Week 1 Reflection Questions!

1. What does the term early childhood mathematics mean to you?
When I was growing up, I always loved math! I was just naturally pretty good at it. I guess I got that from my dad, luckily. He's a math whiz. But I also think it was because my teachers made it fun. It was never just a "chore" or "busy work" to me. But I enjoyed doing it. Most of my math teachers were peppy and made math enjoyable and relatable. Therefore, I feel that it is extremely important for teachers to make early childhood mathematics fun! If it isn't fun while they are young, then it won't be when they get older. It's like a sport. If they don't like playing the first few times, then they aren't going to continue trying to! I want my students to love learning. And math is a great place to start because it is a subject than can be taught in so many different ways, with so many different fun games too!

2. What key points did you take from chapter one that inform your understanding of how to teach mathematics for young children?
A few key points that stood out to me in the reading from chapter one was that everything in math makes sense. Because math deals with numbers, there is always a right or wrong answer and so children are very capable of making complete sense of mathematics. Another thing that stood out to me in the reading was when it talked about the fundamental core of effective teaching of math: a combination of us teachers understanding how our children learn and grasp ideas, using problem solving to nourish that learning, and how to daily act on and assess that learning. These were a couple of the things that caught my attention in the reading of chapter one on how to better teach mathematics for young children.