Inquiry Project

Powerpoint: educ 450 inquiry project.pptx

Reflection: 

Through doing this project, I learned a lot about teachers; their mental health and how the pandemic has affected everything. It was eye-opening speaking with our SAs, and also counsellors, about their mental health throughout their careers. It made me realize how much effort and time that teachers must put into the lives of their students. It also showed me how these issues have been exacerbated even more due to COVID-19. This required many adjustments and workarounds for the teachers to handle. Ultimately, we chose to do a presentation on teacher’s mental health and emotional well-being because it is a topic that is not discussed enough. Society always stresses the importance of mental health for students, but never for teachers.  

As future educators, we want to do everything we can to aid the students, but we also don't want to ignore our own feelings. Teachers must take the time and make the effort to support themselves as persons in order to create a pleasant learning environment. Self-care is an essential component of our lives that many people overlook owing to their hectic schedules. This is especially important for teachers, who are continuously connecting with and accommodating other students and coworkers. We came to the conclusion as a group that instructors' unwritten obligations are rarely discussed or focused on. Teachers are under more stress during difficult periods such as the pandemic. It was fascinating to learn about and research the support networks that instructors can and should surround themselves with.

Final Reflection

This course taught me how to connect math to different areas of life such as dancing, drawing, music, and making things such as ropes or braids. Doing activities such as the Sit In spots were great; paying attention to all of the senses and how they interact with the surrounding world was a key takeaway. It was enjoyable to recognise and consider the five senses, as well as how they were stimulated in the garden. We do so many things every day as humans, with so many objects and organisms surrounding us. We were able to almost freeze time and concentrate on the smallest details of our environment. This is a crucial aspect of education that I plan to include in my future courses so that kids can reflect on and appreciate life. We also made leaf drawings using forms like circles and triangles to mimic our chosen leaf. This was an excellent activity for demonstrating how angles and lines are important components of everyday items. This class really made me engage with ideas on how to extend mathematics to other areas of life. How can I bring in aspects from other fields to make class material more fun and engaging for my classes?

One of the biggest takeaways from this class was the "grid" concept and how it is incorporated into so many aspects of our lives is intriguing. Grids can be seen everywhere in our society. As a future math teacher, having a structured system will make it easier to transition into the teaching profession. Secondary school teachers have so many students each year that having a tight system might be quite beneficial. This article made me think about how I can "parkour" the grid system. I'm not sure how I'll be able to integrate myself into a grid-like system. It will be beneficial to have such a regimented system in order to understand the structure of the school where I will be teaching and how I might break free from it. Will I be able to break free from the school's rigid infrastructure? 

 

Exit Slip (Dec 2)

In today’s class, we learned about the Plain Hunt on 4, and how this pattern connects to bellringing and braiding. We watched some video clips of students of previous Math classes of the Bed program putting the pattern into practice and application. This really showed me how mathematics can be implemented into the arts, and how it can even be connected to nature! This class showed me more methods of embodied ways of learning; permutations and patterns connecting to music and visual arts. Through learning about all of these methods, I am able to broaden my mathematical horizons and explore different aspects of the subject that I have never done before. It has opened my eyes to including various, creative activities into my lessons that are entertaining and engaging for myself and my students. Embodied ways of learning are especially significant for a kinesthetic and visual element of teaching concepts. This showed me just how innovative teachers can get in conveying information to students in a creative manner. I heavily enjoyed connecting the musical elements of the bells, the embodied element of moving our bodies around, and the visual element of our weaving numbers. I am incredibly inspired to discover and implement creative activities that will embody my lessons. Hopefully, a movement of embodied learning in mathematics helps to inspire children and attempts to reduce the negative connotation associated with math.