As I continue my exploration of Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching and dive deeper into my own content knowledge, I am taking time to sit with topics that make me uncomfortable. In accepting my own discomfort, I have found that I am better able to understand what my learners may need from me and how I can provide that for them. This week as I looked at the topic of measurement, I investigated the unease that comes with teaching and learning unit relation and conversion. I am aware that my Common Content Knowledge (Hill & Ball, 2009) of this subject is not 100% and have seen how it impacts my own teaching and learning. From my previous experience teaching measurement to second grade students, I am aware that I am not confident in measurement content, specifically unit conversions, and this impacts the way I teach the content. Through the design thinking process, I worked to unearth possible resolutions to teaching unit measurement and created a rough draft prototype of one potential tool to be used alongside unit measurement instruction. This process not only allowed me to find my strengths and weaknesses when it comes to this particular content area, but it strengthened my Knowledge of Content and Teaching (Hill & Ball, 2009) at the same time. Taking on the mindset of a learner and teacher simultaneously put me in a space to understand what supports potential learners may need and how I could facilitate those supports. Although there are sub-categories of measurement that cause me discomfort, there are also many categories of measurement that excite me and I look forward to teaching and learning more about. When I was looking through the Common Core State Standards for grade 4, I found that even though the first and third categories of content standards left me feeling uneasy and unsure, I was really excited about the second category. The first and third categories deal with conversion of units and measurement of angles. The second category dives into representing and interpreting data (which is a lot of what my professional role is currently!). Taking my own experience with these standards into account, I would argue that it is really important that students are able to form positive relationships with all categories of mathematics, even if they have not-so-great relationships with sub-categories within those larger categories. Because I had a positive reaction to one of the three possible topics within the 4th grade measurement CCSS, I felt capable and willing to learn and teach more. Looking at this experience from the teacher point of view, I am curious how many students rule out their capabilities based on one aspect of a given topic and if engagement and abilities could be encouraged by coupling more favored topics with less favored ones? References: Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI). (n.d.). Mathematics standards. Mathematics Standards | Common Core State Standards Initiative. http://www.corestandards.org/Math/ Hill, H., & Ball, D. L. (2009). The curious - and crucial - case of Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching. Phi Delta Kappan, 91(2), 68–71. Mad House Photography. (May, 2009). measure [Photograph]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mad_house_photography/4311409835
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