Past Courses

(과거) 강의 노트

College Algebra - Lecture Summary
Elements of Calculus - Lecture Note
Calculus III (Multivariable Calculus) - Lecture Note
Vector Analysis - Lecture Note

Teaching Statement (2010)

Learning Mathematics is hard. Most people would agree with this statement. Even though who has a doctoral degree in Mathematics, one might think it is difficult to learn Mathematics. That's why you, who may concern students in your institution, should try to read this statement carefully. Why are they, who already have accomplished a certain level of academic result, willing to sit in the class room? I think the reason is that it is pleasant to learn something new. This is my fundamental philosophy in the teaching of Mathematics. Whenever I stand in front of my students, especially for young students, I want to let them know how it is joyful to learn this beautiful and solid science. Once they are aware of this enjoyment, this hard and complicate job become an easy and simple one. There are several strategies that I use for achieving my goal. Basically, I make an effort for students to understand the fundamental concepts of the course material, its meaning and importance of what they learn, and finally to apply it to where it is needed and their daily life.

As a student and a teacher, I have learned that a good plan leads to a good result, teaching. Because every student has different needs and ability, I always prepare class differently, even if I already taught before. Depend on student's demands I try to organize the different lectures. Of course, this is not an easy work at all. So I would like to use the lecture plan template of my own. In general, my lecture consist of 4 steps, Warm-up/preview, Main topic/concepts, Practice and Feedback.

Warm-up/preview: As the first step, I quickly review and explain what we learn to make the positive atmosphere in the classroom and provide the motivation of the class to the student. I believe this step is very important step during the lecture. In order to make an atmosphere conducive to academic pursuit, I begin with the materials what students already know and are familiar. Then it is easier for students to concentrate on the class. If I start with something new directly, then the students may lost their attention and interest, in the worst case, they may be seizes with panic. I would also like to refer some histories about the contents and applications to the other subjects which can be Physics, Biology, Social Science and other subjects in the class. If students have an interest in the materials, I think they are ready for the next step.

Main topic/concepts: I use three schemes to introduce main concepts. The first strategy is consisted top-down which is bringing up very easy and simple one so that students can swallow immediately, and connect to main topics. Since we begin with very clear materials, students can meet the fundamental concept in the lecture very naturally. once they recognize the main topic then I use second scheme, bottom-up, which is reverse way with previous strategy, that is to explain and to verify what they already know using the concepts covered just before. This helps students to become accustomed to the materials. The last strategy is TD-BU that is repeat the previous with harder concepts, to make the ideas be more firm.

Practice: Even if the student understand the fundamental concepts, the practice is very important for them in order to keep the idea and to put knowledge into practical use. When I choose the practice problems, I avoid the examples on the text book but select the similar one out of text. The reason is that the examples in the text book usually have detail explains, so they can exercise by themselves. On the other hand, I prepare the exercise problems from easy and clear one to difficult and complicate one. I make a greater effort to interact with students in this step. One of the common mistakes of students is that they are under the illusion that they know what they see on the blackboard. But this is not true. Students have to take part in solving problems and it helps for them to change what is written on the board into their own knowledge. This is the reason why I keep on encouraging their participation in the classroom.

Feedback: The feedback from the students is very crucial for the good lecturing. I always try to keep in eye contact with students and also try to read their reactions. When I ask students the questions, I wait patiently for their answer whether it is correct or not. If their answer is wrong, then I ask again in different ways to lead the students to the right answer. From time to time, if students can't figure out the answer, then I provide the right answer and ask again for students to answer by themselves. Since a single question from a student can energize the learning experience for the rest of the class, I encourage my students to ask questions and emphasis that there is no stupid question. I can adjust for each individual student during the office hours more than classroom, therefore I strongly encourage them to attend my office hours or to make an appointment with me. During my office hour, I like to let them teach me what they know about the materials rather than directly deliver the answer. I think that teaching is another excellent way of learning. So, I also encourage them to teach their classmates through group works. Grading student's homework, quizzes exams and projects are some of most important opportunities the teacher can give and take the feedback from students. I grade student's works very carefully. If student's work is out standing, then I always praise to their work and comment it. Otherwise, I write comments to explain what mistakes were done so that they can correct problems. This help for student keep in motivated.

I have been teaching mathematics for nine years since I was a senior student. I have enjoyed my experiences with helping students to learn mathematics. I always try to show them that I deeply care about their success and my pure attitude towards mathematics. I am still learning and developing my teaching skill. But I have one strong conviction, if I treat students with respectfully then they will see and follow my passion for mathematics.

In the Humanity Bldg. #320, Albuquerque, 12. Dec. 2010

Daewon Chung