Exit Slip Oct. 21

I enjoyed our discussion in this class about gender and diversity in mathematics, it was so interesting. It is an important discussion to have as we try to create a space that is welcoming for anyone who is interested, passionate or curious about math. The videos that we watched in class were great introductions to diverse people who have been highly successful in the math world and can act as models for those who feel they may not have been represented in math up until recently. Although there was some debate about the video with the woman mathematician, I liked the video because I thought it (much like the video about the mathematician of Indian descent) portrayed her as a normal person not some kind of cave dweller with no friends. This is an important thing to do because there are negative stereotypes about people that like math and the type of person you need to be to do or appreciate math.

Inquiry Project Topic Sheet Oct. 21

 I chose this subject area because I have always been very interested in the curriculum, what makes some people "math people" and other not, and how we can use the tools at our disposal to create more engagement and personal interest in math. I have broken my topic down into three concepts accordingly. Exploration and creativity because I think students should have more free reign over what they are learning in their high school classrooms and the math curriculum can be a bit boring at times. Personal interests because I want to see what creates any sort of personal interest in academic subjects. And finally, making advanced math topics more accessible because I think that the BC curriculum is pretty limited in the scope of mathematics that it teaches and especially for young, eager students, I think there should be opportunities for exposure to more advanced topics. 

Response to Grading Practices, Entrance Slip Oct. 21

 Grading is a really tricky issue especially in math and the sciences where it is traditionally assume that there are correct answer and incorrect answers. Assigning grades to students can be a very subjective practice and when students are only given percentages or letter grades and no feedback or direction, the grade is of limited value in my opinion. I think it is good to give students grades to inform them about their learning, where do they stand? How much of the content do they understand? but those grades also need to come with direction for the student, where do you go from here? How can you improve in your weak areas?

Some of the limitations of grading become apparent because grades are a very binary 'right and wrong' type of assessment. They can give students the wrong impression about education and learning by discouraging students who perceive their situation to be hopeless or not worth improving. There is also a perception around what grades make which students successful or smart and they can also deter students from taking classes where they won't excel. A good education is a well-rounded one and a student that doesn't take an upper-level math class because it will destroy their GPA despite being interest, well that's a sad situation to say the least.

The new grading system being implemented in the secondary system by the ministry is a really interesting take on how grades are changing and how their role is transforming. I can imagine teaching a class and using something like that to grade my students. I think it is a much more effective way of guiding students on their learning journey.

Sept. 16 Make-Up Assignment Part 2

Two kinds of sundials

1. Horizontal sundial: The horizontal sundial is one of the simplest sundials and has been in use since at least the ancient Egyptian and Babylonian times. Obelisks in Egypt are thought to have once been used as sundials. The construction of such sundials is done according to the latitude of the location where the style height of the gnomon (the angle the gnomon makes with the perpendicular) is equal to the latitude and the angle separation of the hour lines can be done according to a formula.

2. Vertical sundial: Similar to the horizontal sundial, the vertical sundial is also constructed according the latitude of its location. This time the style height of the gnomon is also calculated according to a trigonometric formula as is are the separation of the hours lines. Depending on the location and orientation of the sundial, it will be restricted in the amount of daylight hours it can be used. For instance, a direct north-facing vertical sundial in the Southern Hemisphere will only be usable during the hours of 6AM to 6PM. Examples of a vertical sundial can be seen in Ireland in the 7th century.

Exit Slip: Oct. 14th

 I really likes the ideas presented in the videos we watched in class today. In particular the idea that math should not be associated with speed really stuck out to me because I am a slower learner and often a slow problem solver, I really like to think about the problems that I am tackling so that means I don't do well on tests where there is a significant time constraint. I also really liked the idea of grades not being a motivating factor for students. I think it's very true that students will pander to what the teacher wants to hear or pick the easiest route because it means they will get a decent grade or pass the course or whatever goal they are trying to achieve by being in a class. Some students learn just as much even with grades, so there is a diverse range of students and needs, but I think we need to think more about how grades are implemented into our classes and what they really mean for students. Another idea that I really liked from the videos is the idea of the growth mindset. It is very damaging to children and their education when they are engaged with a fixed mindset, ie. "I can't do math.". As teachers, I think it is our job to engage students in a growth based mindset and to ask the questions and provide the guidance that can get them to fully embrace a growth mindset. 

