Response by 110984
 Wally coming today seemed
actually really interesting.  Honestly, in the begining, I wasn't into
it, but listening to him, he said some really true things that I could
connect with.  I am really interested in politics, and part of that deals
with education.  The fact that our political system just lets students
keep going even though they are not performing well, is not something I
want to hear.  He also made me realize what I do to learn, and what makes
me learn the best.  I am a right brained person and I am more into the
creative ways of learning.  I think with Wally coming to class, it also
made me realize that I need to be more open to this class.  I am more
interested in how other people are acting and how they respond to the
classes and acting like they do, than acting like myself, and being open
to these type of experiences.  I usually enjoy speakers like Wally, but
this time, I was more closed off to his presentation because I was afraid
of what my classmates might think if I seemed to enjoy it.  There are so
many social issues involved with a class like this.  If not everyone is
involved in the openess of the class, then most people who usually enjoy
it, are closed off too.  Maybe we can try a trust exercise or something
to get people in the class more open to the freedom of the class.

Response by Mary Lorraine Snauffer
 In response
to Wally's presentation, I thought it was good to get that sort of
message out there. My mother is a very dedicated first grade teacher. She
grew up with learning disablities that were never
tested/treated/diagnosed. She can't spell and people thought she was
stupid. If you can't spell you are not stupid. Anyway, she fights the
public school system which is getting more and more rigid everyday to
continue to teach her way, which is catering to each student at an
individual level. Everyone doesn't understand the same way. But it's
hard, especially when there are more and more standarized tests that are
mandatory each year, so more and more of the year is used to prepare
students (6 year olds) for these tests-- how to take tests, how to fill
in bubbles with #2 pencils and how (but not why) NOT to write in that box
that says "Do Not Mark In This Box." Tests which are pointless in the
first place.
 

Response by Elaina Parisi

Response to Wally Woods presentation, 1/19
I found the ideas exposed by Wednesday's lecture to be very interesting,
particuarly the ideas of how truly restricting the conventional forms of
education are, which begin as early as kindergarten.  Wally helped to
prove that the ways children are encouraged to think, through imitation
rather then creativity, truly impair the functions their mind is
naturally capable of.  This helped me to consider the ways I think that
may impair my ability to perform academic tasks as best as I feel that I
can.  I often get discouraged at how well I do in different subjects, but
I feel that if I approach assignments with this open mind that Wally
encouraged, then I will be a lot more satisfied with what I accomplish.
I think the best way to achieve this is through not being as judgmental
on myself and by not being afraid to fail, which I think will ultimately
allow me to become a more creative and successful student.

Response by S. Taylor

 I got a lot out of last
class. I really enjoyed hearing the theories be hide the brain and how
people think. It's good to know what kind of learner you are, along with
knowing what kind of learner different people you know are. I thought
that Wally was a great guy and knew what he was talking about. I have a
very strong feeling that the way we are going to approach math in this
class will benefit me.

Response by Jason

 Todays class was about
thinking outside the box. Expanding your horizon beyond the norm.
Everything in life is interconnected and related to each other in some
way. You can learn, like
anything else, how to think better. By exploring many avenues you can
augment your brains
ability. Also, since childhood we have been conditioned how to think and
react to a variety of
different situations. If you can see past that, you can break down some
of the barriers that we have

Response by 1022

 I thought a lot about what was
said about school subjects during the last class. Why do we
separate everything into neat little boxes... why do we need such
distinct, isolated groupings for
our areas of study? This was a great point that was made, and it has
stuck around in my head for
the past few days. Everything really is interconnected, and all forms of
learning, whether it may
seem useful or not at the time, really contribute to a person's character
and overall knowledge.
This workshop will be very helpful to me in all aspects of life, and I
only wish a thing like this could
be offered and utilized in public schools. So many kids are taught to
hate learning... that learning
can only happen in a cement room while sitting in funny little desks. To
live is to learn.

