Different Learning Styles

There are three main types of learning; visual, auditory, and kinesthetic/tactile learning. Each of these can affect you as mathematics student depending on your teachers style of teaching. A visual learner does better if they are given written notes and equations, if they have a easier time reading their notes to study for a test, or if they find the different graphs and diagrams in their text useful. Visual learners are the most common and have a pretty easy time learning. An auditory learner is someone who retains information once they have heard it and find it much easier to understand written information it is also verbally explained by a teacher. Many auditory learners prefer listening in class over taking notes and having verbal instructions then written instructions. Kinesthetic/tactile learners are the least common. They learn best if their study sessions have small breaks and they have a hard time explaining a problem when they know they know how to solve it, and they have a hard time understanding problems until they solve them themselves. I am a mixture of all three. If I see the notes and solve the problems along with the verbal notes I usually understand the topic. Once I understand a topic in math class I have a pretty solid grasp on it and continue taking notes while drawing pictures and diagrams for myself. It can become pretty difficult depending on the learning environment for myself to grasp certain aspects in math. I do not particularly care for written notes without someone explaining them thoroughly and me doing them myself and getting the correct answer and knowing how. Sometimes depending on the teacher and how they teach I don't have the opportunity to have all of these elements while I am trying to learn and it causes issues in my brain and I become overwhelmed and have to try again. I usually have to try and teach myself or try other problems in my own time just to make sure I have a complete hold on the topic we are learning in class.   Sometimes I need help and have to go to the teacher for help to explain the notes again so that I can hear it again and it makes more sense. When I study I cannot just re-read my notes I have to re-write them or highlight the important information. I usually re-write formulas or equations so that I can visualize my notes and what I wrote while I am taking a test so that I do not draw a blank or lose my place. When I take tests I would much rather a test be in the order of my notes rather than all over the place because it is easier for me to retain information and re-use information in the order that it was given to me.

Technology Used Within Mathematics

Mathematics today would not be comprehended so well without the use of different types of technology. Today we use math for just about everything. We use math to build houses and make blue prints, we use math in order to get the proper number of hot dogs with however many people you have over knowing that there are 8 hot dogs in each package, we use math to build our computers in order to make hard drives big enough to hold all of our information, and the list goes on. Technology used for math started with an abacus which is a counting device or in technical terms a mechanical device for making calculations consisting of a frame mounted with rods along which beads or balls are moved. In lower grades students use blocks for counting and grouping, as you get older students begin to use simple calculators for more difficult math problems, and once you hit high school and after that you use graphing calculators which are so complex you can plug in a problem and it will completely solve it for you. Not only do these graphing calculators have such a high solving technology they can also be configured to carry games and other non educational information. I personally do not agree with where technology has gone in mathematics. I feel as if technology makes the subject much more difficult to comprehend and it makes the problems harder to solve. When math was simple where you could use only your knowledge and long division with a pen or pencil to a piece of paper it was much easier to learn. Once math is mixed with technology many people become lost because they are no longer solving the problem for themselves they are simply plugging in the problems to the calculator and it solves it for them. Mathematics would be much simpler to be taught if it was nothing but pen to paper once you mix in technology there is only so much a teacher can teach without their students getting completely confused or lost it is much easier to be able to write notes and practice problems onto a chalk board or dry erase board showing each step of an equation. With technology it gives you the problem and the answer. It is a much lazier way in which teachers have resulted to in order to teach and teachers themselves learn this subject. Technology can be used for with math outside of the classroom, but it should not be a mandatory way to teach mathematics in schools. Many people are better hands on learners by seeing how a problem is solved by seeing step by step to get to the answer. I know it is much easier for me to see the problem and then solve it on my own step by step then write the solution.

Ever Experienced a Bad Math Teacher?

Have you experienced a terrible math teacher that had you ready to rip your hair out of your head you were so lost or frustrated? I have. The worst experience I have ever had with a teacher is someone who is clearly very intelligent and knows exactly what the topic is they are trying to teach, but they have no clue how to communicate that topic from their head to a class without it becoming lost in translation. I am majoring in Mathematics Education and I know that it is my job to know the material I am going to be teaching like the back of my hand. I also know that it is going to be my responsibility to be able to get  a lesson from my head to a board or worksheet so that my students understand exactly what I am trying to teach them. For instance I have had a teacher that was teaching the class pre-calc, they knew what they were trying to teach very well. This teacher was capable of understanding the topic, but when it came to getting it down in notes and in practice problems they had a very difficult time putting it in writing so that it made sense to the students. It should not be blamed on the student for getting below average grades for a course they are having taught to them in a very messy environment. But what exactly can you do about that? Do you get a tutor and try to understand the topic outside of the classroom with that specific teacher? Do you talk to a guidance counselor about the issues you see with the teaching tactics of that specific teacher? Do you try and talk to the teacher them self? I do not like being the bad guy and getting anyone into trouble or looked down upon, but I would most definitely rather passing grades that I know I am more than capable in a course than have a below average grade because I am not being taught properly or in a way that can be made sense of instead of a complete class lost in translation. The biggest issue I have seen now a days with teachers is that they are well aware of their subjects and the topics of the subjects they are teaching, just like my math teacher, yet they have a very difficult time finding a way to properly teach that topic or communicating that topic to a class full of students without it getting lost in translation. Many teachers need to focus on their teaching tactics now and not just their subjects they are majoring in. What is being a teacher in a certain subject and knowing your subject inside and out without being able to teach the subject without it getting made into complete nonsense. It is worth absolutely nothing to those students and that teacher will not be teaching students but they will be causing more problems for students.

Mathophobia

Mathophobia is the anxiety that comes with learning or using mathematics. Many individuals have mathophobia and must live with it daily. Mathophobia can be caused by many different things. Many get mathophobia from hearing that math is difficult and no fun at a young age through television shows and toys. For example we watched a clip of a Kim Possible episode in class where the villain was the Mathter which was using math for evil. This shows young kids watching this show that Math is evil and should be avoided. This causes problems not only for these kids, but for the teachers as well because now these kids are going to have difficulties with math in school making the teacher's job that much more difficult. Another example of a toy that doesn't help to encourage learning math is a Barbie. She had a voice recording in her that said "Math is no fun. Math is hard" this caused a lot of controversy with parents and the makers of Barbie. Parents did not like that the doll was encouraging that math was hard and no fun it dragged children's interest away from this subject which is essential to everyday life as children grow older. These are a few beginning stages of mathophobia. I personally do not have mathophobia. I am a very strong learner and math seems to make sense to me, which makes it easier for me to not be afraid of it. I cannot recall ever having issues with mathophobia; however, I am almost positive that at one point in time everyone will or has experienced mathophobia. Mathophobia can cause people to freak out and panic at tests, quizzes, more difficult work. Mathophobia is an anxiety that is from math and not being able to do the work without forgetting all that you know about the subject. I believe that the reason behind many people's math anxiety comes from the teachers they have had in the past. It is a possibility that some teachers did not sufficiently teach their student how to handle certain topics properly causing more anxiety towards it. I personally have had some pretty tough math teachers throughout my schooling career and have faced many times where I have felt overwhelmed by a certain topic because I did not feel comfortable with my teacher's teaching tactics and I felt lost. I did my best and did not stress over it however and managed to catch myself before spiraling downwards into something that could have turned into mathophobia. I believe kids need to learn how to control their anxieties and their issues they have with math by talking to teachers and using outside resources if they feel pressured by certain topics or testing. This could help to stop mathophobia and correct it before it gets to a point of no return. That would be the best for not just the teachers but for the student themselves and their futures.