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Identity and Agency Assignment

  Reading #1: Local Matters: The Time/Space of Social Identification and Learning I definitely agree with Holland’s (2006) analysis of Wortham’s observations in that they strongly suggest a “generativity and significance of local meaning making” in the context of identity (p. 168). The recognition of local, short time-scale developments in sociological patterns that emerge within classrooms is something that should be considered seriously by teachers. Certainly, these ideas resonate with my own personal experience as both a teacher and a student. On my practicum, it was easy to observe how some students had come to identify with particular stereotypes that were created within the school. For example, I had a particularly disruptive Science 10 class that had a reputation around the school for being a “bad crop” of students; the students surely did not live under a rock and responded negatively to their teacher’s often low expectations for their behaviour, creating a vicious cycle....
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Mathematics For Human Flourishing Reflection

 1. Can you describe 2 places in the chapter that made you stop and think? Honestly, I had a stop within the second page of the chapter! The story of Christopher is especially powerful because it highlights the raw beauty and attraction of mathematics, its ability to appeal to human desire even when it is supposably stripped of any utility in the given context; it was compelling enough to encourage a man to dedicate himself to study far more seriously than many more privileged university students. I think it is important for us as math teachers to allow students to really appreciate the beauty of math. We need to avoid making it dull and mundane at all costs! Moreover, it is essential for us to remind students that their history or previous shortcomings do not matter if one is truly dedicated. There is always the possibility to learn and grow intellectually; it just might be less practical at times and require significant effort. Another stop that I had was when the the author writ...
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Inquiry as Walking

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1TwVntuCnOEaYS00jolER3RG9z9IQCJI3iDdC_ZjlC1Y/edit?usp=sharing
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Practicum Reflection

  Link to my Document
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End of Term Reflection

Much like my experience in EDCP 342A, this course helped broaden my perspectives of what it means to be an educator in math and science. I feel like the readings, discussions, and events (such as attending the Reconciling Ways of Knowing talk) provided a rich content base for reflection.  I am now more aware of how math and science teachers can (and arguably, should) incorporate issues of social justice and activism into their teaching. This is something that I have usually avoided in the past because I am not that comfortable with my knowledge level on certain issues or how to integrate it smoothly into the curriculum. I've come to realize though that learning to facilitate appropriate discussion and finding creative ways of making the curriculum relevant are what is necessary. A teacher can't possibly be an expert in everything, but a teacher can always lead meaningful inquiry and discussion in respectful and intelligent ways. Also, I really enjoyed the inquiry project. I fee...
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Presentation Slides and Reflection

Slides: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19NSQ-7Ydyjy5Nc81KkO-22_X5BTr6O-9/view?usp=sharing Reflection: Having the opportunity to research an area of personal interest was highly motivating and exciting. The hardest part of the inquiry project for me might have actually been deciding on my research topic and questions because there were so many facets of mathematics and physics education that intrigued me.       Initially, I began reading about promoting conceptual thinking in mathematics through creative question design, but then I stumbled across the vast body of educational research discussing proofs. In fact, after doing some initial reading, I was pretty curious about whether or not incorporating proofs and proving in a secondary mathematics setting could be an effective way to promote conceptual thinking. My literature review affirmed this hypothesis and also described many other benefits that come from the teaching and learning of mathematical proof. At the sam...
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Exit Slip - Nov 26

Today, I worked on gathering few more resources for my literature review (including some from Susan's recommendations) and also discussing my research topic and questions with my peers. At this point, I have established my topic as proofs and mathematical argumentation in secondary mathematics education. Some guiding questions of my research are: 1. What are the benefits to including proofs and mathematical argumentation in the secondary math curriculum? 2. What are some challenges that students and teachers face that inhibit the use of proofs in the math classroom. 3. How can teachers effectively engage and guide students in the process of learning to prove and argue mathematically? The next steps of my research will be to read approximately 4-8 more research papers on the topic, and also contact people from the teaching and learning community for conversations. I plan to devise a list of questions for my interviewees in the coming days. I intend to reach out to some or all of the...
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