Response by Lauren

 In response to the Wally
Woods presentation:
All my life I have been surrounded by structure, and the lack of it is
beleive it or not terrifying. Wally is proposing a complete overhaul of
my way of learning and of studying and frankly i am all up for it. It is
about time I got rid of this fear of math and through Wally's lecture I
realized how society in general has made me scared of math, scared of
what i could learn and achieve. Wally had some interesting ideas like:
how potential - barriers = success. I create my own barriers when i say I
CAN'T do math. Wally had some cool ideas.

Response by thx1138

 In response to Wally Woods
presentation:
This was an incredible workshop - I wish that Wally had more time to
share some of his methods.  I could tell how much he truly believed in
what he was saying, and how he used the teaching methods he spoke of, to
actually teach us in the presentation!  That could have easily been a
dull lecture, but it wasn't.  It simply wasn't at all.  What I took away
most from Wally's teaching is how and what do I have to think about as a
future public school educator to keep students engaged and stimulate
their minds.  I have a much better idea after seeing Wally implement it
live, and in front of us.  I've seen someone like him before.  Dr. Tim
Lauzenheiser.  Full of energy, vigor, passion for what he does.  That
sort of thing is captivating to a student.  If the teacher doesn't seem
interested in it, why then would the student?

 I guess I learned, in the
last class, some of the main reasons I haven't enjoyed math in years
previous. I was forced to really think about my reasons for being
uncomfortable with math, and it made me face some of those reasons.
Last class also made me think alot more about the ways we learn, on a
sociological level, as well as the way people are trained from an early
age to comform to the rest of our culture - even when dealing with things
like math or art.

Response by Jedd L.
 What I got from the lecture
that guy gave us was not really learning new things, persay, but making
me feel a little better about work, classes, grades etc. I think an
important message was that we all differ in the workplace as well as at
school.
I interviewed my Grandmother. I learned primarily that in her school in
Rye, New York the emphasis on math was not great, she did take math but
she took enough to gather that it wasn't her schpiel. We have a very
similar attitude towards math-- not hatred towards it, but finding no
enjoyment from it. 

Response by Alyssa

 I'm actually really excited
for this class. I've never really despised math until my latter high
school days. I was always ok at it, got good grades for the most part,
and some of it was even a little fun, but i never yearned to learn it!
I really had no idea what to expect comming into this class, but i've
heard such wonderful things about it. I love working with children, i
love the idea of thinking outside the box, and expanding potential.
Today's class was wonderful. It shocks me, and at the same time it
doesn't, that our school system is set up in such a regimented and
structured way. I really wish that I could have learned in a differnt
way. THe story that the guest speaker shared with us today made me think
about my schooling as a child, and much of that rang true, but i also
remember being encouraged to express creativity. Either that or i just
did it for lack of interest in other things,or because i was the only
girl in my family and forced to be quite independent!
I'm excited that you want us to build sculptures and what not in the
snow! I love doing fun things like that, unfortunatly, the snow is going
to have to melt just a tad bit in order to make it "packable", otherwise
it'll keep collapsing. BUt i hope to get enought people together to do
something like that.

Response by Chris Cucci

Here is a good quote from John F. Kennedy:
"Conformity is the enemy of thought and the jailer of freedom."

Response by MG

 I think this class looks very
promising in terms of helping me overcome my fear of math.  I'm excited
about looking at it from a different perspective in order to try and
understand it better.  I found the speaker today to be interesting, to
say the least, and although I'm not sure that I learned a new way of
thinking, the quotes he shared with us were nice.

 Wally's leason was very
interesting and informative. He is trying to teach us in a way that we
have never experience before. I like this new way of teaching but I am
still very nerveous about it. He is trying to make us realize out
barriers that kept us from being good at math. So of my barriers include
- teachers telling me I was not good at math
- I haven't done any math in over 3 years
- the traditional way of teaching math puts a lot of pressure on students
to memorize formulas and other things which to many of us are useless
because we are not math majors and are focused on our own majors.

