Reflection#3

Paradigm is an ability to believe, or think one way; however, a paradigm shift is way of thinking on two different aspects. There are several occasions that I’ve experienced both the paradigm and paradigm shift views. Throughout my life experience I’ve dealt with the battle of learning mathematics, and due to my learning disability, I was unable to comprehend certain areas of this difficult subject. I often felt displace, and thought I would never grasp the knowledge enough to understand, and do well in this area; I often would have doubts, fears, and constant failure. Throughout my college experience I’ve gained an understanding of how mathematics works, although I realized how essential mathematics is to our daily lives, with tutorial sessions and practice, I’ve gained the necessary knowledge to enhance my weak math skills; moreover, my math is not perfect;however,I have improved tremendously. Teachers are exposed to paradigm change because they are supposed to think out of the box, rather than having one-sided opinions. In addition, today’s teachers are exposed to different personalities, religion, nationality, and experiences in the classroom. They are exposed and aware of thinking on different terms. Open minded teachers can also be helpful as they transform their thinking to a paradigm shift attitude, for example a teacher who has a variety of cultures in their classroom can help a student struggling in learning how to read in english; therefore, the teacher can use the student’s learning style to help him, or her with understanding the material better. As a result, teachers are reinforcing the paradigm shift. Teachers can be exposed to different situations in the classroom, so in order for them understand their students better, if they have a one sided way of thinking they will be unable to teach effectively. Paradigm shifts are essential to a teacher as they begin to learn about diversity in the classroom, and relating it to their students.