For the 2017 to 2018 academic school year, I spent 1-2 hours per day 3-5 times per week observing math teachers and math professors both in the local State College Area High School and at the Penn State University at University Park. The experience began at the start of the school year and ended in June of 2018. Observations included both classroom and one-on-one student-teacher interactions.
As my future goal is to teach mathematics, specifically calculus, the opportunity to complete observations with such phenomenal calculus teachers is significant in preparing me for a future career teaching math. My extensive observations of local high school math teachers and professors changed my thoughts and attitudes about math teaching in many ways. First and foremost, I saw mathematics taught well and witnessed students’ lives being positively affected through the teaching of math. By observing teachers and professors working with math students, I saw the benefits and success students of varying levels find when supported by solid lessons and empathetic, dedicated teachers. Overall, my future goals to become a math teacher are unchanged, but the way in which I plan to teach math has significantly changed. As I observed the various teaching methodologies, they were soon incorporated into the math tutoring and the Group Study Guide Leading I do for The Penn State Learning Center.
My in-class learning and academic studies primarily focused on calculus complimented my classroom observations quite well. I am grateful for numerous professors and instructors who continue to aid and support my learning, but I most appreciate Dr. Ryan Flynn and Dr. Matthew Katz for their support and encouragement. For the spring and summer 2018 semesters, they agreed to have me complete independent study work in calculus under their mentorship. At the moment, we have worked through numerous problem sets, discussed and revised curriculum ideas, gathered contemporary and historical texts, and begun delving into more challenging mathematical concepts such as generating functions. This summer, we will be starting mathematical proofs, furthering my understanding of calculus, and examining the historical texts of the first female to be appointed a math professorship in Europe. With the help of specialized librarians like John Meier, I was able to locate and obtain older texts from around the world (mostly Europe) to compare to a few more contemporary versions.
Having the opportunity to complete various professional development observations in math taught me first and foremost to be more open-minded in the evaluation of what good math teaching entails. As a student and as an observer, the exposure to various teaching and tutoring environments allows me to gain insights on common student misconceptions and areas of difficulty. Understanding these common pitfalls and knowing how to best address them in the classroom will greatly enhance my teaching capabilities after I graduate. I am so grateful to all of the kind-hearted and compassionate professors and instructors who continually open doors for me to learn more math. Professors like Dr. Katz and Dr. Flynn have made learning math fun for me, and I look forward to learning more math and more math teaching strategies to then create a warm, welcoming, and fun-loving classroom environment for my future students.
Solving Series
Dr. Aleksey Zelenburg is showing me some common mistakes when writing power series.
Observation Site
A picture of the State College Area High School where I observed Calculus and AP Calculus classes during the 2017-2018 school year.