Statement of Teaching Philosophy My lifelong passion for Maths and my desire to share it with others have enhanced my admiration of the subject and reinforced my aspiration to become a teacher. During my 12 years of teaching experience, I was trying to best exemplify the three important points: (i) love of teaching, (ii) love of mathematics, and (iii) concern for the student. Overall, I am committed to an applied/interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and teaching mathematics, and I try to structure all of my courses with this in mind. Specifically, my personal teaching philosophy includes the following points: • I encourage an atmosphere in which mathematics is appreciated simply because Maths is beautiful. Examples of the beauty of mathematics: a well-constructed proof, a simple trick/technique to solve a problem. Mathematics can be viewed as an art, a beautiful work worthy of admiration. If the student sees math as not only a means to an end (e.g., to apprehend physical processes) but an end in itself, he/she will ultimately develop respect, admiration, and then aspiration for the subject. • I emphasize the importance of class participation. I try to make classroom an atmosphere where all the students feel comfortable to ask a question, make a comment, or give a response. Overall, I try to maintain an open, lively and amiable atmosphere in the classroom in spite of all the mathematics. Students are often reticent in asking questions; perhaps they are afraid of
Mathematical understanding influences all areas of life from social to private and civil. Therefore maths education is widely believed to be the single most important aspect to establishing opportunities for young people; unfortunately, many struggle with mathematics and become indifferent as they continue to encounter obstacles with regard to engagement (Anthony & Walshaw, 2009). Knowing a
It also requires the student to understand approaches to problem solutions utilized by other students and being able to provide peer feedback. Students should be introduced to the use of mathematics to: organize data, solve problems applicable to their life, and understand the world around them. This approach makes the subject both interesting and enjoyable. The use of these strategies is addressed in the next standard “#4 Model with mathematics” (Academics), which helps the student to make connections, surpass procedural knowledge and gain a conceptual understanding of a
I see students as the next generations’ heroes in so many fields. In my vision, I have to inspire students and prepare them with confidence, knowledge, experience and skills. Which means I encourage, communicate, guide, teach, and assess students in order to enrich their infrastructures.
Mathematics is not for one type of person: not only for the nerdy and weird outcasts, not only for the white male, not only for those who are not targeted by the stereotypes prevalent in the field. Mathematics is not dry, nor boring, nor focused on inane solutions never to be used after the discovery. Mathematics is not what people think it is; it is not one field, one theme, one subject. Mathematics is everything. Look around, with clear eyes, and you will see the art of mathematics everywhere. Dr. Diana Gu, the founder of MTY Academy, an extremely successful institute in the Austin community, and long-time, inspirational professor at the Texas State University, looks at the world and sees numbers. She sees passion and dedication and motivation. She sees intensity and zeal and excitement. Explaining that mathematics is essential for everyone, she emphasizes an idea: innate skill matters little, while practice is what defines you.
Upon observing your class, we have learned a lot about the methods you utilize in order to help the students with mathematics and about how the students learn. Observing your class was both an honor and a learning opportunity for us, as you are an important, and well-respected faculty member in the school system. However, while we appreciate your goals and tactics to make learning mathematics easier for the students, we have discovered some flaws in the use of mnemonics, rules, and tricks for helping students understand the subject material.
I had never witnessed someone, student or teacher, take mathematics –and especially calculus- with such intensity and concern, and even love. I had never witnessed anyone create and solve his/her own problems with such
Students in the class are social and very active in class. Students learn how to be respectful, attentive, and demonstrate good behavior in the classroom. The teacher will create a suitable learning environment so that each student can grasp the concepts. There will also be small groups formed for better learning and support opportunities.
As a prospective mathematics teacher, I want to make thinking visible to my students. I want them to be able to express their ideas and be able to elaborate on their answers. Two types of thinking I would like to promote in my classroom are critical and creative thinking because mathematics is a subject that involves both when it comes to problem solving. Critical and creative thinking promote higher levels of student engagement and involves opportunities to investigate skills and concepts in a much wider setting. I want to teach mathematics in a way that has meaning and relevance, rather than through boring isolated topics.
With practice, I can be an approachable and inspiring professor that presents unfamiliar information in an accessible manner to students looking for support, opportunities, or somebody they can relate to. In fact, guiding and encouraging a person to their own success is a fulfilling achievement for myself. Similarly, (college) places an emphasis on noble teaching, which fits my personal compassion to persistent teaching. Educators possess the power to influence, and I am motivated to contribute to this concept. Additionally, through active research, I can empathize with students who do not understand the math they are internalizing for the first time. Research produces similar feelings when stuck on a problem or not understanding, but because it is an uphill battle, I want to stay active an active researcher. Research also contributes to my notion of constantly learning through my life activities, and learning is inseparable from practice. Furthermore, I want to increase diversity and math awareness by engaging with minorities in my community. As a woman in STEM, I am aware of the vast discrepancies and the disadvantages women face. However, I realize seeking role models and empathizing with those who face the same struggles gives hope and eases the battle to success. Consequentially, support and community are two of the significant and crucial factors for a nurturing environment for mathematicians. But before I can provide others with the beautiful tools of mathematics to directly or indirectly apply to their personal and professional situations, I must apply it to myself, continue through graduate school, and become the best and well-rounded mathematician I can
Education is defined as the lifelong process of acquiring knowledge, skills, and values through either formal means, such as schooling, or informal means, such as firsthand experiences or vicarious experiences gained through reading books or discussions. Every person that is or wants to be a teacher has his or her own educational philosophy. We all have our own views, methods, and curriculum that we were taught when growing up. A lot of people may have the same teachers in school, but all of them learn different things from that teacher.
Remember being taught something new in a mathematics class and thinking to yourself, “when am I ever going to use this in life?” Sure, not every mathematical theory taught in class will be used in your career, but from my experience, many of the skills learned in mathematics are frequently utilized each day. While mathematics may not be everyone’s favorite subject, I found it to be not only the subject I use the most outside of school, but the one that I enjoy the most, which is why mathematics is my favorite subject.
of my research activities, and naturally I spend a lot of time and put a lot of efforts for
I believe that education extends far beyond the classroom walls, and involves many more people than students and teachers. People should be learning wherever they go, and should continue learning long after they’ve graduated from high school or college. Education isn’t something that can be quantified with tests or report cards, but is instead something that people carry with them. It’s a survival pack for life, and some people are better equipped in certain areas than in others. People with a solid education are prepared for nearly anything, as they will be able to provide for their own physical, emotional, and aesthetic needs.
In today’s society mathematics is a vital part of day-to-day life. No matter what a person is doing at home or at the workplace, he/she is constantly using different mathematics skills to simply function. Then what does this mean for mathematics education? When someone needs to utilize a skill every day then he/she needs a strong background in the skill. Therefore, today’s students need more than a just a working knowledge of mathematics or enough knowledge to pass a test. Today’s students need to understand how mathematics works and how to utilize mathematics skills in the best way possible.
Mathematics, like every creation of man, have evolved without really knowing how far you can get with them: the scope of the computer, physics, chemistry, algebra, all are evidence of this. Every aspect of our culture is based in some way or another in Mathematics: language, music, dance, art, sculpture, architecture, biology, daily life. All these areas of measurements and calculations are accurate. Even in nature, everything follows a precise pattern and a precise order: a flower, a shell, a butterfly, day and night, the seasons. All this makes mathematics essential for human life and they can not be limited only to a matter within the school curriculum; here lies the importance of teaching math in a pleasure, enjoyable and understandable way. Mathematics is an aid to the development of the child and should be seen as an aid to life and not as an obstacle in their lifes.