Reflective Paper

Reflective Paper

OVERVIEW

Mathematics for Elementary Educators II (Course Math 214) focus on educating future elementary teachers with the proper tools in mathematical concepts taught in elementary schools. The objective is to help teachers develop a better understanding in mathematics and curriculum at a level needed for teaching. During the six-week course, there is an intensive overview that covers six chapters that addresses mathematical measurements, geometry, probability and data analysis.

CONCEPTS

Mathematics for Elementary Educators II concentrates on analyzing data. In week one, the basic concepts of probability were introduced. It is important to stay abreast of your curriculum and standards. The NCTM outlines the vision, standards and processes for math educators. However, I think these standards are beneficial for any subject and may be applied in any classroom. The website provides unlimited resources, tools and teaching strategies for current and future math teachers, as well as administrators. Week two covered strategies that future educators could use to solve problems using symbols, graphs, variables and tables to build an algebraic way of thinking. It is important to understand that in algebraic thinking not all information is known. These exercises allow students to pull from other areas when the answers aren’t always easy to find. Answers won’t always be as easy as 2 + 2. Algebraic thinking instills problem-solving strategies that may be applied to everyday life when immediate answers are not available. Students are able to dig deeper and investigate their own problems for a solution. It is imperative as an educator to get students to think outside the box and bridge the gap between simple and complex answers. Elementary number theory such as integers, divisibility rules, primes, factorization, and estimation was outlined in week three. Elementary does not mean these strategies were easy; however, they were structured to help teachers...