In order to become an effective teacher, you must be able to reflect on experiences that you have had, both negative and positive, This, in turn, will help you learn and grow as an educator. Part of your reflecting should also come from your own experiences during your primary/elementary years. When it comes to memories of mathematics, I unfortunately have very few, and those that I do have are mostly from grade 5. From what I can remember, mathematics was somewhat an enjoyable subject for me, even in high school.
Math class, throughout primary/elementary, and even high school, was mostly always the same. We would sit in our desks (sometimes, solo, other times, with a partner or a group) and take notes and listen to the teacher speak and teach us about any particular concept. When the teacher finished the lesson, we were assigned work to do, as practice, from our math books or a work sheet. This was always uninteresting and boring. I feel that in order for any deep learning about a subject, or concept, to occur, the lesson should be interactive in nature. Learning through doing engages students and grasps their interest in the subject. What I can remember really liking about mathematics in primary/elementary involved using blocks, geoboards, and other various manipulatives.
My best memory in math comes from grade 5. My grade 5 teacher was very reflective. She made sure to listen to her students and strived to meet each of her students' needs. I remember that she developed a group called the "matheletes", for students who grasped the concepts of the current math focus quickly and were looking for a greater challenge. As part of this group, during a regular math period, we would be given a series of questions and then go to the library to work on the problems together. This memory particularly sticks because it made me realize how important it is, as a teacher, to be aware of your students, to listen them and to meet their needs. If students are bored with the material they are working on, they tend to not want to learn any more about it.
I feel as if I was good at mathematics. It was never really a struggle for me, I also enjoyed math, but I found it to be quite monotonous. As mentioned previously, the teachers role tended to be "the dictator". They would stand at the front of the room, writing on the blackboard and explaining concepts as we, the students, would copy these notes and get put to work on question from our text afterward. At the end of a particular unit, we would be given a test as a form of assessment. These tests would usually consist of several questions related to the concepts taught in class. I can remember being terrified of these tests and wishing that we never had to write them!
Highschool math was even more monotonous and the material was even more complicated, but still, I did enjoy it. I was in advanced math and these classes consisted of myself and my classmates sitting down for an hour, taking notes and listening to my teacher drone on about a concept. Even though I was good at math, I dreaded the subject. Some days, we would have math for 2 hours straight! The thought of having to sit in that same desk for 2 hours writing notes and answering questions from the text book was distressing. I feel that I still enjoyed it though, because I always felt so successful when starting with an equation that filled a whole line in an exercise book and working with this equation until it was only one answer. I always felt a sense of accomplishment with this. The fact that there is only one answer and that you got this answer was great.
During my university career, I had taken only 2 math courses. I did not take any math electives. I tended to stick to science and arts courses for my electives.
In conclusion, I feel it is important, as a future educator, to show your students that you enjoy math. How can you expect your students to enjoy math if you don't? It would also be beneficial to make math as enjoyable as possible by making it interactive. Use manipulatives, get your students out of their seats, and most importantly, listen to them. Always listen to your students. Ask them questions about their interests. If you apply a concept, or subject, and it makes a personal connection with a student, they will be more motivated to learn. Math is a fascinating subject and it is our jobs as teachers to make it fascinating for our students.
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