Philosophy of Teaching

As I reflect on my own education and beliefs regarding learning I find that my

mission as a teacher is: to create an environment where students feel supported to become

lifelong learners, teach life skills within a mathematics context, and teach true

understanding powered by authentic motivation. In order to accomplish these goals, I

teach with differentiated strategies supported by research in educational psychology,

culturally relevant pedagogy, and practices in mathematical literacy.

My classroom is a place where students feel supported in collaboration and are

able to connect with one another to make deeper mathematical connections. My teaching

relies on students bouncing ideas off of one another in order to think and reflect. I pose

big questions to my classes and use their answers to guide our discussion and eventual

discovery of my learning goals for them. In order to do so, we co-construct classroom

norms and build relationships throughout the year so that respect and tolerance become

an expectation. I view the classroom environment as essential to this kind of discovery

and discussion that engages students in the math and the process of learning.

Aside from creating a collaborative classroom culture, I view mathematics as a

pathway to lifelong skills aside from addition and subtraction. The question of, when

will we use this that is asked in math classes is often answered by citing a profession or

a real-world application. Deeper than both of those, I believe that math allows students to

problem-solve through situations and think critically about the world around them. I

challenge my students everyday to think aloud through tricky problems and challenge

their peers as well to defend their reasoning. My process of assessment has changed to
reflect this so that students are asked a mix of computation and explanation questions in

order for me to understand their true understanding of the material.

As math teachers, we possess the power of being able to defend the work of

mathematicians that came before us with proofs and discovery-based learning. My

students are never handed a formula without some sort of justification on my part. They

buy-into the math and therefore become more invested in my class. In order to do so, I

continue to research and scaffold inquiry-based activities based on my students prior

knowledge and skills. My role as a mathematics teacher is to de-emphasize memorization

and promote a true understanding and interest in the material.

In my classroom, I attempt to model for my students what being a lifelong learner

means. As I grow as an educator, my strategies and approaches to pedagogy also change.

However, I believe that the process of learning math in my classroom prepares students

with a true understanding of the process of learning.