How do math teachers in training view learning?

The following is an example of one of our in-class workshops for Teaching and Learning Middle Grades Mathematics. This activity comes at the end of a unit on mathematical learning theory.

Teaching Mathematics Workshop (Learning Math Anchor Charts)

Connection - Schema Activation [10 minutes]
Read NCTM's Learning Principle and make connections to our previous readings

Concentration - Focus [5 minutes]
Simile Survey - providing a vision
Anchor Chart Models - previous and partners'

Construction - Activity [35 minutes]
Develop a group anchor chart on the whiteboard that makes our thinking about learning math visible

Learning Math Anchor Charts - Work in Progress

Consolidation - Reflection [10 minutes]
Learning Math Anchor Charts

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Describing our visions - presenters were offered choice to be on camera or off (sorry about the sound quality)

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

What does a mathematics learner look like?

Today my Teaching and Learning Middle Grades Mathematics course ends a unit on learning mathematics. This follows a unit on doing mathematics. At the beginning of this unit, we took a simile survey that asked respondents to complete the following:

Ideally, a mathematics learner is like a(n):

a. Inventor

b. Sponge

c. Mechanic

d. Computer

e. Reporter

f. Explorer

• Choose the simile that you believe best describes a mathematics learner and explain your choice.
• Choose the simile that does the worst job of describing a mathematics learner and explain your choice.
• Is there another simile that does a better job than these of describing a mathematics learner? If there is, then what is it and what makes it better than these?

This survey is based on an instrument I used in my doctoral research to measure beliefs about doing, learning, and teaching mathematics.

How would you complete this simile survey?