My Math Teaching Philosophy
I strongly believe that everyone is capable of learning what I teach, mathematics. Math can be a challenging, yet rewarding subject that gives entryway into so many aspects of real life, and by incorporating my beliefs and goals about teaching, I hope to do this.
I think of mathematics as a multitude of different scopes put in to one. The subject involves problem solving, sense and logic, thinking about issues in different ways and approaches, connecting math to real world applications, learning applicable computations, strengthening basic math skills, and spatial reasoning. It also involves what people think “doing”mathematics. It is about critical thinking, persevering through difficult problems despite frustrations and feelings of giving up.
One of my goals in teaching mathematics would be to provide the skills needed to actually “do” math with confidence and make it “do-able." I know this is a large goal to take on, but I think with so many students struggling in the world of math, I want to be able to make it approachable
for them. I have been thinking about how to accomplish this, and it seems to me like one of the first steps in achieving this is to connect math
from previous years to the math they are doing currently. Some students see math as not connected between, for example, geometry and algebra. As teachers, I think it would be good to point out the similarities and the links of math as a whole. Algebra is used in geometry and calculus; these topics in math are all built on each other, but students see each year’s math class as a separate course. Mathematics presents useful
material that can help challenge the mind and by connecting the mathematical content, I think it could really facilitate better learning.
I also think that showing students systematical ways of going about problems will help in the long run of going about problem solving in a way relatable to students. I have been doing this throughout the year, by saying little things, like “Oh, you know so much already about this topic. Now we are just adding a few more parts.” At times, I have seen great cohesion amongst units and school mathematics as a whole. However, there is always room for improvement, and I intend to continue my development of tying these pieces together to help give my students confidence in mathematical engagement. It has been awesome to see students who were struggling for so long in math to finally have something click for
them.
Looking back on my own mathematical education has helped construct another goal/belief that I have. I think teaching math involves engaging activities with different levels of complexity for the different levels of learners. Differentiated instruction is crucial to mathematical teaching because of differences in learning, such as visual learners, hands-on learners, audio learners, and those with disabilities in basic calculation skills to cognitively impaired. As I have always been good at math, I knew I may not feel what some of my students were feeling about math. However, by giving students access to math that we are learning, but at a level that they have a better chance of succeeding at, helps meet all students’needs.
So many times math class is looked at as boring or simply doing rote problems that do not have a lot of meaning. This is not to say that practicing examples is a bad thing; in fact, I think it helps a lot with honing the skills needed to work on activities. But I want to include in this real world examples and explanations as to the whys of math. I think it is hard for students to see the future of math in their lives, and by implementing this into units, students may be able to appreciate learning math a little better. I think this would be hard to do on a daily basis, but perhaps
once or twice a week, including these engaging real world activities would help. This math and the real world can also be shown in news articles, readings, career opportunities needing math as a background, or people who actually work with a mathematical background coming into the classroom. I have been doing more hands-on activities and little historical facts as to where the math came from; for example, talking about Carl Gauss and summation. Also, we have been looking at quadratics strictly in just a “math world,” but now we have introduced real life problems, like
a submarine dive, and will continue to do so throughout the unit.
Lastly, I want to promote teamwork. In the workforce, a lot of team cooperation will take place, and to help students succeed in society, they need
to build these skills. Problem solving is a great way to do this in a math class. Using activities, like from the previous goal, that are based on teamwork and cooperation will benefit both ways of why learning math is important for students. Team leadership, assigning tasks and different roles, also will teach students how much they can actually learn from each other by helping one another with the mathematical content and social skills. I have focused more so on partner work and creating an atmosphere where students are questioning answers and getting involved in the math. By continuously saying, “Work with your partner to collaborate and come up with an answer,” and monitoring this teamwork, I feel
like I have given students a way to be able to communicate and work through problem solving.
A student told me that she has always had math anxiety and that she just wasn’t good at math. Through my encouragement and dedication and her hard work and perseverance, she was able to succeed in mathematics, a subject that can be difficult at times, but satisfying when you meet its challenges.