My guiding pedagogical principle is that students learn and retain concepts most completely when they participate actively in the learning process and engage with the material. My students are presented with a written account of the subjects rules and objectives to avoid any mysteries as to procedures and responses. To further expose my students to the fundamentals of mathematics I demonstrate the procedures with detailed examples that require class participation and interaction. Examples are then given to the students for collaborative learning and discussion while I rotate around the classroom to witness their work and make myself available for questions. I have learned that this philosophy avoids confusion and gives the students pride in their accomplishment and the confidence to excel in a subject that most find extremely difficult. My philosophy has its roots in caring, sharing and helping and the students pick up on this very quickly moreover they appreciate it especially my diverse students.
College students are a diverse group of people and not just racially, ethnically or religiously but chronologically. Age is the biggest factor that separates community college students from students attending four-year universities. The non-traditional students should be made to feel comfortable because in most cases these students have not attended school in decades. I make the subject of math interesting by giving real world examples and historical references when ever possible. I find that these students excel from this approach; it gives them purpose.
In having high expectations of my students I keep pushing them to learn and they work harder in response. As a result I am very pleased with my students and their achievements. As a college professor my students always ask me if and when am I going to teach the next math class or I am told how happy they are in gaining that foundation and using their experiences in the next math class. My philosophy of teaching has produced confident, self assured, self reliant critically thinking students who are ready for what ever my come their way.