Week 1 Task 1: Your mathematical dreams and worries

1. My dream is that it wouldn't be something painful and aggravating for both of us. I want it to be fun and natural, which is why I'm taking this class :-)

2. I've always been pretty quick with computation in my head. I imagine my kids getting to the same spot, but maybe without such a heavy flashcard use. I see them figuring out daily math situations without always pulling out a calculator, and being able to proceed in math with a strong basis.

I would like my daughter to understand, enjoy and make math and exploring math a part of her every day life. Maths shouldn't have to be a chore. I want it to be a natural part of life and learning. I think of all the math, multiplication is the one used almost daily. Just doing your shopping is much easier if you can quickly and easily compare prices - and it is so easy to do if you understand it. The right teacher and right way of being taught can make so much difference.

I want to support my 7 year olds love of math as much as possible, which can be a challenge given my lack of experience with higher and conceptual math. I want to introduce my 4 year old to math in a fun way alongside her sister. I want my baby to not eat the math manipulatives, lol. For all three I want a strong foundation in practical, everyday mathematics and to help them go on to higher Mathis as far as they want. My 7 year old is consolidating her grasp of addition and subtraction facts and learning to add and subtract with borrowing and carrying. She is starting to make comments and ask questions that tell me she is starting to think about multiplication, so this course comes at a great time. I want her to get multiplication conceptually first, as she did with adding and subtracting. Memorizing facts can come later.

I want my seven year old to continue to enjoy playing with math and for me to be able to help her do so, since I am not myself particularly tuned in to it. I want my four year olds introduction to math to be positive as she learns along side her sister. The baby I mostly want to keep from eating the math manipulatives since she is 9 months old, lol. Overall, I want all three of my daughters to be competent at basic math and to pursue higher math as far as they want. Interestingly, as my older daughter is learning to add and subtract with borrowing and carrying, she is also starting to ask questions and make comments that tell me she is starting to think about the concept of multiplication. So this course comes at the right time, I think. I want her to get it conceptually first, the way we learned adding and subtracting. Then later we can consolidate her memorization of the facts the way we are working on consolidating her addition and subtraction facts.

My dream for my son is that learning mathematics will be a voyage of discovery about how things work and a chance for me to watch how his thought processes grow and deepen over time. I was very lucky this morning to get a little glimpse into his mind when he said, "Mom, did you know that three fours make twelve?" He's in a Montessori preschool where he has been learning about multiplication as adding in groups. I find it hard to believe he really understands the concept of multiplication yet and was skeptical he was doing anything but a combination of lucky guesses and maybe the beginnings of pattern recognition. But his question suggested to me that he is really getting it and it was exciting to see it. I replied, "Yes, and did you know that three fours make twelve?" But he was off to the next thing and didn't answer me. So we will see what both of us learn as I start to look for ways to include multiplication in our day-to-day life.

I hope understanding maths will help my children to understand this world. I hope they will use this understanding to be inventive and solve its problems. My kids might best learn the concept of multiplication through visual models and experience. They might one day use multiplication to plan or predict something everyday like dinner for family, or something bigger, like our population, or flora and fauna in a forest.

1. I dream that my children would be really competent in math, and to feel good about their skills. I want it to be a natural language for them, so that they can use math to figure out life problems and not worry about their ability to do it correctly — because they know they can. I felt that I was quite good at math (up until I hit geometry in 10th grade), and I would like them to feel that same confidence.

2. I would love for them to be able to give change with ease when playing "store" or hosting a lemonade stand. I would love for them to have complete confidence in their ability to multiply a recipe by 1.5, even if it has 3/4 cup of sugar. I would love for them to be able to figure out the gauge of a ball of yarn and adjust a knitting pattern so that the sweater will fit properly.

1. I want to instill in my child a sense of wonder about the world and foster in him a love of learning, seeking answers, curiosity, and self-expression. That means being able to figure things out, even math, by seeking help where he needs it or just playing around with the formula for the answer. I want it to be seen as fun and something he wants to do rather than something he's forced to do.

2. I see my child learning multiplication through games and play relating to his interests. Maybe he's trying to count his coins for money to figure out how much he needs to buy something. Maybe he's trying to solve a fun game. I see him using math effortlessly in every day life just like I do now.

My dream for DD3 is that she would gain satisfaction from using her math abilities to meet a need in the world.

I feel that she will go into a STEM profession so somewhere in her job she will use multiplication.

1. I want my children to be curious and fearless in attacking math. Just because something feels hard, that's no reason to give up. That's all the more reason to explore! I want them to view it as an adventure.

2. They will gradually learn the number sense behind the multiplication table so that they can "figure out" any multiplication question, and then over time I hope that it will become a like a language for them, quickly and easily accessed when they are working on a variety of problems (division, area, fractions, money).

