Final Reflection

This inquiry course was unique compared to all the courses we've taken so far. The flexibility, depth, and diversity in the content made it stand out. I really appreciated it for the inquiry projects and having the opportunity to learn a lot from my peers. 

While reading through the old posts, I noticed that there is a lot of connection between understanding our role and impact as a human (as well as a teacher). Some posts that really stood out to me in that sense were 'Thinking about Learning Gardens', Sharon Kallis on 'backsourcing', and Richard Barwell on 'Climate Change.' As math teachers, we all may have different motivations and interests that influence our priorities and lesson plans. However, it's important to recognize that we play an incredible role in helping the future generation grow, and our foresight on the skills and mindsets that the students will need is equally as beneficial as the content they are taught to succeed today. I believe that the roles environment and nature play in learning is undeniable, and that there is no way to think about what (mathematics) education will look like in the future without addressing it in some sense. 

I really, really loved the learning we were able to do in the garden. Feeling so grounded in the surrounding helped me balance tranquility, wonder, and focus. Therefore, I find that the mathematics we did in the garden is more clear in my memory than anywhere else. For instance, I can still clearly remember using our bodies as protractors to calculate the angle of the sun, using charcoal to sketch a scene that included angles / lines, braiding / twisting / weaving rope, and identifying mathematical patterns with Robin Mitchell Cranfield. I think that this type of learning increased my care for the environment, piqued my interest in how mathematics can be hidden in the real world, encouraged me to think more creatively, and built my confidence in trying new (math) things. The last idea about building confidence is what changed the most because there were more ways to access and express learning, and I think this can be really helpful for my future students. I think that given my connection to previous outdoor learning experiences, I'd be excited to improvise some outdoor math lessons for my students. 

This course also helped me reflect on the power of inquiry in a classroom. I've always wanted to try math projects similar to the inquiry approach with my students, especially to increase their appreciation of the subject and metacognition in the course. In that way, this course complemented EDCP342A really nicely, because I was able to attempt integrating inquiry into my unit plan (through the 'History Talk Show'). Our own critical thinking and reflection in both 450B and 342A, highlighted the role of textbooks, grades, curricula, and awareness, and these concepts lead to why freedom of choice in mathematics education can be so helpful. Additionally, the inquiry process was valuable to myself in the sense that I got to learn so much on something of interest, and then condense it for a presentation (or teaching), which further enhanced my understanding and connection to the topic. For my students, I can see this being fun, especially if they are given the chance to try their inquiries on numbers, mathematicians, branches of mathematics, inventions, societies, learning, etc. The possibilities are vast and it encourages them to learn from each other and alternative sources. I think that this also helps them learn how to question in a math setting, which is an interdisciplinary approach that, at the very least, connects the Scientific Method from Science class and Research Essay Process from English class.

There's so many more concepts and activities that I enjoyed this course, but overall it was a fun, healthy, and nurturing environment that allowed me to grow more as an educator and be inspired by my peers.