Armed with Peter Liljedahl’s 2021 text Building Thinking Classrooms and the pain and frustration of the social upheaval and pandemic deaths of recent years, I set out to push the boundaries of my abilities to teach math and help students realize more of their true potential. In a whirlwind of change, I departed from the status quo. How did I fare? Did transformation take place?
Dr. Sheila Akinleye
Rather than regurgitate math procedures, I knew my students needed to be able to think and reason deeply enough to tackle any problem thrown at them in math, or even life.
Let’s face it, although we should, we don’t recommend teaching careers to our best and brightest. If you are believed to have the aptitude to become a scientist, engineer, or doctor, then that’s what people tell you, and that’s where you try to go.