Response by kelvin couple of minutes later

 Well
I've looked at what others have to say about their fears of Math. It
seems to me that most everyone has had a past experience when someone
accused them of not being good at math. Hopefully with this new and
interesting way of learning we can all get pass these ideas and face math
with a totally different attitude, one that will enable us to be math
lovers-lol

Response by KTAunch

 From todays lecture, I am
beginning to understand the real reasons behind as to why I am unable to
understand or like math to its full potential.  I've found that with
everything else in life, there's always more information than just the
obvious. For example, to me Math is boring....anyone can say that or
express ti. But inside math is really boring to me because I don't
understand it, and I feel as if it is unuseful because I can't apply it
to my everyday life. When really math is in everything we do...but it's
hidden. I also am beginning to find that I can like math (maybe not
understand it completely or love it) but like it, and not dread going to
it by breaking down the barriers that seem to be in my way.

Response by Alix Scoblionko

 To me math has
always been a scary thing because i've always struggled to understand the
subject. I've always been taught math in a rather boring structured way
which i feel has a lot of impact on the way i look at math. I think when
it comes to math teachers are more concerned with teaching students
certain material within a certain time period and therefore they never
elaborate on the importance of math in our every day lives. Most people
think of algebraic equations or geometric shapes and angles when they
think of math. The fact is that we are constantly using math in our every
day lives without even knowing it. From the speaker today i realzed a few
things that i hadn't related to math  before. I learned that there is no
such thing as intelligence and that everyone is capable of doing or
learning something if taught properly. Also everyone learns differently.
so what might be a helpful method of learning to once person may be
totally confusing to someone else. I am looking forward to this class
because i feel you are a very kind hearted and interesting man with a lot
to offer. I dont really know quite what to expect from the class yet, but
im sure that it will be great with you as my teacher.

Response by Lonnie Simmons

 I thought what that
man had to say was very interesting, there were concepts with in his
concepts to make you think, much related to a math problem where you use
other math knowledge to solve the given problem, he reflectively told you
a situation why you have your situation, and resolved it (more related to
his troubles with math speech) anyways more to the point, i really liked
the guy, and he hand a very creative way of sharing his ideas, i
definitely learned something from him!

Response by Britney

 Today I learned that people
should be learning laterally as opposed to only using one half of their
brain
at a time. Evidently it is more efficient to employ this total brain
concept while learning because one can
then learn more and at an greater speed.

Response by Britney

 After reviewing some of the
entries people wrote, I can see that in most cases their barriers are
similar
to mine.
I find math boring, not applicable to life (especially things like pre-
calculus and calculus), and the
pressure to do it quickly or not at all very frustrating.
I like to take my time with problems and all my teachers used to tell me
that if I could do it, I should be
able to do it quickly otherwise I don't understand it.
all my math classes have moved very quickly and those who do not
understand are simply left behind.
I even had one teacher who refused to answer questions or slow down when
asked...even implored by
students to do so.
I've told myself time and time again that my brain simply doesn't work
that way and that a subject like
pre-calculus is too abstract for me. This, however, I firmly believe. no
matter how hard I tried, I could
not do pre-calc. the harder I tried, the more I failed. I can't memorize
all the formulas and what's more,
I don't see the point in doing so. it is futile and ridiculous.
these things are all my barriers and I see that I have much in common
with the other members of this
class. Hopefully I can find a different way to learn in order to overcome
some of these obstacles.

 1. I learned today that there
are three types of learners; visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. We must
try to combind all three to because the best learner. I also learned that
Americans are more visual learners. Another interesting thing is that
left brained people are more logical, analytical, and fact based, opposed
to right brained who are holistic, intuitive, and spontaneous.
2.
3. Some barriers for me are I loose interest. It's not that I don't like
math, I just haven't taken many classes and put a lot of time into it. I
also sometimes think that it doesn't apply to me.
 
 

Response by Kelly

 In response to what people
were saying about their barriers, it seems like some people really do
like math. The problem is they get discouraged and then give up. It could
be due to past courses or teachers. It also looks like a lot of people
are really excited to learn from this class.
 
 

Response by KTAunch

 Responding on what I wrote
and what others wrote, we are all in this class to extend our knowledge,
to not fear, to be challenged, and to understand with more ease....and I
agree with most everyones barrier responses and for once have hope that
math can get better.
 
