Summary and Synthesis

It was never difficult for me to be motivated about mathematics because I have always enjoyed it. However, currently I am doing my internship in an alternative learning center and have realized how difficult it can be to motivate students that either do not like math or struggle with it. It is a reoccurring battle day to day for these students to complete their assignments. I frequently hear from them, “I hate math” or “I’m never going to use this, it’s a waste of my time.” When we started discussing motivation in class I found the information very interesting and useful. I believe that as a future teacher I need to find situations that use the math being taught in my courses and relate it to the student’s life. There are many applications out there but if they are not relevant to a student’s perspective at their time and place in life it will not intrigue them enough to learn the material. When I become a teacher it will be one of my main goals to show students where they will use these processes in the “real world” which will hopefully intern motivate them to master the material.