Rhetorical Analysis--Assignment 2

In a recent education class I was required to read an article called “Love and Math”. In this article, researchers tested the mathematical knowledge of first and third grade teachers and then examined the impact of that knowledge on gains in mathematics over the course of a year. The researchers also found that two kinds of mathematical knowledge were important for teachers to possess in order to increase student learning. There were many consequences resulting from the mathematical foundation. The writer was a national board certified teacher with a master’s degree in education. The article was published in a very known mathematics journal. I feel that the writer was trying to tell the readers that teachers own knowledge of math has a substantial impact on a student’s learning ability. The researchers discovered two kinds of teacher mathematical knowledge that are critical to a student’s learning. The first being common math knowledge which is just simple basic math concepts. The second mathematical knowledge is called specialized. This type of knowledge goes way beyond the common math skills. This includes teachers who are especially gifted at figuring out where a student messed up in multiplying or dividing several digit numbers. I believe that it needs to be beneficial to a student when a teacher is able to evaluate and examine the problems rather than just having the simple basic math skills. Also, according to the researchers in this study, effective mathematics teaching requires a solid comprehension of the subject. Some other crucial requirements are a teacher’s fluency and accuracy in the use of math terms and symbolic notations. In addition to all of this research, many teachers are benefiting form well-designed textbooks, software and updated instructional materials to effectively provide important mathematical support. It is my belief, that it would be easier to accomplish the required mathematical skills for teaching while in college. For instance, college students are eager and excited about learning and experimenting with different concepts to math. However, I do believe that a teacher’s math knowledge can be increases through a specialized professional development course that focuses on communication and mathematical analysis. This article tells me that his writing was intended for teachers and parents of the students. The writer assumes that the audience is some sort of well educated and understands the concepts that occur in the classrooms. Craig D. Jerald wrote this article in March 2006. Craig’s article seemed pretty good to me. This article would be perfect for upcoming teachers because it explains that we need well-educated teacher’s to be teaching our children. I was very privileged to have a well-educated teacher to teach me this course and I plan to have many better-educated teachers in the near future. I also hope that once I graduate I will be classified as a well-educated teacher and can teach my students the best and the best way to understand what I am teaching. I also hope to be an inspiring math teacher with a caring and nurturing attitude that helps students achieve, believe and succeed throughout their life.