The Not so simple Things

During my beginning years working with my colleagues, one of the key essentials elements in mathematics teaching and learning which was agreed upon – to make learning fun (seen in our yearly Maths Carnival). Although there were no evidence in terms of student motivation and achievement, this goal is supposedly sensible.

Nowadays, I believe that such goal was not sharply defined as it should have been. I now think of mathematics teaching and learning as being “engaged” instead of “fun”.  I do not opposed to students experiencing “fun” in their learning, as we all know pleasure is a kid magnet after all. It is just that I have come to understand that some things that are hard and most distinctly not fun can also be engaging and deeply satisfactory when we learnt them.

I am a believer that teachers are willing learners who inspire their students about content in proportion to their own aspiration about the content. The teacher who ask his/her students to do hard things – then show the students the results from the doing those things. The teacher who ignite the students’ imagination and grow their intellect, thus remind everyone of – quoting what my vice principal mentioned during the recent staff retreat “the power teacher know that is part of teaching and learning.”

Teachers teach their students who will find satisfaction in learning – either with what we teach or outside of it. Teachers teach students who will have to solve problems even teachers cannot begin to articulate – and who will never be able to do that with a list of facts. Teachers teach students who have a critical need to make sense of the world around them.

Simple as it seems – and hard as it is to master, I endeavor to address those needs in my journey in educating my students well.