1) Your name and previous mathematics experience (IGCSE, MYP, FIB, any other course)
Hi, I’m Anisha. Previously I have done the IGCSE CIM and Additional maths courses in grades 9 and 10.
2) What might be some of the feelings that you associate with mathematics? How do you feel about starting this course and why?
Whenever I hear maths, I mostly get excited. I have always had a passion for maths and absolutely adore it. I love how Maths is not restricted to one thing and can be explored in so MANY areas. Moreover, I love how everything is intertwined with each other. In terms of how I feel about the course, I am pretty excited to be able to learn concepts I may have not before but at the same time, I am a bit nervous about things like grasping the concepts in the time frame that we have and learning some of the harder topics.
3) Where would you put yourself on this continuum and why
I think in terms of learning maths, I am quite in the middle of the spectrum (though I lean a bit more towards the ‘someone else to help me’) where there are some things I like to learn on my own but personally find it that when someone explains it to me, topics can tend to stick in my mind. This in the past has been through teachers, friends or even youtube!
4) What do you do when you are ‘stuck’ in mathematics? In your past experiences, how have you successfully overcome such misunderstandings?:
Most of the times when I’m stuck, I normally just try to think over the problem and see if there are any other ways of solving it, if that still leaves me stuck then I normally tend to consult the internet to see similar problems or if my understanding of a concept is wrong. If none of those work then I normally try to ask a friend to help me.
5) Which one of the following skills is your biggest strength in learning mathematics? Which one might be the biggest area of focus for your mathematics in the first few weeks of Grade 11?
At the moment I think of myself as a collaborative person where I have been able to get or give help to people in a group related to maths. Furthermore, being collaborative has allowed me to see other peoples perspectives even if it is as simple as a different way to solve a problem which has resulted in me learning more overall. I think being confident is the one aspect I need to work on because sometimes I tend to self-doubt pretty easily and that causes me to give up easily at times.