Entrance Slip Oct. 14

One of my main concerns as I am in the process of becoming a teacher is that I will lean too heavily on the methods and experiences that I have from my time as a high school student. When I went to high school, everything took place in a very traditional classroom with very traditional assignments; there was homework assigned from the textbook and we did a test every few weeks or so. This article talks about how there is so much more to education than the traditional "grid" based systems imported from western nation over hundreds of years. There has been a heavy focus on organization and homogenization of the education system and we are doing a disservice to our students by perpetuating the negative aspects of those systems. I don't think that we can completely reject the "grid" because there are useful aspects to it, however, I think the key is realizing that there is more beyond the "grid" that can be used to greatly enhance our teaching.

I agree with the  idea of an alter-global approach to education. I think this is a very powerful idea that can help students to veer away from the harsh hierarchies that are dominant in our social structure thus allowing them to think and learn differently. We need to seek a different kind of connection with our peers, our community and our global neighbours so this idea really resonates with me. I think that this connects with the swing dancing and parkour ideas presented in this article as well because they styles of movement are very different from traditional way of movement and therefore could be used as a metaphor for how we must approach global issues like climate change and how those issues can be integrated into the classroom. We must approach these issues differently and we must teach differently if we are to make progress in our education systems.

Reflection on Rope Making and Weaving: Sept. 23rd

I really enjoyed this exercise of making rope as it demonstrated to me how we can utilize an Indigenous way of knowing and integrate that into our mathematic education. This activity was also a really interesting activity because of how easy it would be to do this with a class and to link it to mathematical concepts. Encouraging kids to think about Indigenous ways of being and learning from the land is very important to me as our society is taking steps towards reconciliation so this is a way of educating ourselves and our students on such an important issue. I chose to also engage in the bag weaving project which provided a challenge to work out how the bag was constructed and to create a feasible method of creating a bag for myself. The progress I made on the bag is pictures.

Leaf Geometry Exercise Oct. 7

 Doing this activity helped me this about the patterns and elements of chaos present in nature and specifically how I could represent some of those aspects using simple geometric tools. My method was to to draw circles inside and around the leaf to see what patterns I could discern while also allowing for space to incorporate the jagged edges of the leaf that would require additional iterations to include in the construction.

Sustainable Mathematics Education: Oct. 7

"Issues of sustainability call for an interdisciplinary conversation. Mathematics educators can bring important perspectives to bear on this conversation, due to their familiarity with the vast network of metaphors, exemplars, applications, and algorithms that underlie proportional reasoning." pg. 21

This quote speaks to me because I personally love the interdisciplinary nature of math and I love seeing the way that math can be applied in novel ways in other fields. One of my own favourite topics of study is mathematical biology which also has a strong environmental/sustainability aspect which makes this quote even more relevant to me and makes me eager to share this kind of learning with my students.

"Sustainable mathematics education is about seeing the world anew through renewed mathematics. It is concerned not only with feeling large numbers, but also with feeling the global situation. It trades linear metaphors of certainty and separation for complexity metaphors of possibility and connection. It helps us relinquish our desire for deterministic predictability and embrace the contingency and stochastic probabilities of each living moment. It turns mathematics from a collection of objects, or a series of competencies, into an open-ended state of observing the world. It aims towards a more complete and appropriate mathematics, and from this position it calls on us to engage in ethical action for healing the world." pg. 25

I really like this quote because it describes mathematics in quite a beautiful way. It moves away from describing math as something rigid and cold to something that is highly applicable to the real world and applications that really matter. It is the language by which we can communicate ideas regarding all disciplines and create solutions for issues regarding the environment and sustainability. 

I will address the climate crisis with my students by discussing the mathematics of climate models, recommending books and other literature for them to read, and providing real applications of how math is used and specifically how the math they are learning can be used and will lead to even more interesting applications. Gearing projects and assignments towards this issue would also be a valuable way for students to put their minds towards this pressing issue and get them thinking and interested in the various fields that are involved.