Class Goals

All Waldorf teachers have one primary goal, which was long ago summarized by Rudolf Steiner:

"Our highest endeavor must be to develop free human beings

who are able of themselves to impart purpose and direction to their lives."

-- Rudolf Steiner

In pursuit of this goal, this class has the following specific goals:

1. Utterly crush math phobia forever.

2. Deepen mathematical intuition and logical reasoning skills by discovering meaningful patterns, and learning to translate them into mathematical concepts.

3. Meet and exceed California state standards and STAR test goals.

4. Ensure that highly-motivated students are prepared for advanced math placement in ninth grade.

Utterly Crush Math Phobia Forever

Too many were taught math through unimaginative, drill-and-kill methods that were uninspiring to say the least. The joy of mathematical discovery is easily lost when the only goal is to get the one correct answer for a pageful of nearly identical and equally meaningless problems.

We often learn best through mistakes. This requires courage for the truth. Students are encouraged to ask tough questions, try alternate methods, take intellectual risks, get things completely wrong, and become very confused for a while.

I will model the courage to learn through mistakes by demonstrating my own willingness to go beyond my comfort level, make real mistakes, think carefully about them, and ultimately learn something new.

This is a non-judgemental class. We each climb an inner mountain. All students are required to do their best. This is all that can be asked of anyone, and more is not expected. There are many different kinds of mathematical intelligence. Often, once barriers of fear and judgement fall away, students who thought they were bad at math discover they have real mathematical talents.

Deepening mathematical intuition

Pattern recognition is a constant theme of this class. Our innate ability to recognise patterns is at the root of all mathematical discoveries. I'll present many open-ended challenge problems. Here, the path is the goal. Students won’t always find an answer and this is not essential, but they are required to try hard.They will learn to observe their problem-solving habits, and will work to strengthen their intuition, pattern recognition, and critical thinking skills.

Although these challenge problems may have a correct answer, they often do not have one correct method of solution. They lend themselves to original, out-of-the-box thinking, and are often more easily solved when students work together. This allows each student to contribute in their own way, and helps each appreciate and incorporate the learning styles and strategies of the others.

Exceeding California State Standards

Instruction is aligned with the California State Standards. The STAR test does not test for original mathematical thinking. It tests for speedy recognition of basic facts and standard techniques. This is an easy target to meet. By practising fundamental skills each day, we quickly see when students have forgotten the basics, and can immediately pause to review.

Regular skills practice is vital. Our double math period gives a unique opportunity to do this well. Many classes begin with a quick round of mental math, followed by practice of a specific skill. Much of this work can be done through a variety of fast-paced games to increase student interest and retention.

Preparing for high school

California has placed an emphasis on Algebra I and encourages all schools to provide an algebra course in eighth grade. Additionally, California high schools are no longer allowed to teach math courses below Algebra I. This means students with extremely wide math abilities and interests may be grouped together in ninth grade Algebra Ia courses. This can be a difficult learning environment.

Our class will provide solid preparation for entry into high school Algebra I and Geometry I courses. Support will also be provided for very motivated students who wish to enter Algebra II in ninth grade.

Teachers have found that it typically requires at least two years for students to master a traditional Algebra I course. Much of the understanding and appreciation of the course content comes during subsequent years. Teachers of Algebra II often spend too much time reteaching Algebra I topics. For these reasons, most eighth grade students should consider repeating Algebra I in high school even if they did well in eighth grade. It is better to establish a strong foundation that to rush headlong into the more advanced subjects before students are ready.