Math Journal

Journal Week 16 I think reflection in this course has been the one component that sets it apart from any other math class I have taken. Even Math 105 last semester had a lot of reflection and the reflection aspect of both classes was incredibly helpful. I have never actually thought about math before. Usually I am just taught they formulas and how to use them. It was rare that a teacher really showed me why a formula worked. In this class, I was challenged to really think about what I was learning and how I would teach it to students so that they would truly understand it. I think reflecting on what I did each week was a great way to insure that I actually remember what I learned instead of forget it all by the next semester. In the presentation, I really liked the quote “A journal becomes a place where you can dump all your daily frustrations and joys, without fear of judgment and criticism.” This seems great to me because I know teaching can be a trying profession. There will be days wen I will feel horrible and frustrated. I think these are the perfect times to have journals. It enables you to get everything out of your system without having to tell an actual person what you are feeling. When you are dealing with kids, people can sometimes be overly judgmental when you feel frustrated about your students. Another part of the presentation that I thought was great was the part that talked about using a journal to write down the funny things a student did or said. I love to hear about the odd things I used to say and do when I was in elementary student from my old teachers. I want to record things that I think my students will like to hear about when they are older. Overall, I really believe having a journal and reflecting on your day is such a positive thing. Not only does it provide a stress relief, but reflecting on the details of your day is supposed to have great effects on your memory as well. This class has been the best class I have taken online. I think you, Dr. Kahrs, did a great job of giving us discussion posts that were not only relevant to the content we were learning that week, but also how we might apply it to every day life as well as teaching. All other online class discussions ask the same types of questions every week and it gets old very quickly. But for this class, I never knew what the discussion would be about that week and it kept things interesting. The amount of homework was reasonable. Sometimes it took me longer than others but I thought overall it wasn't too much or too little. The only thing that I would say to change is providing practice tests for every unit. I know it adds a lot of extra work but it was great to have to opportunity to go back and look at everything we worked for the unit in that was all concentrated in one practice tests was very helpful. Otherwise I think this class was one of the most beneficial classes I have taken. Thank you for a great semester!