My passion for math by Michael

My passion for math by Michael - August 2013 Scholarship Essay

What I witnessed in my College Algebra class is that I can use what I have learned in class; reading math problems often pose a challenge because they require that students read and comprehend the text of the problem, identify the question that needs to be answered, and finally create and solve a numerical equation.  They are only part of the process. Understanding the language in word problems is critical for all students. They need to know the meaning of words. But because words are often used differently and problems are set up differently, there are some cautionary messages. Example, Michelle has 34 cats which is 8 less the Tommy has. How many cats dose Tommy have? If we were to only focus on using key words, “fewer than” is a signal to pick out the numbers and subtract. Some students may immediately make the conclusion that the answer is 26, but that is not what the problem is asking, a person would be wrong.  (The right answer is 42).  I also had found is that only rely on knowing that certain key words signal specific operations I can actually lead myself away from trying to understand the problems. I tend to look only for those words and whatever numbers are in the problem, even if they are not relevant to the answer, communication process effective communication is an absolute must, because it commonly accounts for the difference between successes.  When I listening, talking and writing about mathematics, I am prompted to organize, re-organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking and understanding, as well as analyze, evaluate and build on the mathematical thinking and strategies of others.  The use of mathematical language helps me gain insights into my own thinking and develop and express mathematical ideas and strategies, precisely and coherently, and problem solver.  Reflecting and Evaluating is an important skill/standard that all adults need to do in order to improve their goals and life.  The activity helps learners to retain the knowledge that I have received and to see how it affects my education and everyday lives. Even in the first week, learners began to describe what I learned and more importantly what changes I saw in other students was their motivation and confidence.
 My professor asked me to focus on the learning on key elements that I remember from the class. The goal is not for me to look through my notes, but to see what I can remember. Whatever I remember learning is the most valid and clearest picture of what I had learners.  The communication loop could be used in this portion of the lesson as a visual.  My math Professor explains the educational goal, objectives, and the overall purpose of the learning activity every day.