TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

Since the first time I helped someone out with their math homework in primary school, I
can remember my passion for mathematics to start forming. When it came to mathematics it was
not just numbers but it was an art and a puzzle to work around. As I began to work as a tutor and
as a preservice teacher I have found that there are very important things when it comes to
teaching that I hold true.
Whenever I teach any subject I think it is fundamental to first and foremost understand
your lessons at most as is possible. If teaching geometry, Euclid’s Elements should be in your
library. It is important to understand your basics because then you can mold the lessons to
connect with students to a place that they can connect to. In Randolph Phillip’s research, he finds
that students that aren’t able to connect to the teachings will remain disengaged from the
teachings.
Understanding your subject should be a given but something I consciously remind myself
everyday rolls off of Phillip’s research into Vygotsky’s sociocultural perspective. As a teacher, it
is important to focus on the students first rather than just the lesson. If you are lost in just the
lesson and not focusing on your students, you will create a lesson that may seem perfect, but
students cannot connect with. It is important to create a climate of positive learning and the
society of the students must be taken into account. A small change from how questions are
worded or phrased can create an environment for students that they feel a part of it. Especially in
mathematics, a field which is seen as heartless and concrete. It even takes working one on one
with students to sometimes ask them how they felt about the lesson. That can help evaluate what
they are receiving from the lessons and what has to change in the formatting to create a more
dynamic classroom.

Alfredo Lozano

As a teacher, I research a variety of different learning theories but I agree with Fennema
and Franke when I put the knowledge of students’ cognition at a higher value than those theories.
It is important to work with students and find out their different learning styles to create a
classroom environment that is not just a classroom but can even feel like a community.
Integrating the students into the lesson plans and assignments creates a classroom in which every
day the student know that they are going to be responsible for their learning, rather than me
having to force them to learn. Students truly learn best when they have a hand in their education,
so involving their ideas in the work will have them learning more.
I became a teacher for the love of knowledge. The biggest fuel of science is ignorance.
We as a species desire to learn more and be greater than our ancestors. So in my pursuit of
knowledge, I think the best way for my studies is to teach. Being a better teacher allows me to
harness my foundations in mathematics while also doing a service to my community. I strongly
believe that it is important to give back to the community that raised you, and I find no better
way to give back than to be a part of the education of the future.