My beliefs about mathematics education

● Working on a mathematics problems can be and should be joyful as often as

possible.

I became a mathematics teacher because I was good in math as a student. I decided

to stay in math education because I have discovered the joy that mathematics can
bring to a person. The first time that I have experienced this joy was in a Problem
Solving class in Graduate School and I don’t want my students to be robbed of this
opportunity.

● Mathematics should not be done in isolation, but instead should be experienced as a

group.

This particular belief goes back to the idea that mathematics should be joyful. While
everyone should have alone think time, it is imperative for allow students an
opportunity to share their thinking and exchange ideas. In my own classroom, I
usually give students some individual think time first, but then the majority of the
time is spent discussing our approaches and ideas as a group of three and then as a
class. My students sit in groups of three on a daily basis to promote this idea.

● The role of a mathematics teacher is to create and facilitate a meaningful experience

for students where they have a chance to make their own meaning.

This belief affects planning time prior to the lesson more than the lesson itself.
Providing students a chance to come to construct their own meaning is extremely
important. Instead of giving the students a formula for a midpoint, I ask them to
work through a variety of activities in order to discover it for themselves. When
students come to their own realization about something, they own the knowledge.

● Students should be provided an opportunity to approach a topic in a variety of ways.

This belief also affects the planning of the lesson. My students will often work on a
matching activity before we discuss something. I would not tell students how to sort
something, but instead ask them to separate cards into groups that make sense to
 them. Only after my students have an opportunity to sort on their own, we discuss
as a group and agree on some conventions.

● Mathematics should be taught in a way to help students make connections with

knowledge they already possess and prepare to make connections with ideas they
will encounter.

As a former Calculus teacher, I have the luxury of knowing where my students will
be going and what connections are important for them to make. When planning a
new lesson, I often think of a way to present it in a way to help students make
connections. One example is using various forms of linear and quadratic equations.
When introducing quadratic equations to my students, I connect it back to linear
functions and how each form is connected. In the back of my mind I also know how
to present it in a way that would allow students to make connections to more
complex ideas later on in their math careers.