Introduction:
Welcome to my teaching portfolio! I am currently a senior Mathematics major at the University of Florida. I participate in the UFTeach program, through which I will achieve a minor in secondary education for mathematics. This program has allowed me to have enriching and meaningful experiences in the classroom throughout my four years at UF. I am excited to graduate and move on to my own classroom so that I can further help students learn to their full potentials.
This portfolio contains samples of my work from several of my UFTeach courses, however, the majority of the work in this portfolio was completed and used in instruction through my Apprentice Teaching course. Through this course, I completed my internship in a high school classroom.
During my internship I taught three periods of high school math classes at Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Florida from September of 2012 through December of 2012. I had one period of Algebra 1 and two periods of Math for College Readiness. Everyday, I was responsible for instruction and assessment of all my students. I planned lesson plans for each week (which can be found here) and constructed several of my own activities and assessments, which can be found at the same page.
This website is organized according to the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPs). These can be found at the link at the top of the page. Each feature in the website that is represented by a FEAP will have the corresponding number in parentheses.
This portfolio contains samples of my work from several of my UFTeach courses, however, the majority of the work in this portfolio was completed and used in instruction through my Apprentice Teaching course. Through this course, I completed my internship in a high school classroom.
During my internship I taught three periods of high school math classes at Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Florida from September of 2012 through December of 2012. I had one period of Algebra 1 and two periods of Math for College Readiness. Everyday, I was responsible for instruction and assessment of all my students. I planned lesson plans for each week (which can be found here) and constructed several of my own activities and assessments, which can be found at the same page.
This website is organized according to the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPs). These can be found at the link at the top of the page. Each feature in the website that is represented by a FEAP will have the corresponding number in parentheses.
Teaching Philosophy:
Teaching is more than just filling students' heads with mundane facts, only to be tested on some exam, and then forgotten forever. Teaching, especially in high school, should gravitate towards one essential goal, and that is to help adolescents develop into independent and successful adults who have the option of going to college. Furthermore, teaching mathematics is not just about teaching students that 3 + 4 = 7 or that pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle divided by its diameter. Mathematics is more than facts and rules. Through learning mathematics, students should learn to solve problems and think creatively and logically. Students need to know that they will indeed use all of the material taught in the classroom in their everyday lives. Therefore, instead of teaching for fact repetition, teachers should teach for true and deep understanding of concepts, built upon previous knowledge.
I firmly believe that all students have the ability to be independent and successful. This is done only through teaching for understanding and I fully intend to teach every student to the best of my abilities, regardless of background, race, gender, disability, etc. Every student has the inalienable right to teachers who care for and work hard for their students. However, it is not all the work of the teacher to ensure that the students succeed. Students must be held to high expectations and they must know that they are required to put in effort in order to achieve acceptable grades, and ultimately, understanding. Students must be held accountable for their work, actions, and understanding of the material at hand. It is widely known that there are many different learning styles, and this creates a challenge for teachers, as they should provide differentiated instruction in order to reach each and every student. It is the responsibility of the teacher to carefully plan this differentiated instruction for his or her students, and to hold each of them accountable for their learning. This includes using a variety of formative assessments and relating the material to something the students see and use in their everyday lives. There is, of course, the alarming trend of large class sizes, and this creates problems for teachers. It is difficult to plan and carry out differentiated instruction for upwards of thirty or more students every single day. This feat can only be accomplished through strict discipline, very careful organization, and reflection.
Classroom management is often half of the battle when it comes to effective teaching, and this includes both discipline and creating a community of learners in which everyone is respected. All rules should be upheld for each and every students with no exceptions. As students are made aware of what is expected of them, they will act accordingly and hopefully will come to class every day ready to contribute to the learning community. Teachers must carefully plan instruction, so that every student can be reached. The goals of instruction should be achievable by all students, and they should be aligned with assessments. Teachers must use formative assessments to assess student understanding, so that they can reflect upon and re-evaluate their instructional methods, if need be. It is very important for teachers to be reflective, as everyone has room for improvement. Teachers should adapt to the changing world, so that their students will be able to thrive in it as well.
Through all of these things, it is possible to reach each and every student. True understanding for all students can be achieved with hard work and dedication from both the teacher and the students. It is our responsibility to provoke the curiosity within each student and to try our hardest to reach them all. It breaks my heart whenever I hear, "Oh, you're a math major? I hate math." My goal is to lessen the occurrence of these kinds of statements, as mathematical fields are in high demand and so much of the workforce is not equipped to handle these skills. I will always do my best for my students. I believe that everybody should be equipped in high school with the skills to succeed both in college or trade school and adult life.
I firmly believe that all students have the ability to be independent and successful. This is done only through teaching for understanding and I fully intend to teach every student to the best of my abilities, regardless of background, race, gender, disability, etc. Every student has the inalienable right to teachers who care for and work hard for their students. However, it is not all the work of the teacher to ensure that the students succeed. Students must be held to high expectations and they must know that they are required to put in effort in order to achieve acceptable grades, and ultimately, understanding. Students must be held accountable for their work, actions, and understanding of the material at hand. It is widely known that there are many different learning styles, and this creates a challenge for teachers, as they should provide differentiated instruction in order to reach each and every student. It is the responsibility of the teacher to carefully plan this differentiated instruction for his or her students, and to hold each of them accountable for their learning. This includes using a variety of formative assessments and relating the material to something the students see and use in their everyday lives. There is, of course, the alarming trend of large class sizes, and this creates problems for teachers. It is difficult to plan and carry out differentiated instruction for upwards of thirty or more students every single day. This feat can only be accomplished through strict discipline, very careful organization, and reflection.
Classroom management is often half of the battle when it comes to effective teaching, and this includes both discipline and creating a community of learners in which everyone is respected. All rules should be upheld for each and every students with no exceptions. As students are made aware of what is expected of them, they will act accordingly and hopefully will come to class every day ready to contribute to the learning community. Teachers must carefully plan instruction, so that every student can be reached. The goals of instruction should be achievable by all students, and they should be aligned with assessments. Teachers must use formative assessments to assess student understanding, so that they can reflect upon and re-evaluate their instructional methods, if need be. It is very important for teachers to be reflective, as everyone has room for improvement. Teachers should adapt to the changing world, so that their students will be able to thrive in it as well.
Through all of these things, it is possible to reach each and every student. True understanding for all students can be achieved with hard work and dedication from both the teacher and the students. It is our responsibility to provoke the curiosity within each student and to try our hardest to reach them all. It breaks my heart whenever I hear, "Oh, you're a math major? I hate math." My goal is to lessen the occurrence of these kinds of statements, as mathematical fields are in high demand and so much of the workforce is not equipped to handle these skills. I will always do my best for my students. I believe that everybody should be equipped in high school with the skills to succeed both in college or trade school and adult life.