TEDtalks Do schools kill creativity?

In class on Wednesday, we watched a video of Sir Ken Robinson from a TED Talk in 2006.  It was focused around the subject "Do schools kill creativity?". 

YouTube Link

"We don't grow into creativity, we grow out of it.  Or, rather, we get educated out of it..."

This video mentioned so many ideas about education that I can strongly relate to.  On more than one occasion, I have discussed the different types of intelligences and the organization of current school systems with my colleagues. One of the most intriguing parts of this video was the notion of educating children from the waist up, then the head, then one side (mathematical) vs the other (creativity).

Our current education system is predicated on the concept of academic ability - the system began with that concept to deal with increasing industrialism.  We are now well past that point, so why are schools still organized that way? Why aren't other subjects taught with as much importance as math and other academics? Why are we using our bodies as a form of transport for the head when there are so many other types of intelligences that we now know about? (Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences)

Intelligence is diverse

Intelligence is dynamic

Intelligence is distinct 

The idea of one person seeing a child as hopeless because she was restless, the other seeing her potential through bodily-kinesthetic intelligence was another part of Sir Ken Robinson's TED Talk that interested me.  She was hugely successful because someone realized her talent was outside the academics of our "regular" school system. 

We can use other tactics for teaching math and academics.  We can integrate subjects and make them more applicable for the different types of learning.  The world is changing, we should change the way that we are teaching subjects, especially academic subjects. I think this video is relevant to our education 3940 class because of the importance of teaching concepts in a number of ways.  It is important to be dynamic in our teaching.  We should strive for a learning environment that makes children laugh instead of groan.

Our task, as teachers, should be to educate the whole being.  Not just from the waist up, and not just for those whose intelligence fits into the academic subjects. We should be able to collaborate with one another and find new ways to teach subjects in a way that children can feel success and their skills can be applied to the real world, not just toward our ideas of what is important.

Math Autobiography

Let's take a trip back in time...

Julia's Math Autobiography

A look at mathematics when I was in K-6:

I don't remember a lot of details about my math experience from K-6, but the ones that stand out are experiences that were from teachers in kindergarten and grades two, three, and six.

In kindergarten I remember learning to write numbers.  Our teacher wrote great big numbers on chart paper.  She described the numbers in easy to remember ways, such as the number five being a man's face with a hat on top. In grade two, I remember math lessons being very hands-on, such as predicting what shapes will roll, slide, etc. then testing our guesses by trying to roll them down a small ramp. In grade three, my memory is of flash cards and my peers and I standing in line in teams and guessing math problems on flash cards as quickly as possible.  I remember there being a lot of pressure to answer as quickly as possible because our teammates would be yelling for us to win.

In grade six, and some of the earlier elementary grades, we had a lot of problem solving and learned different words for math symbols (and, sum, product, difference).  I had a lot of difficulty with problem solving.  I remember struggling and getting answers wrong but I did not get a lot of help or support from my teacher to learn the proper way to do the problems.

My best and worst memories about math:

I loved working with hands-on math activities such as shaped blocks, patterns, and the sticks and flats.  These activities were fun for me and helped me learn math concepts.  It was a positive enviroment.  Really wordy math problems confused me and I would get frustrated and lose motivation. Even as an adult I still feel the same frustration and confusion with a lot of problem solving questions.

What I consider my math skills to be:

 I was "good" and confident in my math skills up until grade six.  I used to love doing math and I would spend long periods of time practicing my times tables and long division with my grandfather.  When I was in grade six I started to struggle with math and felt embarrassed about not being able to do well on my tests.  Since then I have thought of myself as being "not good" at math.

The role of my teacher in math classes:

My teachers were a mix of being fun and enthusiastic about math, and being very serious and disinterested in their attitude towards math. It was easy to tell who enjoyed teaching and who found it a chore.

My math assessments:

I always had math tests.  The only forms of assement I can remember doing are minute math tests, mental math tests, and the "regular" math tests which were a mixture of short answers and problem solving.

My math experience in high school:

High school math for me was a terrible experience.  Starting in junior high, my confidence in math decreased every year, especially one year when our replacement teacher decided to read everyone's math mark out loud because we all had trouble with the math test.  I felt that many teachers didn't provide extra help and many of them would joke about people having trouble with problems.  It was a struggle for me to do well and stay interested in math classes.

Math courses in university:

I took the math 1090 and math 1000 courses in university because they were required for some of the courses that I was taking.  I didn't take any math electives, only the courses that were necessary for my program.

Math in everyday life:

I engage in basic mathematics in my life, such as math required for my job as a cashier/customer service position.

My feelings about math now:
I feel better about mathematics now, but there are still some concepts that I find difficult.  When it comes to teaching mathematics in a primary or elementary class, I am excited to learn new ways to teach concepts and reflect and learn from my own experiences.  I want to be an enthusiastic math teacher who is able to effectively answer students' questions and provide a safe learning environment. 

Check back next week for more math blogging!

Welcome!

Welcome everyone to my ED 3940 Math Blog!

My name is Julia Roberts and I am in my second year of the Primary/Elementary Education program at Memorial University. I have created this blog to share my weekly thoughts and responses to our Education 3940 course.

Check back weekly to see my new posts! I hope you find something useful or interesting here.

See you soon!