 

Response by Michael Bolis

 I learned today that
the way that education is tought to a great deal to those recieving some
form of schooling needs to be re-thought.  The very strict form in which
schools convey knowledge needs to become less strict to give everyone an
equal opportunity to learn.
After asking a family member what did you learn in life I was given the
following response:  "Life is for living, taking risks, making mistakes,
and executing decisions.  It is also about the passage of time and
getting along with other people who are around you through out life.
It's about being proactive"
This knowledge that my brother has learned in life i believe is very
simple but, crucial to learn in the course of ones own life through
learning from experiences.
 
 

Response by purplelover4

I enjoyed the lecture that we had on Wednesday. It was interesting to
think of math in a different way and knowing that anyone can do it if we
just open our minds and not reject the concepts because it may seem too
difficult for us to handle. I felt a little more encouraged to give math
another shot and not give up yet. I also liked the fact that we were
challenged in different ways, and other things that we do all the time
can be used to improve our brain. I'd like to continue learning about
this way of learning, because I think it would really help us all, not
only in math, but for many other things in the future.
 
 

Response by purplelover4

As for barriers I have in math, I find that I am often discouraged and
give up too easily when I can't understand something. What really
discourages me is that everytime I need help in math, people are willing
to help, but become impatient with me because I'm not understanding it
quick enough. I need someone who can really take their time with me and
not get mad if I don't get it right away.
 
 

Response by Becca M

 I have really enjoyed class
so far.  I really did not know what to expect... I mean What Is Math
could be anything.  Im excited that it will be what we all make it
together. I look forward to Math Day and working with the little kids.
This class is making me excited to learn in new ways.
:)
 
 

Response by Becca M

 So far it seems like
everyone else is happy with the class as well.  Im glad, i think if we
are all enthusiastic about helping each other or just being supportive
that the class will be more fun and productive.  I know one of my
barriers is feeling like everyone else knows what they are doing when I
may not - I appreciate how open everyone is being with their responses
and I think our class will become math fans together.
 
 

Response by Becca M

 I wrote this last year when
i was frustrated and stressed out... i have a little Buddha that sits on
my desk and just the thought of Buddism reminds me to take deep breaths
and that there is more to life always...
O
How
He
Meditates
On Me
.
.
.
Buddha sits in silence, watching me mourn my mortal core. Trapped in
flesh,
Fish-netted to earth trodden humanity. Environmentally aware and
concerned,I daze here,an ozone inhaler insect I brew. Stitch oceans to
land, I’ll be the seam.
Green jade perkiness looks up, as if I was an accent; a bonus to the
planet.
Potential in an itchy sweater. Sewer swimmer, drinker, thinker.
Writers make up the highest percent of the depressed.
But no change was ever made by a pussyfoot.
--------------------------------------------------
Response by Megan Burke

 Response to
Presentation
I've been thinking about the idea that we are trained to do things a
certain way. This idea is something that has struck a chord with me. I
have recently relized how I too have been trained to do what I am told.
For some reason I feel that I must do what is asked of me, especially in
regards to school. I was not sure of the connection between myself and
the story of the boy until today. I think it is interesting how we have
been "brainwashed" into doing exactly what teachers want. I hope to be
more aware of this fact and I am going to try to change the way I do
things, so I am doing the because I want to, not because I've been told I
have to.

Response by Matt K.

  I'm not going to lie, so
far this course seems very strange to me. For the past 19 years I have
been under the impression that to do well I have to study material for
the goal of getting a satisfactory grade. Now that grades out of the
picture or at least set to the side I feel nervous. I have an
uncontrollable desire to know how I am doing in the class even if that in
itself is negatively affecting my education. It was interesting listening
to Wally’s philosophy on learning and how the American society can be so
far off. Until recently I have never even questioned if the way I was
learning was wrong. I clearly remember hating certain aspects of
learning, but didn’t think that the teachers could have been on the wrong
path. I always blamed my bordem and sometimes hatred as my own personal
short-commings. I hope that this new form of education will change my
need for good grades into a need for good education.

Response by Adam S.
 Well last class was
interesting...I am definitely enjoying this class so far. Of course that
will all end once we actually start working with math equations. However,
I am going to try and keep my mind open and such - that is the point of
the class it seems so far. Thats all i got right now