Teaching Manifesto

Students demonstrate understanding of a concept by answering the big question -- Why? -- in classroom discussions or justifications of answers on assessments.

A student is procedurally fluent when he or she can not only solve a problem, but can break down the task into justifiable steps (and, in some cases, can draw up a formal proof to explain their process).

Students will be able to leverage reading comprehension and a familiarity with translating from real-world situation to mathematical equation to turn word problems into solvable math problems.

Students will examine problems through the lens of proof and logic alongside other perspectives. A well-answered problem considers what justifications serve the steps in the solution!

Students will be familiar with a toolkit of strategies to apply to math problems, and demonstrate use of these strategies with their written work. The ability to self-start and low time-to-task is noticeable in class.

Math problems will include not only abstract but also real-world examples set in a variety of settings to apply students' math knowledge to multiple contexts.

My assessments don't just look at the answer -- they look for solutions that offer justifications for their approaches.

Practice builds skills, understanding, and proficiency. When it comes to assessments, students are exposed to tougher problems that truly test and challenge their ability to leverage what they've learned!

Varied assessments provide numerous chances for students to succeed -- or truly demonstrate mastery with high performance on all tasks!

In today's world, working with and analyzing data is key to understanding the media and the world around us. At every level of mathematics, my students are exposed to data in many forms and work to analyze its meaning.

For true mathematical, scientific, financial, and other literacies, a solid backbone in algebra cannot be understated. Students at every level work to model situations, generate & solve equations, and generally develop comfort working with variable expressions and equations.

Garnering meaning from symbols, diagrams, and mathematical nomenclature is a key skill in mathematics, science, personal finance, business, many careers, and in everyday life. Students decode these diagrams in class and are encouraged to use appropriate vocabulary in class discussions.

Class projects encourage real-world application of classroom concepts, and allow students to fit mathematical learning into their own interests and backgrounds.

Problems in historical, scientific, modern, pop culture, sports, and current-events contexts encourage thinking about mathematics as ever-present in other fields, and encourage students to think about how to leverage their math ability in other classes and areas.

As a teacher, I bring personal experience and anecdotes into class to set the stage for real-world applicable concepts/knowledge and their impact and/or meaning outside the classroom; I encourage students to do the same from their own backgrounds and outside knowledge!