Teaching Philosophy
Over the course of 20+ years working in education, I have seen many changes and many policies/practices that hamper student achievement and growth in mathematics.
In my time teaching high school mathematics, I saw a 180° philosophical turn-around after year two. That summer, I taught geometry using a self-paced constructivist teaching method for a class of 15 students. Each student brought a different knowledge base to the course. Under this method, I was able to differentiate instruction individually as students needed more attention. Students worked cooperatively in groups, conjectured using technology, and 14 of 15 students passed the written comprehensive state approved exam for high school credit.
I used a similar model and belief in the teaching ofintroductory college mathematics while I was a doctoral student. That is, put students in the right context to learn and all students can construct their own knowledge base—students will gain ownership of that knowledge. In this setting, knowledge is more likely to be stored in long-term memory components of the brain with mathematical connections made at a higher cognitive level.
When teaching mathematics education courses, I use a strategy to break-down preservice teachers’ (PSTs) preconceived beliefs about teaching mathematics the way they were taught. Not all students learn the same way as those of us who may have been successful early in mathematics. I introduce PSTs to secondary mathematics topics and problems that they once solved themselves. However, I challenge PSTs to answer questions about the content conceptually. This is a daunting task and reveals the weaknesses of teaching through routine, daily direct lecture and drill-n-kill repetition. This approach then opens the door to explore mathematics concepts through technology, examine standards-based teaching, devise proper assessments, and create engaging student-centered lessons that many more students can engage mathematically.
At the graduate level, working with practicing teachers requires multiple strategies. Adult learners have much more experience in life and have formed much stronger beliefs and knowledge about teaching & learning. One must work in ways so that teachers have ample time to think deeply about their own practice and their specific students, along with the mathematical content and teaching strategies. Once gaps are realized, shaping new ideas about how to better improve student outcomes that teachers have control over is the focus for results.
What makes teaching at UA unique?
When I arrive at UA in 2008, I immediately began working with Dr. Jim Gleason in the mathematics department on thinking about program development. I believe this symbiotic, collaborative partnership represents a facet of UA that very few universities possess in mathematics teacher education. While we do not agree on everything, we have found ways to improve our program to the point as a national model of excellence. Now, we have to get to the same point at the graduate level for this next decade! 🙂
UA has presented many challenges to me as a scholar, teacher, and program coordinator. It has been very difficult at times breaking tradition in a place of thinking outside of those traditional views of teacher education. I would like to think, everything we have done to improve our program has always been thinking of public school students who will have our graduates as their teacher (now or in the future). So, while we focus heavily on programmatic design to provide our students the best learning environment and opportunity for excelling, we have not done so without rigor in our assessments of our teacher candidates and graduate students.
Building tradition while teaching at UA has created a national awareness to best practices in educating mathematics teachers. The work has been challenging, as Alabama students historically demonstrate one of the lowest cumulative scores every two years on the NAEP exam. Working with teachers and teacher candidates can be challenging, but the work is needed. I hope to contribute a lifetime to improving student opportunities in life related to their mathematical learning.
Former Doctoral Students
Click here for the list of former Doctoral Students and their research dissertations.
Workshops and Professional Development
Many schools seek profession development, here are a few selected ones I have hosted workshops based upon their needs and requests.
2024 – Central High School
2022 – Birmingham City Schools
2018 – Muscle Shoals High School
2017 – Talledega County High School
2016 – Birmingham City Schools, Trinity Presbyterian School
2015 – Baldwin County Schools
2013-17 – Vestavia Hills High School
2009-12 – Tuscaloosa Academy (3 year project)