparing students for college?”

As this class progresses, I’m looking forward to reading other math ed students’ blogs. I think sharing ideas is a wonderful way to build a strong future curriculum. So, that being said, as I read about the skills, I began to form ideas about how I can teach seemingly un-mathematical skills to my mathematics students in my mathematics classroom while learning mathematics. Beers writes about synthesizers and quotes Daniel Pink, “Pink insists that ‘it is the capacity to synthesize rather than analyze; to see relationships between seemingly unrelated fields; to detect broad patterns rather than to deliver specific answers; and to invent something new by combining elements nobody else thought to pair’ that will be valued and rewarded in the workplace of the future” (p 154). As a mathematics student, I somewhat disagree. I would almost argue that both synthesizing and analyzing are equally important. But I think that many mathematics teachers and curriculum are too worried about producing an analytical student instead of a well rounded student who can both find the correct answer and also connect that answer to other information.

Besides this, the biggest take away I received from chapter 10 further reinforced a part of my teaching philosophy and it was this: I want my teaching to enable by students to solve problems (and not just math problems) on their own, with others (both peers and adults), and with different resources. I think this philosophy has come in part from my homeschooling experience which I couldn’t be more grateful for. It is so important for an independent adult to be able to logically and rationally tackle problems from different angles. So many students try one method to complete a problem and, upon the first failure, they give up. The key is to develop skills that allow individual students to try again, learn from their mistakes, and seek our assistance when needed.

I could honestly go on and on about the ideas I had after reading chapter 10. For example, having students teach each other, learn how to organize their work, and personalizing a math project using their own interests and strengths are skills that came to mind while reading about the explainers, leveragers, and personalizers. It make me excited to think creatively about my future classroom and I am looking forward to how this class can help me develop my future students into successful, thriving adults.