Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Study
Rebecca
Brody
CI
4300
Dr.
Ramirez
October
20,
2014
Artifact:
Research
Paper-
Functions
Topic/Title:
The
History
and
Evolution
of
the
Concept
of
a
Function
Medium:
Microsoft
Word
Document
Technology
Used:
Microsoft
Word
for
word-processing
and
creating
tables
and
graphs,
Internet
Research,
Text
Research.
I elected to analyze a research paper that I wrote in the spring of 2014 for
at
the
time
that
it
was
written
because
the
assignment
instructions
barred
me
from
examining
functions
through
an
educational
lens
and
was
instead
written
from
a
mathematical
learners
perspective.
Hence,
I
was
forced
to
concentrate
on
my
mathematical
knowledge
of
functions
instead
of
my
pedagogical
understanding.
Additionally,
I
believe
that
this
is
the
time
in
my
mathematical
education
in
which
I
gained
the
most
knowledge
over
a
rather
short
period
of
time
while
also
delving
deeper
into
the
subject
of
functions
than
I
had
ever
done
before.
it
applied
to
functions
and
how
to
use
them.
I
was
always
ahead
of
others
in
my
class
and
took
math
courses
throughout
high
school
and
in
the
semesters
before
I
took
the
course
that
required
this
artifact.
Prior
to
my
research
on
functions
I
could
easily
manipulate
functions
in
problem
solving
scenarios
and
I
might
have
been
able
to
identify
several
characteristics
for
the
more
common
function
families
but
I
could
not
have
taken
it
much
further.
However,
at
the
time
of
completion
for
my
artifact,
I
was
at
the
height
of
my
content
knowledge.
For
the
first
time
I
was
speaking
and
writing
fluently
about
functions,
using
the
most
precise
vocabulary,
and
identifying
new
connections
that
I
had
never
before
made.
I
discovered
when
to
use
the
word
recursive
and
how
to
explain
recursive
patterns
in
the
most
effective
manner.
Additionally I was aware of how functions came to be, their evolution across
the
years,
and
I
was
familiar
with
every
characteristic
of
all
of
the
function
families.
For
example,
the
linear
function
family
has
a
domain
and
range
of
all
real
numbers;
can
be
defined
as
either
positive
or
negative;
and
has
a
specific
set
of
x
and
y
intercepts.
I
learned
these
characteristics
and
many
more
about
each
separate
function
family.
my
journey
towards
mastering
the
Middle
Grades
Content
Area
Standards
for
Mathematics
Teacher
Candidates,
particularly
Standard
3
and
Standard
5.
Standard
3
addresses
the
significance
of
teacher
candidates
possessing
knowledge
of
patterns,
relationships,
and
functions.
standard
to
be
very
surface
level
and
basic.
After
completing
the
artifact
I
acknowledged
that
there
is
always
more
to
learn
but
also
felt
that
I
was
well
on
my
way
to
mastering
this
content.
Also,
I
believed
myself
to
be
prepared
to
enter
a
classroom
and
teach
students
about
patterns,
relationships,
and
functions.
Teacher
Candidates
encompasses
the
mathematical
process
skills
that
are
necessary
in
creating
connections
and
problem
solving.
Standard
5:
Mathematics
teacher
candidates
possess
the
mathematical
knowledge
needed
to
enable
students
to
develop
skills
in
problem
solving,
making
connections
between
various
branches
of
mathematics,
reasoning
and
proof,
and
communication
and
representation
of
mathematical
ideas.
Throughout
my
research
on
functions
I
was
continuously
learning
about
the
appropriate
vocabulary
to
describe
the
ideas
that
I
was
exploring
and
significantly
improving
my
mathematical
communication
skills.
As
previously
described,
I
was
also
forming
new
connections
and
transforming
my
knowledge
from
procedural
rules
and
memorized
steps
to
conceptual
understanding.
One
of
the
most
important
connections
that
I
formed
was
the
relationship
between
patterns
and
the
nearly
infinite
type
of
ways
that
each
individual
pattern
can
be
represented.
This
transformation
made
me
better
prepared
to
relay
ideas
to
students
based
on
what
they
understand
best
and
guide
them
in
their
process
of
learning
to
solve
problems
and
form
connections
of
their
own.
Development
of
Content
Knowledge
since
Artifacts
Completion
mathematical
content
but
also
recognize
that
I
am
not
a
mathematician
and
that
there
are
certain
mental
limitations
that
I
may
face.
For
instance,
my
ability
to
compute
probability
beyond
the
most
basic
calculations
is
not
as
strong
as
my
knowledge
of
algebraic
reasoning
and
problem
solving.
I
have
a
very
difficult
time
comprehending
probability
that
occasionally
leads
to
issues
within
my
work.
However,
if
I
diligently
work
to
gain
an
understanding
of
the
underlying
concepts
of
probability
then
I
may
at
some
point
overcome
this
obstacle.
My
plan
is
to
seek
out
continuing
education
opportunities
that
have
very
specific
subjects
in
order
to
deepen
my
understanding
as
I
did
with
the
concept
of
a
function.
Additionally,
the
best
way
to
further
knowledge
of
a
subject
is
to
teach
it.
As
I
begin
my
career
and
teach
this
material
year
in
and
year
out
in
an
ever
evolving
manner,
I
will
encounter
many
different
strategies
and
perspectives
that
will
increase
my
conceptual
next
several
months
I
plan
to
apply
the
same
level
of
focus
to
all
areas
of
middle
grades
mathematics
including
the
number
system,
ratios/proportions,
geometry,
and
statistics/probability.
Although
I
may
shy
away
from
writing
full-length
research
papers
about
each
of
the
above
subjects,
I
would
like
to
learn
about
their
history
and
go
into
enough
depth
about
their
development
to
be
able
to
make
strong
connections
as
I
did
with
functions.