My goal is that my students will be able to apply what they are learning. Observing students working on multiplication concepts prior to the introduction of those concepts in the math curriculum is exciting. I'm now seeing kindergarteners figure out multiplication through their own concrete representations ahead of the grade level curriculum expectations.

1. Having never learned to multiply as a child (thus the online course) my dreams for my daughter are to not be given up on. My math teacher said to me "I am not going to teach you how to multiply. If you haven't figured it out yet then buy a calculator."

This is really about my value of children. I believe we should invest in them and help them become strong and independent adults.

2. If my dreams come true my daughter will learn multiplication slowly and completely. Understanding the measure and foundation of math. She will use this skill often: cooking, shopping, gardening, travel, in other areas of math, financial planning...

I want my kids to enjoy math and not fear it. I want them to see the value it has in our world and all the amazing things they can experience with a love of math. I hope that they learn to use the way their mind works naturally to experience math.

I want my children to find math a fascinating way to describe and understand the world, to never be held back from a subject or profession because of math, and to use it as part of their "play" in art, music, and thinking about life - even into adulthood.

I want them to see math as an active subject, not something that is passively received, copied, and repeated.

1. I really hope that my kids at school will come to love math in one way or another. When I was in school, I learned math but I didn't "get it." I want my students to really get it and be able to apply it in different situations. I hope they see how it can be fun. I want them to get that math can be learned without worksheets and memorization. Kids love science for how hands-on it can be, I hope math can be that way in my room as well.

2. I see them drawing pictures and noticing patterns. In New York, they're expected to know their multiplication facts by the end of 3rd grade. They've been skip counting for years by this point, so I don't see a reason why the basics can't already be there in 1st and 2nd grade. I want it to become second nature long before they see a multiplication table.

1. I want my children to find meaningful work in their adult lives (I am not talking about a job or a profession, but the daily spontaneous activity that they choose). So often throughout my schooling, I found my choices limited by my limited understanding of "real" maths. Maths was a jumble of numbers, x's and seemingly impossible problems to solve throughout most of my schooling. My dream is that they come to the realisation that maths is beautiful, applicable and useful earlier than I did and that they are able to use it in fruitful, and fulfilling ways.

2. I would like to see them using maths and multiplication seamlessly. That it, without conscious thoughts of "let's do multiplication now", but rather thinking about numbers in an organic way. I would like them to have mental pictures and a physical "knowing" of maths and multiplication that will help them to work logically with numbers in their everyday lives. I would like them to feel confident in their mathematical thinking and their problem solving abilities. To have a healthy "maths esteem!"

1a. That children enjoy maths and understand its application b. That they are fearless of maths c. They have the self-confidence to achieve their own full potential in maths d. They develop an innate feel for maths to enable them to intuitively use and understand maths 2. They understand in depth what multiplication means through a multi-faceted approach, rather than rote-learning.

What are my dreams for my children and learning mathematics? I want them to be inspired and empowered by math and to see/use math concepts and techniques to approach all sorts of situations and problems. I want them to see how the world is full of mathematical beauty. I see my children learning and/or using multiplication in everyday activities and nature. I see them doing multiplication in active ways, by manipulating or creating and applying this knowledge to other subject/developmental areas.

1. My dream for my kids (7 and 5) learning mathematics is that it comes so naturally for them that they don't even realize they are "doing math." It's about equipping them with a frame of mind, knowledge and skills to be competent in using the language of math not only to communicate but to manipulate information and data to make sense of the world and contribute to the well-being of society.

2. I hope that my children would learn multiplication by seeing it in the world around them and by having fun! I want to find ways for the kids to do multiplication in active and creative ways, internalizing it so that they don't even realize they are using it. Related to question one, I would like to see my kids using it in their daily lives without even thinking about it.

My hope for children is that they have confidence with mathematics , that they can see patterns and appreciate the connections within the mathematical world and outside.

If my dream comes true, children will not panic upon being presented mathematical problems but will approach problems with confidence because they are fluent in working though various approaches to solve problems.

I can try to answer for my grand kids (5 and 8). First I want to say that I love this question because it connects math and life and values.

For the first question: My dream and vision for every child in the world is that math will become a natural part of their thinking and awareness just like speech, music and talking. This dream includes that the only purpose of tests will be for the students themselves to know if they know and that they will be eager to take tests themselves but only after they internalized and learned and that it will be with their free will

For the second question, my dream is that every child will understand the meaning of multiplication and appreciate in their hearts and minds the infinite beauty of mathematics as reflected through the natural numbers. I dream of a time when the mind will be so clear that everyone will be able to multiply large numbers in their mind and have fun doing it and see the connection between numbers and nature.