Teaching

Teaching Philosphy

Mathematics is ultimately about problem solving, so through a mixture of lecturing and active learning techniques (such as worksheets and group work), I strive to help my students gain independence and confidence in their problem solving skills. 

Lecture Notes

Paul Breiding, Tim Römer, and I are writing lecture notes on a course given in Summer semester 2022 on the Mathematical Methods of Data Science

Topics Courses and Mini-Courses

Research based lecture courses

• Riemann Surfaces and Algebraic Curves International Max Planck Research School Ringvorlesung at MPI MiS

  • 4 lectures, each 1.5 hours with a general audience of PhD students. 13 October -3 November  2023 (Recordings)    

Classes as Primary Instructor

Aside from an outline of necessary requirements, I was in charge of lectures, writing and grading exams, office hours, and all other teaching duties.

• Mathematical Methods of Data Science Winter 2022

  • Github  Taught at the University of Leipzig in English for the Masters in Data Science.

• Math 530 (Complex/Real Analysis Prelim Prep Course) Summer 2020, Summer 2019

  • I was the instructor over the Summer quarter where the graduate students go over old Preliminary exams to prepare for the exams at the end of the summer. I gave feedback on solutions, as well as hints when the students were stuck.

• Math 324 (Multivariable Calculus) Autumn 2020, Summer 2020, Autumn 2019, Winter 2018, Autumn 2017

  • I developed lecture notes, daily worksheets, and structured the class as a hybrid of lecture and active learning. In a few of the classes I had the students write essays at the end giving expository explanations of what they learned int he quarter. I also developed the skills to teach online in Autumn and Summer 2020. In Summer 2020 I was able to explore giving a class with no exams, which was a fantastic experience, and I look forward to continue experimenting and working on new teaching techniques.

• Math 307 (Intro to Differential Equations) Summer 2019

  • I taught this class in an accelerated 4 week course, giving a hybrid of exercises and lecturing.                    

Classes as an in-class TA for active learning classroom

Duties include working with students alongside the instructor to provide feedback during group work. I also hold office hours and grade homework where we require students to use LaTeX, so feedback involves math and writing feedback.

• Math 301 (Elementary Number Theory) Spring 2018

• Math 444/5 (Geometry for Teachers) Spring 2021, Winter 2021, Spring 2019, Winter 2019

  • We focused on Euclidean and Hyperbolic geometry from a functional perspective, studying isometries, geodesics, triangles, and the relationship between Euclidean and hyperbolic circles.

Classes as a TA

Duties include review sessions, grading, and office hours.

• Math 126 (Calculus and Analytic Geomety III) Spring 2017

• Math 125 (Calculus and Analytic Geometry II) Autumn 2018, Spring 2016, Winter 2016

• Math 124 (Calculus and Analytic Geometry I) Spring 2020, Autumn 2016, Summer 2016, Autumn 2015

• Math 112 (Applications of Calculus to Buisiness and Economics) Winter 2017

Highlights of Student Evaluations

• "Sam’s organization and ability to explain concepts clearly contributed morte to my learning. The way she conducted the classroom created for an environment where open communication was comfortable and valued."

• "The worksheets were really useful, Samantha was also very helpful if I had a question after class or during her office hours. She was always prepared and I had the utmost confidence in her knowledge to answer a question. Her exams were fair if you did all the worksheets and understood the concepts. Overall, it's been a great experience as Samantha made the class more enjoyable."

• "Samantha was nice and kind to students and encouraged a warm quiz section environment. She's a really lovely person and a good TA."

• "I was a huge fan of Sam's worksheets! I cannot emphasize enough how much I appreciated being able to work at my own pace and prioritize the questions I felt I could most benefit from practicing. More generally, Sam was a fantastic instructor; she always made good use of lecture time, by summarizing or extending the textbook material or by reviewing content in ways that synthesized important concepts of the course. She was always there to answer questions while we worked through worksheet problems, she was genuinely excited about the material (e.g., bringing in strips of paper for us to make Möbius bands with as we discussed what it means for a surface to be orientable or not), and she even baked everyone cookies before the second midterm. I also really liked that a small portion of the final was a take-home assignment dedicated to writing a one-page synthesis of the main ideas and themes that tied the course together; I had fun with it, and it helped remind me to look at the bigger picture rather than get bogged down in calculations."