From being apprehensive, indifferent, or close-minded to being confident, involved, and open-minded; there is nothing more fulfilling than seeing most of my students gain poise and self-assurance in learning mathematics.
The experience was not a walk in the park. It was bittersweet: gratifying, but with sad undertones. Time flew by so fast and before I knew it, my student teaching was over. However, I brought with me keen yet valuable memories to live by.
Commitment, professionalism, and openness with a balanced combination of tradition and innovation are philosophies to teach both the convention of the past and the modernization of the present, which are essential to the lives of students now and tomorrow.
Encouraging students to relate their lives to the mathematics does not only make the lessons meaningful but it allows them to share who they are. Once at ease, trust is unconsciously bestowed to the teacher and to the whole class to safeguard with respect. Naturally, self-esteem follows. There is active participation where students communicate a piece of their thoughts without fear of ridicule. So, everytime a student told me, "I don't want to show my answer on the board. What if my answer is wrong? I don't want to be embarassed." I usually responded, "We are all in this together. If there's a problem, we will solve it together." In other instances, during recitation, if the reply was incorrect the first time, I called on the same student to give the opportunity of recovery. Thus, I took care of their trust while enhancing their sense of self.
In order to assimilate the concepts in mathematics, students need to learn how to learn. These are study/test competencies and life skills. There are issues when students do not take down notes, pay attention, review for tests, and unable to work in various types of cooperative learning activities. I dealt with these situations head on. With note-taking, I created lecture completion notes in which students filled in the information based on the lecture. Listening and understanding carefully were a must to jot down the facts on their individual sheets. In addition, I made study guides that were discussed in class to prepare for tests. Besides these assistive technologies, I gave them pointers on taking tests such as answering the easy questions first and working on the most difficult conundrums last. As for grouping difficulties, there were occasions I grouped various kinds of students together so they could make adjustments and utilize coping mechanisms. In all these scenarios, students learned how to manage their studies as well as their own learning environment.
The most effective way to find out if students know the math is through their ability to transfer the knowledge. If they can neither verbalize nor write an explanation of the mathematics concept, there is lack of connection to the subject matter. In my classes, students did not just give out the answers, they presented solutions and explained how they arrived at the conclusion. Moreover, at the end of each interactive lecture, the exit slips gave them opportunities to relate the lessons to their own understanding - a way to find out their thought processes. These were observable behaviors that helped in customizing instruction and assessment.
"Mrs. Crespo, why did we have to make tables to graph? It takes us a long time. Why didn't you teach us slope-intercept right away. It's quicker." The long way is tedious but it lays down the foundation where the concept is built upon. Example: making the tables to graph shows the students that graphs are made up of points with x and y coordinates. In the meantime, the shortcut builds on the long way to introduce a new concept as in plotting a graph with merely two points and connecting them. In this regard, I had students get used to the long way, then, the short method and finally, had the students practice on choosing which means they preferred in representing linear functions. In mathematics, knowing the quick tricks comes from learning the arduous basics.
There is a saying, " You can't miss what you never had." I utilized this adage to have the students miss what I had them have, which is the taste of success. With positive reinforcements using treats, games, and extra credits, I had the students work hard for the rewards and eventually, for their grades. In the course of these behavior management strategies, I discovered at least twelve C and D students whose grades went up to A. In fact, most of the students' grades increased at least three grade levels. Gradually, I withdrew the treats and augmented school work. By the end of my student teaching, a great number of students worried about their grades faltering, which made them ask for reviews, study guides, and more lecture notes. This time, the pursuit to do well in class occurred without the "bribes." They refused to go back to having bad grades. Here was an obvious display of "setting positive goals" and pursuing success became intrinsically compelling.
These resolutions did not occur overnight. It was a rollercoaster ride: whether I was using today's digital technology or the plain chalkboard, all that mattered was my commitment to the students in my classes. Most of them succeeded, but a few of them stayed behind. I realized, teaching is always a work in progress. As a teacher, I should never stop learning.
