Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog! My name is Belinda Olij. I am currently a Teacher Candidate in the Junior/Intermediate Consecutive Education Program at Brock University.

As you can see above, this blog is entitled Math Matters. I chose this title because I felt the play on words aptly represents what I hope to discuss in this blog. In one sense, I will be discussing different matters about math. I will be sharing different ideas I have learned in class relating to math and how to effectively teach math. In another sense, I also hope to discuss and demonstrate why math matters. So many math teachers hear unenthused students ask “When am I ever going to use this in real life?” or “Why does this even matter?”  While I personally did fairly well in math in school, I never had a concrete understanding of math and I struggled to really connect with what I was learning. I went through the motions of plugging numbers into formulas without understanding how it worked or why it mattered. My goal is to give my students a more positive math experience. I want my students to get excited about math as they discover how valuable math is and explore all the amazing things math has to offer. I want my students to see, experience, and understand why math does matter.

I am really looking forward to this math course! My goal is to learn a variety of strategies, methods, and activities that will help children of all learning abilities and styles to become engaged learners who enjoy developing their math skills and potential. Methods of teaching have changed considerably since I was a student in elementary school and I am excited to learn about the different resources and techniques that are being used today. I am excited to gain a better understanding of how children think about math and how we can help children to discover their potential and develop their skills and confidence.

I encourage you to keep visiting my page over the next few months as I explore why math matters!