BENJAMIN PEET

PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING
Introduction
As a mathematics teacher, I have had the opportunity to teach in many different settings
that have each influenced my goals as a teacher and my personal teaching philosophy. Teaching a
variety of ages, from elementary school through university, has helped me create a wide variety of
instructional strategies and learning assessments to implement across many levels of mathematics.
In my teaching philosophy, I am keen to create a learning environment that is tailored to the
individual needs of my students, to provide students with many different avenues in which to
learn, and to foster communication that encourages students to address weaknesses and develop
strengths.

Inside the classroom

First and foremost, a teacher must engage their students. I therefore believe that the first
five minutes are the most important minutes of the class. I use a number of techniques to get
students invested and ready to learn, such as abstract puzzles:

Which is the odd one out?

I also use student presentations on a previous topic covered (with specific grading rubrics), or even
short YouTube videos that give students a taste of what we are about to cover and why. Most
importantly, I give students some brief objectives and a teaser of what is to come in the class. For
example: By the end of the class, we will be able to analyze market research on the price of iPads,
or Later, we will find the volume of a swimming pool.

Teaching freshmen in a city charter school taught me to listen to my students carefully and
adapt quickly to their needs. I therefore always begin teaching a topic with a dialogue aimed at the
assessment of students understanding and motivation for the topic at hand. For example, when
beginning a class on linear inequalities, I once asked students some questions about linear
equations; these were general prompts such as what does a linear equation look like? and how
could you solve a linear equation? and can anyone think of a situation involving linear
equations? This informal discussion led me to believe that a good number of students were not
comfortable with linear equations and their uses. I then proceeded to review linear equations and
gave a short, one online question quiz (through the ALEKS software) to check students were
comfortable before working towards the topic of linear inequalities. This took 20 minutes of class,
but ensured the remaining 30 minutes on linear inequalities were more productive.

I have also learned that the teacher needs to create an individual and tailored framework
for each student within the context of the class as a whole. They need to reassess this approach
course by course, semester by semester, institution by institution, and student by student. As an
example of tailored learning, in my teaching at St. Louis University, I schedule problem classes
around once every two to three weeks. Prior to these classes, I set students online quizzes (through
the webpage Socrative.com) over any topic covered in the course. I then divide the questions into
three to four topics and ask students to pick out their two lowest scoring ones. During the problem
class, I divide the classroom into stations according to these content areas. Each station will have a
handout showing the necessary definitions for that topic, as well as a sample problem and an
application. For instance, if a topic was combination rules for differentiation, the handout would
have the product, quotient, and chain rules shown, as well as an example of each, and an
application, such as differentiating a revenue function using the product rule. Students then work
on either online quizzes or worksheets that prompt students through each particular problem.
Students rotate to their other weakness area at the midway point of the class. During this time, I
circulate and work with students as individuals or small groups. After class, students then take an
online quiz similar to the first quiz to assess their development.

Whilst I do utilize traditional lecture based methods to present material each class,
cooperative learning is a large part of my teaching philosophy. Based on this philosophy, every
class I teach involves some form of collaborative practice, through the use of think, pair, share
and group quizzes. In my use of group work in teaching evening classes at the University of
Missouri in St. Louis, I have found that students feel more comfortable in their understanding and
more confident to ask questions. Because of this, all the in class quizzes I have offered at UMSL are
as a group and every class involves some form of collaborative practice. I view my role as allowing
students to approach material in ways which allow them to develop as they feel suits them best,
whilst guiding them towards the target. As a further example, in my teaching at Crossroads College
Preparatory School, I did an activity with 10th graders where they had to measure an object without
touching it, using only trigonometry. I gave a rubric of how I would grade their mini project with
specific details, but gave them choice in what they would measure and how. One group measured a
radio tower, whilst another measured the height of a trophy in a cabinet. I have found that allowing
students a level of freedom to develop their understanding is the best way to foster intellectual
curiosity.

Student Feedback
Instructional strategies that are also a part of my teaching methodology include the use of
online course supplements such as ALEKS, MyMathLab, and Blackboard. It is of great importance
to me that my students understand that they are expected to learn outside of class time as well as
during, and online resources help to foster further learning outside of the classroom. Online
assessment tools, such as ALEKS and MyMathLab, provide immediate feedback to students and
help to prevent systemic errors in their understanding as well as provide multiple instructional and
assessment approaches. In my university classes, I have used videos embedded in a Blackboard
assignment to have students learn about a topic prior to class. I believe that this helps students have
a jump start on the class and offers an alternative perspective to them. My experience in using these
online supplements has taught me, however, to never overly rely on these resources. The use of
technology in the classroom should always be reassessed and be relevant to the class level and
individual students.

In the Survey of Calculus course that I have taught at SLU (where we use an e-book
written by a member of the department), I have created questions in Blackboard where students
enter numerical answers and can reattempt as many times as necessary. For example, one
prerequisite question is phrased as follows:

Find the slope of the line between (1,6) and (2,5) .

Yet, for every such assignment there is also a written assignment to be handed in. I believe that it is
important that students understand how to write in the language of mathematics. Therefore, a
question might be phrased as:

The slope of the line between (1,3) and (2,4) is 1. Give explicit workings showing this, stating the formula and
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PEET6207
During class periods, I use Socrative.com to quiz students and gauge the understanding of the topic
just introduced. For example,3/29in teaching elasticity of demand, I gave students an example of FINISH

calculating elasticity, then a fairly similar example to work themselves and enter into socrative.com.
This resulted in the following information: NEXT

#1 Example 5.3.2 Part a)

HOW'D WE DO? 19/19 students answered

A E=1.5 47%

B E=-1.5 37%

C E=0.7 5%

D E=1.3 11%

SHOW EXPLANATION

This data allows me to judge whether the class is ready to move on or not.

Outside of Class
It is of great importance to me that my students understand that they are expected to learn
outside of class time as well as during. I encourage
Socrative Student them to
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environment that will give them a basis to develop their understanding through homework and self
study. Interactive programs like MyMathLab and ALEKS are one way of structuring this post-
instruction, but in my teaching of Survey of Calculus at SLU I have also had students view online
Khan Academy videos embedded in a blackboard assignment on a topic before we cover it in class.
I believe that this helps students have a jump start on the class and offers an alternative perspective
to them.
I have a strong commitment to making students feel supported and understood. I am
passionate about making students feel positively about mathematics, especially those who have had
negative experiences. This is achieved by responding quickly to email as well as having an open
and inviting approach to both office hours and before and after class time.

Conclusion
I have taught in a wide variety of classroom environments, and innovation and creativity
in the classroom have been the two motivating factors for me. These two factors are based on
student-oriented learning that listens to the student and assesses the individual requirements
within a group. I believe that this philosophy allows students to enjoy lessons as a cooperative
effort, but also accounts for the aspirations and goals of each individual.