Reflection on My Growth as a Mathematician
Goal #1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them (“I can solve difficult problems without giving up.”)
In the beginning of the semester, I said I would not necessarily work on implementing this in myself (because I felt, and still do feel, that I already persist to the max), but I would help others do this. helping others has been my main goal and pleasure this semester. (Please keep this in mind while reading all three of my growth reflections because it applies for a few of my goals)
How I have grown toward this goal:
- I have helped Allie and Alana. Pushed them and didn’t let them be lazy or call themselves stupid or give up. Mostly in warm ups. Proud of helping them in the United Nations activity.
- My class and group members come to me for help a lot now.
- I have not been too uptight and strict. I have been easy and nice to them
- I can make them feel smart rather than dumb and useless which is important for their growth.
What I still need to work on:
- Doing so nicer/kinder. I can be harsh or angry sometimes. Especially when I get annoyed or think they are being lazy.
- Eliminate them saying “I suck at math” fully, especially Alana. To do this, make them feel smart. Like their thoughts are important.
Goal #2: Use appropriate tools strategically. (“I can use math tools and explain why I chose them.”)
How I have grown toward this goal:
- I have progressed in using my peers/group members’ thoughts.
- I’ve been keeping my ears open. Asking my group members for their opinions. As a result, I enjoy doing things in my group more.
- When going over some practice PSAT math problems, my group really tried and worked well explaining things to each others and making sure everyone understood.
- In general, I’ve opened up.
What I still need to work on:
- Accepting them rather than just listening to them. Though I’ve been progressing, I am still not perfect. I can ignore ideas sometimes and be accidentally disrespectful.
Goal #3: Attend to precision. (“I can work carefully and check my work.”)
How I have grown toward this goal:
- I have definitely calmed down and been less jealous of recognition. This was my goal. I have become much more relaxed.
- During warm ups and some class math problems, I let others speak and answer questions.
- As a result, my math has become more careful and I can help others more. I am more willing.
What I still need to work on:
- I need to find the balance. I want to calm down but not become too nonchalant as has happened a couple of times.
- Not have a thought of wanting to be “smartest” or “best” because I am equal.
When thinking of being challenged the past few weeks, the topic that sticks out to me is these abstract, wild graphs we had to decipher and draw according to word problems. These were so weird to me and I was having trouble understanding. In fact, I still do. I have not mastered the topic or even gotten close to it but I have not stopped persevering. That day that we had those problems introduced, I never stopped trying to understand and I still don’t intend to quit until it is absolutely clear to me.
Of all things I have done these past six weeks, I am most proud of the times that I have helped others. It makes me overwhelmingly happy to think that my classmates, many of them, come to me for help on problems they do not understand. I love helping them and I get better at it each day. My table group members in class, Alana and Allie, often struggle in math and refrain from even trying most of the times. I have actually pushed them to not do this a lot of times and they try more and more and ask me questions more than anyone.
My attitude about math has changed for the better since the beginning of the year when it was something of pride to me. I now view it more as something of awe and wonder rather than something I have conquered. This is mainly due to the nonfiction book I’ve been reading The Music of the Primes. It has given me a whole new and way more open view of the wonders of math.
My efforts in class discussions and small group discussions have brought me skills and ideas like never before. Why? Because I have allowed them to. I got tired of ideas being presented to me only to be ricocheted off by my stubbornness. I decided I’d open up and have been growing in intelligence since. Mainly from observations.
I feel I have contributed a lot to my class throughout these past weeks. In the beginning, I answered every question and discussed every whole group topic because I “knew” all the answers. I do not do this anymore and I am glad. I believe it made me unapproachable and took air time away from others. Now I participate mainly in small-group discussions so I can help my group members and they can help me. When I share in front of the class, it is unhealthy because I get competitive and selfish so I share in small group instead.
In math, I am really curious about the world of open-ended problems and what I can can discover through solving those. I want to have the freedom to solve a problem millions of different ways rather than the hundreds of way that you can solve a close-ended problem. I want to make discoveries, there are so many to be made!
Reflection on Learning
1) What were the most significant or interesting things that you learned in the “Math 3 Bootcamp” unit? Please explain.
Well, haven’t I answered this above?? What I have appreciated and learned most is related to helping others and calming myself and being true. It is hard for me to recall the physical mathematics that I have learned and that have stuck out... A lot of it was review which is important but not extremely interesting.
2. What did you learn about Exponents, Polynomials, Rational Expressions or Linear Functions that you did not know at the beginning of the year?. How could these concepts or ideas be useful to you in real life? Explain how/when you can use them.
To be honest, I have not grown in these Exponents, Polynomials, Rational Expressions and Linear Functions topics much. I have grown and learned a lot but, not necessarily as far as information acquiring goes . Going through these topics, though, has very much helped me get to other types of growth mentioned above. :)
3) How comfortable do you feel about your understanding of the concepts we explored during “Math 3 Bootcamp”? Explain. What could you do to improve your understanding?
I feel completely comfortable with these bootcamp topics. If I were to stretch my understanding even wider, it would be through real life application open-ended problems or proofs where I can really analyze the problems. I have already done a lot of these in previous classes but there is always more!
4) What topics would you have liked to learn more about during “Math 3 Bootcamp”?
If there is one thing that I feel we have not gone over enough, it is those abstract equation graphs we worked on for about a day. Those were introduced and felt kind of like a large jump to me and I actually struggled a bit. They were confusing and I want more practice.
Well, haven’t I answered this above?? What I have appreciated and learned most is related to helping others and calming myself and being true. It is hard for me to recall the physical mathematics that I have learned and that have stuck out... A lot of it was review which is important but not extremely interesting.
2. What did you learn about Exponents, Polynomials, Rational Expressions or Linear Functions that you did not know at the beginning of the year?. How could these concepts or ideas be useful to you in real life? Explain how/when you can use them.
To be honest, I have not grown in these Exponents, Polynomials, Rational Expressions and Linear Functions topics much. I have grown and learned a lot but, not necessarily as far as information acquiring goes . Going through these topics, though, has very much helped me get to other types of growth mentioned above. :)
3) How comfortable do you feel about your understanding of the concepts we explored during “Math 3 Bootcamp”? Explain. What could you do to improve your understanding?
I feel completely comfortable with these bootcamp topics. If I were to stretch my understanding even wider, it would be through real life application open-ended problems or proofs where I can really analyze the problems. I have already done a lot of these in previous classes but there is always more!
4) What topics would you have liked to learn more about during “Math 3 Bootcamp”?
If there is one thing that I feel we have not gone over enough, it is those abstract equation graphs we worked on for about a day. Those were introduced and felt kind of like a large jump to me and I actually struggled a bit. They were confusing and I want more practice.