Your name and previous mathematics experience (IGCSE, MYP, FIB, any other course)

My name is Claire and I took IGCSE last year.

 

What might be some of the feelings that you associate with mathematics?

How do you feel about starting this course and why?

I typically enjoy completing math problems and don’t have any negative feelings associated with maths.  I am excited about starting this course because I would like to work on my math skills and go deeper into the topics we had covered in IGCSE.

 

How do you like to learn mathematics?  

Where would you put yourself on this continuum and why:

When I am learning a new concept I find that I learn better when I have someone explain it to me and take me through all the steps, this way I am able to ask questions and clarify my thinking.  However, after that, I like to work on it by myself and just go through what I learned in class and try to apply it to problems.

 

What do you do when you are “stuck” in mathematics?

In your past experiences, how have you successfully overcome such misunderstandings?

Sometimes when I’m stuck on a math problem and I am not able to progress any further, I will leave it for a while and come back to it later.  This is because often when I have been working on a problem for a while I am not able to see the bigger picture or something that is right in front of me.  However, if after this I am still not able to solve it I will ask someone for help.

 

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?

A critical thinker A problem solver Inquiring/questioning Creative Innovative/Original Imaginative Curious Interested Adaptable Persistent A risk-taker Collaborative A leader

Organised Flexible A good communicator A self-manager Independent Diligent Organised Responsible Open minded Optimistic Confident Self disciplined Reflective

 

I think one of my strengths is being a good self-manager, as I always try to be aware of the areas/topics that I need more focus on and will spend more time on those.  

Something that I would like to improve on is being more adaptable when it comes to what I learn in maths.  This is because I often learn a concept well and am able to apply it to simple problems, but when I encounter a word problem that is different to what I am used to I tend to freeze up and panic before I think logically about it.