Resource Blog #1- The Myth of 'I'm Bad at Math'

We've all heard it before- "I will never be a math person." Though that might be true, this article by The Atlantic, analyzes why some people believe that and how we, as a society, can alter this pessimistic mind-set. 

We begin with mathematics as almost being a "a nature vs. nurture" debate. Many people believe that math is just innate and one cannot excel in it if it is not in the genes; however, this cannot be farther from the truth. The Atlantic describes "different kids with different levels of preparation come in to a math class", students that are more prepared excel faster while the ones less prepared do not (The Atlantic, 2013). The unprepared kids realize just how well the prepared kids are performing and "assume that genetic ability was what determined the performance differences" and immediately claim themselves as just "not being math people" (The Atlantic, 2013). 

This wrongful accusation of themselves, the unprepared people, is why we as a society have so many people that do see math as a mental asset. While there are many jobs and places in the work force where math will never be used, I believe it is still an important subject for students to know and value. The Atlantic goes on to explain that math is not the luck of the gene pool, but the ability to work hard. Instead of not performing well on a math test and simply giving up, students should "respond by working harder at it" and challenge themselves to do better next time. 

While I cannot convince everyone to love math the way I do, I can try and help them realize they have the potential to be a so called "math person" if they work hard and are willing to face challenges.

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/10/the-myth-of-im-bad-at-math/280914/

Word Count: 306 

Synthesis Blog #1- How Smart Readers Think

After reading through the chapter in Subjects Matter, it is kind of frightening how much I connected to what the authors were describing. The authors of this book describe how hard it is sometimes for students to sit down and focus on a reading and then be able to comprehend what they just read. More often than not, this task is hard if not impossible for some students. I would consider myself included in this group as I am not the best reader nor can I comprehend very well.

I found it interesting that they are different "ways"of reading: clunk or click. The writers of the text describe "clicking" as "smooth, unobstructed reading"; whereas, "clunking" is where one has to be "more conscious and visible" when reading the assigned text (Daniels & Zemelman, Subjects Matter, p. 28). These two ways of reading and processing the information help explain why certain material is easier to read to a student than another. For example, if a student is really into baseball and he or she is reading a novel about Jackie Robinson (an infamous baseball player) than it would be easier for him or her to read and comprehend what the book is explaining
rather than a book over the history of the Americas.

Therefore, as a future teacher, it is critical that I create assignments that implement both reading and what my students find a particular liking in, in order to keep them engaged in the class. If they find the subject material hard and/or confusing I "will provide them tools and activities that help them question, interpret, and harvest their responses as they go" (Daniels & Zemelman, Subjects Matter, p. 41). I believe this excerpt is crucial in order to keep students engaged while in our classroom. Most of the time, students quickly lose interest (and hope) once they do not understand what they are reading. If we, as teachers, can provide tools to help them understand and comprehend, I believe the students academic life and life outside of school will be much better off.

Word Count: 346

Children's Book Reading- Alena Locurcio

Hey guys, my name is Alena Locurcio. I am majoring in Middle Grades Education with an emphasis in math and science! The book featured above is titled "Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?" written by Dr. Seuss. This story provides a variety of sounds to the listener that reveals examples of figurative language and rhymes. Enjoy one of the classics written by Dr. Seuss!

word count: 64 words