I
can
gather
this
information
from
all
types
of
texts
including
textbooks,
trade
books,
and
books
written
by
my
colleagues;
the
Internet
through
You-Tube
videos,
blogs,
new
studies,
and
university
sponsored
information;
and
other
individuals
who
have
already
mastered
this
content
and
may
offer
professional
development
and
continuing
education
opportunities.
knowledge
on
such
a
large
scale
in
the
near
future
is
time.
As
I
approach
the
start
date
for
student
teaching
I
continue
to
feel
that
I
have
less
time
than
I
ever
thought
that
I
would.
In
order
to
overcome
the
time
crunch
I
will
have
to
dedicate
specific
time
slots
to
mathematical
research
in
the
areas
relevant
to
the
middle
grades
curriculum.
Whether
this
means
dedicating
5
minutes
to
read
a
new
book
on
the
subject
a
day
or
an
hour
a
week
to
studying
and
learning
new
things,
it
is
critical
to
continue
exploring
mathematics
so
that
I
can
be
the
most
effective
teacher
possible.
the
obvious
advantage
it
provides
for
my
future
students,
is
that
math
is
present
in
everyday
life
and
can
be
applied
in
almost
every
situation.
My
future
students
will
ask
regularly
how
they
are
going
to
use
their
math
skills
in
real
life
and
I
need
to
be
prepared
to
answer
that
question
and
any
other
question
that
they
pose.
For
instance,
statistics
are
used
relentlessly
in
the
world
of
sports.
From
batting
averages
in
baseball
to
kill
to
death
percentages
in
video
games,
everything
is
related
to
statistics.
Furthermore
functions
can
be
used
to
compute
and
predict
all
kinds
of
important
money
information
that
every
person
relies
on
without
realizing
it.
Depth
of
Content
Knowledge
Reflection
my
research
paper
and
now,
I
see
how
far
I
have
come.
I
have
since
discovered
that
what
I
considered
to
by
my
strong
mathematical
foundation
was
actually
a
frail
set
of
rules
and
procedures
that
I
had
memorized
but
could
only
apply
in
certain
situations.
That
realization
created
a
drive
and
desperation
to
improve
the
way
that
I
approach
teaching
mathematics.
While
I
may
have
considered
myself
a
master
of
functions
at
the
completion
of
my
artifact,
I
know
now
that
I
was
not
a
master
and
still
have
a
long
way
to
go
before
I
can
consider
myself
as
such.
I believe in the idea that there is always extra to explore and more to learn.
Consequently,
I
also
feel
that
I
will
never
truly
be
a
master
of
any
subject
because
it
will
forever
be
changing
and
evolving.
However,
I
can
evaluate
my
content
knowledge
based
on
a
widely
accepted
scale
such
as
Blooms
New
Taxonomy.
This
scale
divides
knowledge
into
the
categories
of
remembering,
understanding,
applying,
analyzing,
evaluating,
and
creating.
As
a
mathematics
learner
moves
through
the
categories,
the
knowledge
that
they
posses
expands
and
takes
new
form.
At
this
point
in
my
education,
I
consider
myself
to
be
in
the
creating
category
because
I
can
formulate
my
own
ideas
about
mathematics
and
connect
them
to
outside
concepts.
Several of the new ideas and connections I have made, my aha! moments,
occurred
in
the
last
several
months
during
a
mathematics
education
methods
class.
For
example,
for
the
very
first
time,
I
was
explicitly
taught
about
additive
and
multiplicative
reasoning.
This
new
information
resonated
with
me
on
a
very
deep
level
because
since
I
was
in
middle
school,
I
have
struggled
with
pattern
recognition/identification.
It
became
clear
that
the
reason
I
struggled
was
because
additive
reasoning
is
my
default
setting.
However,
after
elementary
school,
additive
reasoning
is
systematically
replaced
by
multiplicative
reasoning.
I
never
made
the
switch
and
therefore
I
lacked
the
necessary
skills
for
pattern
recognition.
creating stage of Blooms New Taxonomy is the improvement that I have made in
the
fluency
and
precision
with
which
I
can
express
my
ideas
in
a
variety
of
different
ways.
During
my
most
recent
internship
I
was
forced
to
explain
to
students
why
3
divided
by
6
was
and
instead
2.
At
first
it
was
nearly
impossible
for
me
to
verbalize
my
ideas
in
a
clear
way
that
made
the
reasoning
obvious
to
the
students.
However,
after
stumbling
through
my
explanation,
I
discussed
the
experience
with
my
mentor
teacher
and
went
over
what
went
well
and
what
did
not.
After
our
conversation
I
sat
down
to
compose
my
thoughts
and
prepare
myself
to
explain
the
division
to
the
next
set
of
students.
Throughout
the
day
I
improved
my
explanation
and
identified
the
shortcomings
in
my
response
in
order
to
avoid
them
in
the
future.
conclusions
that
I
have
about
my
content
knowledge.
There
have
been
many
other
scenarios
that
support
my
thoughts
as
well.
At
this
point,
I
would
like
to
point
out
that
even
though
I
consider
myself
to
be
in
the
last
stage
of
Blooms
New
Taxonomy,
I
do
not
in
any
way
feel
that
I
have
no
need
to
keep
learning
and
growing
in
the
future.
Being
an
effective
teacher
involves
being
a
life-long
learner
and
always
understanding
that
there
is
room
for
improvement.
Growth
through
this
Expert
Study
path
of
continuing
education
that
I
need
to
follow
from
this
point
forward.
At
the
same
time,
writing
this
expert
study
allowed
me
the
opportunity
to
give
myself
credit
for
all
of
the
work
that
I
have
done
thus
far.
The greatest lesson that the exploration has taught me is the importance of