The key to creating a positive learning environment is to demonstrate through actions and words that we genuinely care about our students. I strongly believe that caring is crucial not only for encouraging, supporting and motivating our students to enjoy learning and derive confidence in their mathematics abilities, but also for their general well-being.

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In my classes, I regularly check in with my students both individually and as a group. For example, I send out polls to derive a sense of how the class feels about the pace of the lectures, problem sets, tests, and workload in general. I feel that giving my students a voice and soliciting their feedback is instrumental to creating an inclusive atmosphere.

I also meet individually with many of my students, including those who are struggling with the material to support them. I have had students who were scoring 10% on tests (in team taught classes, when the overall average was 60%), but ultimately raised their scores to 60% after weekly individual meetings. The greatest reward in supporting these students was to witness the confidence and mathematical enjoyment that they derived through their improved performance in the class.

I strongly believe in marking/grading as a way to positively encourage students and help them to learn. In particular, I constructively give feedback to my students by firstly highlighting the positives in their work, and subsequently highlighting points which they can improve. I always demonstrate immense enthusiasm about their work as a whole, because they put a lot of time and effort into it. Indeed, even if there are mistakes, it is first important that they feel proud about what they have done before taking on feedback and working on their mistakes.

My teaching method is based on active engagement and building confidence and creativity in my students. I structure my lectures by working through examples with a new concept, before asking all of them to work through one or two similar practice problems for a few minutes. The problems are at a level such that they can quickly work through them and gain confidence with the material. I believe this interactive style helps students to actively reinforce their understanding during lecture. I also cater to the needs of all my students regardless of their background and call on students randomly during class to encourage and instil confidence in all of them. 

 

The most important thing is to teach my students how to think mathematically, and this is much more important than learning any specific concept/material. In particular, in my classes and written assessments, I encourage creativity and independent thought, rather than routine computation.

My single motivation has been to ensure my students (primarily new freshman students) first and foremost feel cared about and supported as people, and also to help them develop a love for math and strength in their mathematics abilities throughout their lives. Indeed, one of the greatest gifts we can give someone is to foster in them a passion that they did not know they had, and to inspire confidence in them that they can do something they did not believe they could.