I teach four different math classes: Algebra Essentials, Algebra I, Algebra II, and Trigonometry. Many of my students are intimidated by math and do not enjoy it. They do not see how what they learn relates to the real world. My goal as a teacher is to change attitudes toward my subject as much as it is to teach math.
I believe with the appropriate materials in my classroom I can encourage my students to see math as more than a set of problems.
I would like my students to read about math. It is hard to have interest in a subject that seems only applicable in school.
My other goal is get my students out of their seats and moving during math class. I like to get them up and working on the whiteboard but my board space is limited. Many of my students like to do their work on a whiteboard and then copy it onto paper. My youngest students especially need the opportunity to get out of their seats. Having white board space for them to work on will allow kinesthetic learners to stand and move around while doing math and it promotes collaboration amongst students.
My Project
As a math teacher, I am often asked where certain topics are applied in the real world. This is especially true with my younger students. Instead of me telling them, I would like to have Scholastic Math Magazines in my classroom so my students can read about math and how it applies to their world. I have a few samples of this magazine in my room and the students will pick them up and just read. I had one student tell me that when he first started reading, he didn’t realize that he was reading a magazine about math. He was interested in the magazine because of the picture of a meercat on the cover.
I need easel whiteboards so that my students can work in groups around my classroom.
There are many times that my students work together on problems but my individual whiteboards are too small to accommodate multiple part or complex problems. I would like to be able to spread the students out around the room and give them problems to solve in groups. My students love writing on the whiteboard and presenting their work. Having more boards around the room will allow my students to spread out and allow for more students to be participating at the same time.
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