Week 1 Task 1: Your mathematical dreams and worries

I would like math to be embedded in my children's every day life. I would like them to learn to recognize patterns as a natural part of figuring out their world and as a basic knowing that is groundwork for other types of learning. I'm curious about ways to do this that feel/are authentic rather than contrived.

I would like all children to have the opportunity to learn math by discovering mathematical patterns and structures in their world, reading about famous mathematicians ancient and modern, and to learn both on their own and with cooperation and comraderie from peers in a positive and playful environment.

I want to see children boldly taking the reigns from adults and demanding to be shown the real world and language of math and asking questions that adults take seriously and spend time guiding them in explorations of those questions.

When children learn multiplication, they ought to form a deep sense of knowing the numbers and their relationships in each whole and all parts and the fluidity, movement, change and process that lead to the end product that is not the final result but a momentary pause in space and time.

Lifelong learning

I hope for an appreciation of the beauty of math. Practically, they need to know how to answer the questions on the tests. Ideally, they could find a way to do this without hating math.

I would like to see my daughter get past the multiplication tables without losing her mind. How would she use multiplication? I suppose in practical matters- estimation of quantities, price, etc. If I could imagine her learning her multiplication tables, I would be actively pursuing whatever I was imagining :-)

My first failed class was in math. I want to relearn math and provide a strong correlation to math in the real world. I want their minds to do the calculation not dependent on technology.

I see my children using everything around them. For my teen daughter it would be calculating the area of her room, especially her closet to see how much clothing and shoes can be hidden. Where to put her bed and dog kennel to best suit the view of a multitude of posters around the walls. My son will be to better understand coding and his game of Pokémon. He can feel confident being the banker in the game of life.

I want my daughters to see math as something to practise, not fear. Instead of seeing math as something that you can be good or bad at, it is something that we use everyday, that just needs practise. I want to give my daughters the tools to enjoy the challenges that math can bring, and the resilience to keep trying. Most of all I want to make learning fun! I like the idea of math fitting into everyday, not reduced to this separate abstract study that has no place in everyday life.

If my dreams came true, my daughters would be enthusiastic about math, they wouldn't be afraid of making mistakes, and keep trying. The would also not see someone as good or bad at math, instead, they would see math as a process, or skill that is practiced.

1. I want my kids to see the usefulness of learning mathematics. My dreams are that they will understand it, love it and use it. My dream is that they will be inspired to dig deeper.

2. If my dreams came true, they would be showing me how they learn multiplication best and sharing with me how they see it is useful.

1.) I want my son (and my students) to truly understand what he is doing when he does it. Sure, at some point, certain computations should become automatic (from memory), similar to speaking a second or third language, but If someone asks him why a certain [computational] problem yields a specific answer, I want him to be able to give his own, valid, rational explanation. I want him to have this understanding, because I believe it is truly empowering and opens up a world of opportunities for his future.

2.) I see my son using multiplication for fun (creating and/or playing games), for solving all sorts of problems more efficiently, and ideally as a foundation in math, science or art to create something in the future that none of us have ever seen before.

1. My children are young (8 and 4) and my dream is that learning mathematics and manipulating numbers is done in a deep and meaningful way through natural learning such as learning to walk or ride a bike. That math concepts are absorbed and become intrinsic for them, they have no fears around maths, it's just another concept they learn and they are confident problem solvers. That they can appreciate the beauty of mathematics as well as some of the applications.

2. I would see my children happy and enjoy playing with patterns, shapes and numbers and to "discover" multiplication for themselves. To enjoy finding the many ways multiplication can be expressed and to want to explore further. To understand the usefulness of multiplication in everyday lives.

1. I want my children to enjoy math and not just struggle with memorizing facts. I want them to see the connection of math with nature and the world all around them.

2. I want my children to understand multiplication and not just rote memorize facts. I want them to be able to visualize in their minds where it comes from so it makes sense on a deeper level. My wish would be for my children to realize how they can use math in their everyday lives.

My 9yo daughter has been known to have math meltdowns. Since we started homeschooling last year, these have lessened considerably, but a math phobia remains. It doesn't help that her younger brother grasps math very easily! My hope is that she starts to see math as a puzzle that she can solve and that she finds the best tools for her learning style to get there. It's really about her confidence in her own abilities. My dream is for her to believe in herself and be proud of her efforts.

In my math dreams, she would see the patterns in her art and the world around her; apply math in the backyard as she gardens and builds things; utilize math in her sewing and maker projects; and THEN translate that on the paper. In other words, see that relationship between "school math" and "living math" and learn to embrace it.

