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Reflections on Math Education Growth

Peg Fisher reflects on how her first graduate mathematics course helped her grow personally, as a student, and as a teacher. She was initially apprehensive about keeping up with the demands of graduate school at age 56 but found that the course affirmed her choice to pursue higher education. The collaboration with her small group, despite initial technology intimidation, was a positive experience that benefited her learning. Receiving timely feedback on her work reinforced her role as a teacher and the importance of providing constructive criticism to improve mathematical thinking. Overall, the course challenged her and facilitated significant personal, social, and academic growth.

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10 views1 page

Reflections on Math Education Growth

Peg Fisher reflects on how her first graduate mathematics course helped her grow personally, as a student, and as a teacher. She was initially apprehensive about keeping up with the demands of graduate school at age 56 but found that the course affirmed her choice to pursue higher education. The collaboration with her small group, despite initial technology intimidation, was a positive experience that benefited her learning. Receiving timely feedback on her work reinforced her role as a teacher and the importance of providing constructive criticism to improve mathematical thinking. Overall, the course challenged her and facilitated significant personal, social, and academic growth.

Uploaded by

Peg Fisher
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Peg Fisher

Math 807T Section 700


June 30
th
, 2014

Reflections on Using Mathematics to Understand Our World

Looking at the many changes that have happened since May 19
th
when I began this class, there are three
specific areas in which I have grown: as a person, as a student and as a teacher. I am a nontraditional
student seeking a masters degree at the age of 56, with much trepidation about keeping up the pace and
quality that graduate school demands, but I surprisingly have been affirmed personally that my choice
was the right one to pursue higher education in teaching mathematics.

Although this is my first class toward earning a MAT at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, I think that
the rigor and demand of this course was a good indicator of what I am capable of in my personal life,
managing my time and energy to be able to turn in quality work on time. The support of my family made
a big difference in my success in this class, and I am grateful they share my vision of growing personally
and professionally.

I really enjoyed the collaboration with a small group, even if the technology was a bit intimidating at first.
I was privileged to work with very knowledgeable, motivated, positive, and caring people who enjoyed
problem solving as much as I do. I benefited greatly from having classmates to correct my wrong
thinking and affirm my ideas and solutions. I have been a skeptic concerning group work, having had less
than good experiences in the past, so I am so glad as a student to have had this positive experience
working with others toward an educational goal.

Receiving timely feedback on my work in this class was one of the most powerful reminders of my role as
a teacher of mathematics. Every assignment that I have submitted was given thoughtful consideration
and constructive criticism that I could use to improve my mathematical thinking. I have always thought
of myself as an encourager in the classroom, but now I see how much effective feedback impacts learning
when given in a positive manner.

Reflecting on what I have learned as the result of being a part of this course, significant growth can be
found in my life personally, socially, and academically. It is very unlikely that I would have explored the
different mathematics applications that we worked on during this class, and it definitely challenged me to
learn how to teach applied mathematical thinking with students in my care in an articulate and
interesting manner.

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