Mathmaticious

Okay, so this was quite humorous haha. I felt I needed to share this.

Reflection on Math 107

     Overall this past semester, Math 107 has been a challenge.  Coming into this course and knowing the name of the course (Elementary math), I thought it was going to be a piece of cake.  I took Math 100 last semester and I feel like it had nothing to do with Math in this previous course.  However, it was good to see a math course last semester considering it had been a few years since I have seen math.

     I feel that I have learned a lot this past semester.  It was a challenge, but for the most part I made my way through.  I did fairly well on most of the quizzes and take home assignments.  I did struggle with the tests but did corrections for 4 out of the 5 tests.  I found the test corrections very helpful this past semester.  Not only did it help better my grades but it also helped me understand the material better.  I also liked the quizzes because they were short and showed what I was able to do before a test.

     Another difficult part of this course was not being able to use a calculator.  I understood the reasoning for it but it was something that I just wasn't used it.  I noticed throughout the course how many silly errors I made just from doing simple calculations.  With that being said, it is very important to double check your work, even if it seems to be an easy problem.  

     Looking back and learning about bases, at the time I found it to be very difficult.  Now, I don't feel that way at all.  If anything, that topic isn't at the top of the list for most difficult.  I'd say I struggled with factoring like I always have.  Ever since factoring was introduced to me in the 10th grade I was never good at it.  I definitely need to spend a lot of time reviewing before the final arrives.

     Math is the only subject I struggle with.  I don't know if it runs in the family, but the majority of my immediate family isn't too great at math.  I am not putting the blame on my genes though! There have been times this past semester I could have studied more.  It's funny because I am not used to studying.  The other course I take I do not have to study for.  So, when I study for math I spend usually 30-45 minutes.  Now that I think about it, that's not much time at all.  

     My feelings about math definitely changed.  I no longer despise this subject.  I feel that I have come a long way and regret putting it off for so long.  I haven't missed a class yet and I am glad.  I need all the time I could get.  

Mean, Median, and Mode

  We have recently discussed mean, median, and mode.  Based on the notes I took in class, mean is the average of a group of given numbers.  First, you would add each of the numbers together.  You then take the sum and divide it by the amount of numbers you were given originally.  For example, 1,2,2,3,4,4,4,5.  Add 1+2+2+3+4+4+4+5. This equals 25.  Take your sum (25) and divide by 8 (amount of digits show).  The mean (average) is 3.125 or if you decide to round 3.13.   Median is said to be the "middle" number.  We already know 8 digits exist.  Being that there is an even number of digits we will have to take two digits from the center. 3 and 4.  Since there isn't a number exactly in the middle, you need to add 3 and 4 and divide by 2.  3+4=7.  Then 7 divided by 2 is 3.5.  Your median for the following numbers 1,2,2,3,4,4,4,7 is 3.5.  Mode is the number of times a number appears.  In this case, in the example above, the mode will be 4. By looking at 1,2,2,3,4,4,4,7 you can see 4 occurs three times.  

     I find this topic one of the easier ones in math.  I have seen it multiple times and I realize the importance of it now.  You can apply this to your classroom to find where your students scores stand.  Another part of this chapter I found interesting was standard deviation.  When the term was mentioned I didn't really remember what it was.  I found a simple explanation of what standard deviation is on Wikipedia.  I know Wikipedia isn't the best source but after reading some of the text it was similar to what was discussed in class.  

Standard deviation is a widely used measurement of variability or diversity used in statistics and probability theory. It shows how much variation or 'dispersion' there is from the 'average' (mean, or expected/budgeted value). A low standard deviation indicates that the data points tend to be very close to the mean, whereas high standard deviation indicates that the data is spread out over a large range of values.

As you can see, it is exactly what was discussed in class and I wanted to provide the few graphs we saw as well.  

Each graph above should look familiar.  As a teacher, you would want your students to be on the same "page".  This is why, standard deviation plays a major role and can help a teacher discover where her students stand. 

Graphing

     One of the most recent topics we discussed in our course was graphs.  We went through a small packet that included a variety of graphs.  We looked at the bar graph, histograms, line graphs, pictographs, circle graphs, and pictorial embellishments.  I personally forgot there were even that many types of graphs.  I haven't deal with this topic for quite a long time.  I always enjoyed constructing graphs to show data.  Graphs are used widely throughout businesses and it is an important concept to know and understand.  

     When I am a teacher one day, I find graphs are a good thing to incorporate in a classroom.  They can be fun and provide a positive learning experience.  In my classroom, I will make a graph of the kid’s heights.  I will collect the data and have them make a graph of their own.  They can decorate their personal graphs and compare and contrast one another’s heights.  This is a good math lesson and can only benefit them later in life.  Unfortunately, some people have the wrong idea of creating a graph.  

      There are graphs out there that have misleading information.  How a graph is created really affects how people perceive the graph and some may see data in a different way then how it really is. Below, I found a graph that doesn't show the data in the best way possible.  It is nice there is a title, but if you look at the scaling on the vertical axis, you will see how it can be difficult to read the information given.  Europe has this 3D effect that looks distant from the scale.  Due to the way this graph has been established, you will not be able to get certain points properly.  Yes, there are positives to this graph such as the coloring and labeling, but I think a line graph, not shown in a 3D form, would be more suitable for information containing a comparison of river runoff through the 20th century.

 

   A more appropriate graph, in my opinion, is shown below. 

 

    I like this graph because it is clear and concise.  You can easily pinpoint certain data you'd like to find and everything is labeled.  There is a legend available consisting of the different color scheme and shapes which makes it easier for the reader.  This graph would have been a better fit for the other graph above.  Even though each graph deals with different types of information, the data can still be portrayed in similar ways.

      

     

Change in Mathophobia...

     So it has been quite awhile since my last post.  My first blog was about mathophobia and how I felt about math.  Since then, I am proud to say my feelings about math have changed in a positive way.  I do not despise this subject anymore.  At first, I didn't even want to give it a chance.  I kept putting off the course until the very end.  Now here I am, admitting that I do not mind learning and doing math.  I know I am not the best at it, but I have come a long way.  I am now open to new concepts.  I have learned and refreshed my memory in different areas that we covered in the course this semester.  

     At one point, I thought it was funny that we were going to be adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions.  It came to my surprise that I didn't remember how to do problems so well.  The past few years I have been using a calculator.  I did all of my operations through the use of a calculator.  It made me become rusty.  Now, I can do operations by hand and I find it much easier.  I have been doing better on the quizzes and take home assignments.  My test grades are not the greatest but they aren't terrible.  My average in test grades seems to stay in the 60's.  It's as if I am close to doing well but seem to be on the border line.  Yes it annoys me, but I always try my best.  My mathophobia on tests seems to have changed as well.  I don't worry so much anymore.  I spend time studying and looking over my notes and doing practice problems that are given to us in class.  I always do the test corrections and I find it very beneficial.  I like the fact that out teacher allows us to do them because instead of just looking at the grade, I actually spend the time to go back and correct errors.  Some errors I notice are silly and careless.  Other errors I learn from and can acquire a better understanding of the material. 

      I just don't mind math anymore and it is a good feeling.  I never realized in how many ways math can be used.  Math is used in everyday life.  I could be out shopping and see that a clothing item is 30% off.  Many people don't know how to compute that and it is good to know.  I am glad the course is as it is.  The material covered is important and can be applied to everyday life.  There are going to be instances where children ask questions and I need to be able to answer them.  I am going to be a teacher one day and to say "I don't know to a child" isn't the best thing to say.