| Teaching Statement |
| One of my most pleasant moments as a teacher was when a calculus student came to me and told me about the scholarship fund he and his high school friends were considering, which he had designed using basic differential equation methods he had learned earlier in the semester. In my mind, success in teaching mathematics, is measured more by what students walk away with than what they leave on the final. |
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In dealing with classes oriented toward scientists, I believe that motivational examples should be concise; explanation of method should be given in detail and then summarized for students. I find that students particularly appreciate (and I appreciated as a student) a recap of material recently covered at the beginning of each class. With the right atmosphere in the classroom, the students end up driving the course forward by anticipating how the tools discussed to date might be improved upon.
The two ways I see mathematics as having the potential for positive influence on students lives are by giving them tools to deal with problems they will encounter and by teaching them how to approach problems with a logical, systematic thought process. Depending on the course level and student make-up, the balance between these two objectives should differ. Obviously, an engineering or mathematics student is going to have a very direct and immediate need for the specific tools involved in math classes and as such, a class geared toward these students should emphasize the tools. On the other hand, many students struggle to make the link between much of mathematics and the life problems to which these methods of thinking might be applied. |
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| In dealing with math classes focused toward a broader audience, I see motivational examples as much more central and often try to build up much of the method used via examples. Also adding variety to lectures has proven useful. I am still experimenting with different approaches but those I have used thus far have been handing out worksheets for students to practice a problem in class, having students do relays races solving integrals on the chalkboard, cutting watermelons to illustrate directional derivatives and level curves, assigning short out-of-class writing assignments to explain solutions to various problems, breaking into groups and working on problems together, generating problems to prepare for tests and exchanging them with others, and practicing probabilities via the tried-but-true craps shoot. I do not want to give the false impression that these activities take up the majority of class time but I believe that a judicious sprinkling of varied activities helps cement key concepts in the students' minds and helps to slow burnout. |
| In closing, I have been able to teach or TA a good variety of classes from engineering and premed calculus to classes in finite mathematics and business calculus. I have been awarded for my teaching and was also selected to instruct a special admissions calculus course for students with particularly weak backgrounds in mathematics. In addition, I was invited to be an instructor in the Balfour-Hesburgh Scholars Program teaching incoming students who have historically low retention rates. I greatly look forward to improving my teaching in the future and would like to be in an environment where I can learn from enthusiastic and talented people more experienced than I am. |
