Promoting "Flow"

    I got into the state of “flow” when solving differential equations for 400 level math. I did not realize that the answer was almost 5 pages long before I finished.

    To promote “flow” and happiness in math classes, I believe the top priority is to provide students with enough “weapons” such as mathematical thinking skills, calculation tricks and history of mathematics etc. My SA always teaches students how to solve the question in more than one way. When dealing with slopes, she not only showed the basic idea of “rise over run” to grade 9s but also “short-cut” for linear equations in standard form. She told students that this new method could be learned in Math 10 and complimented them that they could handle difficult problems for higher-level math. In this way, students build their confidence in math and reach the “flow” as they are equipped with skills and are able to solve challenging questions. 

    I think introducing puzzle-solving is a good activity for students to reach the “flow” of math. I was lucky to observe another math teacher’s class in the school. The topic was introducing a puzzle named nonograms to grade 8s. It was amazing that how well students follow the teacher and they even asked for more practice. Also, every time they finished a graph together, students would use their imagination and express what the graph looked like. I am more than willing to try this kind of activity in my own teaching later in the long practicum.