In the article, Wagner & Herbel-Eisennman critically examine the language of textbooks and how they “position” students relative to their teacher, their peers, and mathematics in general. They describe a “range of possibilities” that may result from the usage of certain pronouns and “modalities” within various contexts. As a former high school student and textbook user, I believe these implications would have definitely flown right over my head back in the day. As a slightly older slightly wiser teacher candidate, I think it’s a fascinating way to analyze a textbook. These subtle and incidental implications of language are likely undetected by the average student. That being said, I believe language has a way of washing over us, subliminally implanting and reinforcing ideas and perspectives. Even though the article looks at textbooks specifically, I feel as though much of the discussion around language could easily be applied to classroom teachers and how they communicate to their students. For instance, I like the idea of textbook authors having some vision of the “model student” which serve as their audience. And while a teacher may interact with their audience to a greater extent than a textbook's author, the teacher still has a lesson plan based on a conception of their students. I would argue then, that the use of certain pronouns and modalities is commonplace in a classroom for the same reasons it exists in textbooks. A lot of the way people speak about math is informed by the nature of the discipline. Generalizations and abstractions are likely to de-emphasize personal experience, and reverence of logical rigor is likely to result in extremes in modality. The tendency of textbooks to take this authoritative and objective position on teaching mathematics definitely adds to effect of learning math as this impersonal experience. But in the case of teachers speaking to their students, I believe the ways in which language is implemented is much more intuitive, and a good teacher will naturally strike a balance without needing to over analyze things like "modality" and "pronoun usage." All the same, I'm sure we have all been somewhat influenced by our childhood textbooks and whatever linguistical conventions, so it's good to be mindful of how specific language usage can subtly impact our students' learning experiences.
Friday, December 13, 2024
final reflection on the course
This was probably my favorite class this semester (don't tell 450). It's actually difficult to compare 342 and 450 as they kind of blend together in my mind. Especially looking through my previous blog posts in both courses, I realized that I couldn't remember which posts/readings/activities were associated with which of the two courses. I will say however that I did really enjoy the slightly heavier math slant of this course. Looking through my previous posts, I remember feeling very engaged, and really wanting to take my time in writing thoughtful reflections. That's true of 450 as well, and I don't want to repeat too much of what I already said in my 450 final reflection, but I will reiterate how much I enjoyed the writing aspect of these courses. It had been so long, that I had forgotten how much I enjoy writing. It really is a great exercise in developing and organizing one's thoughts, and it very much appeals to the perfectionist in me. I also want to mention here that I feel quite fortunate in being a part of such a truly excellent cohort of teacher candidates. That being said, I must must give credit to our esteemed professor here, because I think there's a lot about how you teach, and what you teach, that has cultivated this very supportive and creative learning environment. So thank you so much for a wonderful semester!