Habits of Mathematician Animas High School Math Department
Generating idea
Here at Animas, in our Algebra 2 class, one of the habits we practice is generating ideas. In my short semester in this class, I feel that I demonstrated my generation of ideas through the Final Project that we completed. For this project, I chose to construct a Tambourine; a wooden instrument used in the rhythym section. To start this project, I completed background research. I would say that background research and the formulation of a plan, is one of my biggest weaknesses. I say this, because both of these habits, revolve around the overall skill of organization, which I do not have. I have demonstrated my strength in generating ideas, through identifying and applying appropriate mathematical tools. Throughout the construction of my Tambourine, I was constantly looking for the correct materials so that my instrument would be sturdy enough to use, efficient, and beautiful work. As a part of my background research, I created a 2-d model of my Tambourine, labeling each measurement, how to find it, and why it was important.
Communicating thinking in a clear and accessible way
Another habit that we practice as Mathematicians here at Animas, is communication. We are sure to do this in a clear and accessible way. I have demonstrated this in each of the seminars we completed for the explorations we did. One weakness that I have with this habit, is restating the problem in a different way that adds to my understanding. When I do math, I tend to think of it as all mechanical, and can't find any way to make it creative or personalized. This makes it very hard for me to add any understanding to it. One strength that I find with communication, is responding to the ideas of others. We usually complete the seminars in groups, and I find group work very efficient for this process. I usually have a different process of going through the problem than my peers, so when I watch them work through it their way, I try to clarify, and ask why, as much as possible.
Recognizing and resolving errors
The third habit that we practice as mathematicians at Animas, is recognizing and resolving errors. I find a strength in this, through disproving my errors with a reason or counter example. By this, I mean that I can go back through my problem, double checking on my math, when I find an error, I can find help from Dan or a classmate, and have them explain it to me. They usually walk me through a different problem, showing me how the calculation should work, and then I can reflect that onto my original problem. A weakness that I see through this, is how I attend to precision and detail. When an error is found in my work, I'm usually not the one to find it. I need to pay more attention to little things and not settle for just a finished problem, but a finished problem that has the correct answer. One example of this is my recent exploration 34, as you can see, I found many errors and made sure I understood what was going on so that I could mover forward. I will include the document under this.
Reflecting and synthesis
The last habit that we practice here at Animas, is reflecting and synthesizing. One strength I find in this, is my ability to provide justification for an idea or process. No matter what crazy process is happening in my head, I can always find a reason for doing it. This reason may not always be correct, or normal, but it makes sense to me. The greatest weakness that I can see with this habit, is my ability to connect abstract ideas to real world examples. As I mentioned before, I tend to think of math as all mechanical, so I can never personalize it or make it creative. This makes it very hard for me to connect math problems to the real world. I am currently working on improving my skills with this, by looking at problems from many different points of view. One example of me succeeding with this weakness is the tambourine. I took my knowledge of circles and those calculations to create something I would use in my life as a musician.