1. Honestly I haven't given this enough thought. My initial response is I want my children to feel confident with discovery and that often requires an understanding of several languages, math being one. I hope my children learn to understand math is much more than 'plug and chug' which is how it is taught in schools. I would love for them to be comfortable with mental math and estimation, understanding how to take apart numbers and put them together in different ways to derive the information they need for whatever question is in front of them.

2. It seems that learning what multiplication is is very different from memorizing the tables and I think both are important. My sons are 8 and right now they need to learn in a physical kind of way what multiplication means and have them recognize when they need to use such a skill in a situation. The answers can be figured out and I want them to know how to do that. But later on they'll need to memorize at least most of the problems for easy in life. You don't want to have to think about what 8*5 is when you need it.

And @MerrilySpinning, I love your description of poetry use in your home. You've inspired me to ramp up my boys exposure to poetry!

What a beautiful reminder.

1. My dream is for my son to be able to navigate the world and really GRASP and CONCEPTUALIZE how the world works and what he can do with it. I think mathematics is really about aspiring to understand this unfathomable world and I want that mystery to entice him forward. I want him to be able to use math like a map with which he can move, predict, and understand his environment.

2. I really like Anno's books about multiplication. One in particular is Anno's Magic Seed? It is about a man who gets a seed and every time he plants one he gets two more. I guess that is more exponents than multiplication. But I like using these rhythmic, fun stories that are also somewhat grounded in a real life example. I also want to do real life multiplication and navigation. We garden a lot. So I want my son to learn and use multiplication when we plan and predict our yields. 1 seed grows into one plant that gives 2 broccoli flowers. If we plant 3 seeds how many broccoli flowers will we get this year?

1. My son is 2 years old and I think that this program is important because it is about being well rounded. I think it will give me a chance to present new concepts and experiences to my son in ways that I might not have thought of myself. My hopes and dreams are that he approaches the real world with a sense of trust and confidence. Math is not something that has come very easily to me or my husband, and I hope this will take my child to a level where he will not have as much trouble as we did.

2. My dreams come true are that my son is ahead of the curve instead of always having to catch up with other kids. As parents, my hope is that it becomes part of our nature in our interactions with our son to point out concepts in math. At this stage, him understanding multiples whether it's in a grocery store or counting rocks, or matchbox cars. To me, that is what this program is about, learning math concepts as we go about life just as we go about teaching our children all the other things that are important in life.

I hope she sees mathematics in everyday things, gets curious about shapes like spider webs and power lines. I hope she gets excited when presented with a new problem. I also want her to have mathematical tools at her disposal so when it comes time to learn chemistry, physics, and other applied areas of mathematics, she won't be overwhealmed by the equations and derivations, but will see them as old friends helping her unlock new mysteries. Since I'm starting her so early, she definitely will not be learning via traditional methods. I know she'll be able to use mulitplication for everyday usage, like planning finances (saving allownace), doubling recipes, etc., but also discovering problems/patterns and thinking "I can use multiplication to descibe this!". Of course, multiplication is an invaluable tool for future subjects.

I hope my children will be curious and delight in learning and engage eagerly and competently at problem-solving. I want them to be able to use math competently for practical and real-life applications, but I would really love for them to just enjoy mathematical problems and concepts just for the fun of them, even if they don't have a direct application. I do hope that it will develop in them a framework for problem-solving that will help them to maybe one day analyze and solve everyday problems but also bigger problems in the world around them.

I want my children's experience to math to help bring them not just to the ability to repeat what they have been shown but to have a deep understanding of the concepts. I hope that the way in which they learn math will bring them joy and lead them to apply the math concepts to real life issues. I am not sure what this means for learning multiplication because my experience with learning multiplication was simply to memorize the facts. For using it in life though I see them using it every day in many ways, cooking, gardening, shopping and more.

1. I want my children to have the deeper math understanding and skills to allow them to do well in math at any level. I do not want them to be held back from any career choices because of difficulty with math. 2. I imagine my children learning multiplication by understanding it, not through memorization, and being able to use it any time it may be usefull.

1. I want my kids to learn and use math as they would learn a language. I want them to understand the concepts and use them as they would use the words and expressions to build their own 'sentences'. I want them to enjoy the road that leads (eventually) to a solution, to see the beauty of reasoning. I want them not to be looking for the 'right' answer, but be free and constructive.

2. I see them looking for multiplication in daily life, looking for patterns, making what they have discovered their own and using it in their games.

I have a dream that all children will walk hand in hand while doing challenging problem solving in confident, fun and creative ways.

If this was to come true... So many doors would open for them.