I have been teaching mathematics in Eastlakes since the summer of 2010. I really delight in mentor, both for the happiness of sharing maths with others and for the opportunity to revisit older notes and also boost my own knowledge. I am positive in my talent to teach a selection of basic courses. I believe I have been quite helpful as an instructor, as confirmed by my favorable student opinions along with lots of unrequested compliments I have actually received from students.

The main aspects of education

In my feeling, the 2 major elements of maths education and learning are conceptual understanding and exploration of functional problem-solving skills. None of these can be the single emphasis in a good mathematics training course. My aim being a teacher is to reach the appropriate evenness between the two.

I think firm conceptual understanding is definitely essential for success in an undergraduate maths program. Several of the most stunning ideas in mathematics are straightforward at their core or are built upon former ideas in straightforward ways. Among the objectives of my training is to uncover this straightforwardness for my trainees, to increase their conceptual understanding and decrease the harassment aspect of maths. An essential issue is that the charm of maths is typically at odds with its rigour. For a mathematician, the best realising of a mathematical outcome is usually supplied by a mathematical evidence. Trainees normally do not feel like mathematicians, and thus are not naturally geared up to deal with said points. My duty is to distil these concepts to their essence and clarify them in as simple way as I can.

Very frequently, a well-drawn scheme or a brief simplification of mathematical expression into layman's words is one of the most reliable technique to report a mathematical belief.

Learning through example

In a common very first mathematics course, there are a variety of skills that students are actually expected to discover.

It is my viewpoint that students typically learn mathematics better via sample. Therefore after providing any type of new concepts, most of time in my lessons is usually devoted to working through numerous cases. I very carefully choose my models to have complete selection to make sure that the trainees can differentiate the functions that are usual to all from those elements that specify to a certain situation. At developing new mathematical methods, I commonly present the topic as though we, as a team, are discovering it with each other. Normally, I will show an unfamiliar type of trouble to resolve, describe any problems which prevent former approaches from being used, recommend a fresh strategy to the issue, and further carry it out to its logical completion. I feel this particular approach not just engages the students yet inspires them through making them a part of the mathematical procedure instead of just viewers which are being advised on ways to operate things.

The role of a problem-solving method

As a whole, the conceptual and analytical aspects of mathematics supplement each other. Indeed, a firm conceptual understanding brings in the techniques for solving troubles to appear even more usual, and hence simpler to absorb. Lacking this understanding, students can tend to consider these methods as mysterious algorithms which they must learn by heart. The more skilled of these trainees may still be able to resolve these issues, however the procedure ends up being worthless and is not likely to become retained when the course is over.

A solid amount of experience in problem-solving likewise constructs a conceptual understanding. Working through and seeing a selection of various examples boosts the psychological picture that a person has about an abstract idea. Hence, my objective is to stress both sides of mathematics as clearly and briefly as possible, to ensure that I optimize the trainee's potential for success.