The relationship between instructor and student is crucial for the student’s education and the instructor’s professional development. A student who is comfortable with and respects the knowledge of his/her instructor is more likely to stay focused during class, ask more questions and provide constructive criticism on student evaluations. My greatest goal is to have this relationship with my students; a relationship built on mutual respect. To achieve this as a mathematics instructor my objectives are: (1)To build interest in mathematics; (2) To build an understanding of the scope of mathematics; (3)To build a strong logical and conceptual foundation of mathematical knowledge; (4)To build mathematical confidence. These goals require me to continually grow with my profession, which I look forward to doing.
To build interest in mathematics I use applications that specifically relate to the students’ majors and areas of interest. While I was a teaching assistant for a finite mathematics and introduction to calculus course for business majors, I found that students had difficulty with particular concepts because the primary applications in the text were directed toward engineering. When my students asked me “Why do we need to know this?” I realized how much better they responded to the class when they could see exactly how and where what they were learning fit into their pursued careers. So, I found distinct examples in business that utilized the concepts they were learning. I wish I could say they all instantly understood the concept and aced the exam, but it did make a difference in their understanding and interest in the class after I explained it in a way that related to them. After this experience I decided that in the future I will have at least one assignment where each student must take the topic we are learning and write a problem using that topic in their field. This will really help them see how math can be applied in their career and will help them work problems from the inside out, which is always beneficial.
The majority of people have no concept of mathematics beyond arithmetic, algebra, or calculus. I will try to change this for my students by showing them the scope of mathematics. It is worthwhile to take the time to show students, especially those in lower-level courses, how powerful the topics they are learning are by discussing current research and using applications from higher-level courses that utilize concepts the students know. For example, I want to show a college algebra class the power and usefulness basic graphs have in statistics and how powerful algebra skills are in proof courses. This allows students to take pride in the concepts they are learning since they know it is the foundation of higher mathematics.
Building strong foundations is a cliché desire for any math instructor; nonetheless I must include it as an objective of mine. After teaching at the calculus level I was astounded by the atrocious lack of basic skills in my students. They lacked knowledge and confidence in logic, so they could not work through a story problem alone or an algebraically intense problem. I want to give students that confidence and understanding they lack so once in a higher-level course, such as calculus, they can focus on the new topics and not on the algebra used. A professor I had during graduate school accomplished this with one simple question. On each exam and assignment he included a question of this form “explain this specific concept to someone who has never had this class without using mathematical terms”. This is an excellent way to assess if a student grasps the concept behind the algorithm, have them explain it in plain language.
The biggest disservice an instructor can do to his/her student is to declare a topic “easy”. Students are intimidated and easily discouraged by mathematics. I have found, students respond well to an instructor who is honest with them. I explain early in the semester my belief that the basic math courses are the most difficult courses to take. Algebra for instance is a combination of learning a new language and an entirely new way of thinking. I find students open to me when I regale my experiences struggling with certain topics. It puts them to ease with me to know that I am not a mathematical genius and that I have worked incredibly hard for my degrees out of pure fascination for the subject. They find it easier to ask me questions when I can lead them into it with the simple phrase “I had a hard time learning this the first time around because of this part,” or “On exams I used this anagram to remember the algorithm”. If students understand they are not alone in feeling lost and that there is a path out of the woods if they seek it (via my friendly and understanding tutelage) they are more at ease with the subject, more likely to learn the subject instead of just memorizing it for the exam, and more confident moving into their next mathematics course.
I will try to evaluate my students through the traditional methods of homework, quizzes, and exams. However, I also find it helpful to allow the students to do regular evaluations of me throughout the semester. I believe that end of the semester evaluations are helpful, but it is then too late to improve for those students. By doing two evaluations during the semester I have time to adapt to my students needs and to grow throughout the semester in my teaching abilities. One thing I am always certain to tell my students is that the evaluations are just as much for me as for them, if not more so. Their feedback is important and so I ask them to be honest. My greatest pride is to know my students are well prepared for future math courses. I want them to leave my class confident or at least comfortable with mathematics and regular evaluations help me get them to that point. Students appreciate being asked their opinions; it is, after all, their education at stake. The respect I have for my students and their education is something I hope to always remember throughout my career. Thus far, the proudest moment in my career waswith a former student who sought me out to tell me that I am “On the way to being the instructor everyone wants and the one everyone remembers after graduation.”