Teaching Philosophy

        My teaching philosophy is currently evolving with each education course I take and each experience in my placement classroom. I am refining my opinions on how mathematics should be taught and learned, and I am positive this will be an ongoing process.
        I firmly believe in doing mathematics as opposed to route learning. I plan to give my students a few problems that require thought and discovery as opposed to lots of problems that require memorization and simple application of formulas. I want my students to have a deep understanding of how and why formulas work. Instead of giving students the information, I will have them discover the equations on their own. This will give meaning to what may seem like an abstract formula.
        I want my students to be problem solvers. I will create tasks that require them to think critically about a problem. These task will have multiple solution methods, varying answers, and will be worthy of discussion.
        I would like a classroom where mathematical discussion is a norm. I want my students to feel comfortable using mathematical language as well as sharing their ideas with others. I would like students to also be comfortable working in groups. Groupwork will be regularly assigned in my class. I believe in the benefits of being able to work with others while completing a task. I think this structure helps students to become better problem solvers because they must consider other pathways to solutions and be able to discuss the concepts.
        My views are based on my desire to allow students to gain knowledge that is useful beyond their mathematics classroom. I want my class to be an environment where students can become critical thinkers and problem solvers.