Math Story (or a Mathography) Journal Assignment (based on Drake, 2006)

PURPOSE: to reflect on your experiences in MATH 1210 and for us to learn about your experience

ASSIGNMENT: This journal assignment is broken up into smaller assignments. You should answer each question separately in paragraphs rather than writing one coherent paper.

1. Critical Events

• Event 1, Peak Experience: A peak experience is a high point in your story about MATH 1220. It is a moment or episode in which you experienced extremely positive emotions, such as joy, excitement, great happiness, or even inner peace, after a mathematics experience. Describe what happened, when, where it happened, who was involved, what you did, what you were thinking and feeling, what impact this experience had on you, and what this experience says about who you were or who you are now as a student.

• Event 2, Nadir Experience: A nadir is a low point. Describe a moment or episode that you consider a low point in MATH 1220. Thinking back over your experience with the class, try to remember a specific experience in which you felt extremely negative emotions about math. As before, describe what happened, when, where it happened, who was involved, what you did, what you were thinking and feeling, what impact this experience had on you, and what this experience says about who you were or who you are now as a student.

2. Other Experiences

• What did you learn: Describe what you learned in MATH 1220. This can be mathematical topics but also non-math things, like anything you learned about yourself or your ability to do math or what math is.
• What did you get out of MATH 1220: Describe what you feel you got out of this class.
• Good Things: Tell us things that were good about the class, things we should try to keep the same in future semesters.
• Things to change: Tell us things that were not great about the class, things we should try to change in future semesters.

Additional Questions

• What do you think it takes for a student to be good in math?
• What were your goals for this class? Do you feel you met them? Why or why not?