Math Autobiography

What did mathematics in your classroom look like (kindergarten-grade 6)?

>The only thing I can even remember about math in the primary grades is the text/work book we had.....a soft coverd book which you could tear out the pages. It was full of color and lots of pictures to help you add, subtract, etc. which I loved. I am a very visual learner and having pictures to help guide my thinking really helped in learning math. I cannot remember having numbers and math problems around the classroom, usually the only time you would see math was when you opened you text book.

What is your best and/or worst memory surrounding mathematics in primary and elementary?

>The best memory I have of math was in grade three when the teacher would give us practice problems and I could slove them fairly easy; since I was not a great reader or speller it made me feel good to know I was caplable for completing a math problem. Sometimes I even got the chance to help out my peers who were having difficulty.
The worst memory was (I think in grade 5 or 6) when we were excepted to know our times table really good and heaven forbid if we had to use a calculator to make a computation. I remember knowing how to complete the assigned work but had difficulty calculating the numbers in my head so I would hide a small calculator in my desk and whenever the teacher wasn't watching I would use it to help solve the problems. Those math classes were a very anxious time because I knew if I got caught using a calculator it would be seen as cheating and you would be humiliated in front of the class.

How has this affected your views about mathematics now as an adult?

>I never really thought much about that experience until Mary said in class that some well known mathematicians can't do computations off the top of their head. That made me feel better because up until this point I thought that I wasn't as competent because I couldn't rime off every multiplication.

Were you good or not good at math? How did you know this?

>I thought I was pretty good at math because it seemed to come pretty natural for me and I always got good grades on tests.

What was the role of the teacher in your math classes?How do you think they felt about mathematics?

>I can't really remember much about math in the elementary grades only that the teacher would assign us work from our text book then s/he would circulate around the classroom to see if we were working or had any problems. The best teacher I had for math was in grade 12, she did a lot of math courses in university and truly enjoyed math. She would teach us math through examples on the board and if anyone didn't understand it she would do it another way in hope they would be able to learn it, if not she was always available to help and encouraged her students to work hard and keep trying. I believe this teacher was one of the only teachers I had that truly loved math and loved to teach it.

What did assessment look like?

>Most of the assessment for math throughout my schooling was done through assignments and tests.

Tell briefly about math in high school.

>Math in high school was really bad until grade 12, up until that point the "main" teacher who was hired to teach the class was never there. This was his last year of teaching and he must of had all of his sick days saved up and used them during his last year. Everyday we would have a new subsitute and to make things worst we were beginning the new math program and it seemed no one knew how to do it, not alone teach it. Math started to really get on my nerves and was more of a head ache then enjoyable (like it use to be).

What math courses did you take in university?

>The math courses that I took in mun were 1090, 1000 and 1051.

Did you take any math electives?

>Not sure I guess 1051 was an elective but I basically did it to try and 'up' my marks.

Do you / did you engage with mathematics in your life in major ways?

>I don't really know....

How do you feel about mathematics now?

>I love math....I enjoy working on math. I tutor math to my sister-in-law and I really enjoy seeing someone who finds math difficult succeed in math....it is very rewarding to know you have helped someone understand math.