Pedagogy

Pedagogy

Pedagogy is defined as "the art, science, or profession of teaching." In the field of education, whether one considers teaching an "art", a "science", or a "profession", the "blueprints" that make up how and what an educator teaches depends on their pedagogy. It is important to realize that the term "pedagogy" does not exclusively define the act of teaching, but also the philosophies used, the values held, the strategies employed, the inspirations drawn from and the ideas portrayed that the teacher considers when determine how to help students learn the material.

Each teacher's pedagogy is unique. Each individual values different ideas, strategies, values, and philosophies and employs them in different ways in the classroom. An important part of pedagogy, in my opinion, is determining where one values on the educational spectrum of teachers in terms of philosophies, values, and strategies. This process requires the educator to reflect on who they are, how and what they teach, how they emphasize information, and what messages regarding learning they are sending to their students. Another important element to pedagogy, in my opinion, is collecting other ideas, or sources of information to draw from that have helped shape or revise an educator's pedagogy.

Below are a collection of resources that I believe reflect my pedagogy as a teacher. These include some of my own personal thoughts on education, sources of inspiration, and ideas that have influenced my pedagogy. [Citation Below] toc



**Inspirations **
[|A Mathematician's Lament]  Above is the .pdf file to Paul Lockhart's piece titled //A Mathematician's Lament//. This article turned book in an inspiring piece that reminds any mathematics teacher not only how the content should be taught, by why they fell in love with mathematics in the first place. He begins by expressing his concerns with the current practices revolving around mathematics education, especially the idea that "Students learn that mathematics is not something you do, but something that is done to you”. In fact, he points out that most teachers are guilty of teaching students the skill rather than helping students develop the skill, telling students that "you'll use that later", and encouraging students to use "drill and kill" methods to complete their math.

In advocating for change, Lockhart reminds the reader the art that mathematics can be. It provides a natural curiosity, one that cannot be found in other disciplines. He encourages educators, parents, and administrators to invite students back into thinking in a logical manner and have them explore the theory, rather than the skill of mathematics.

[|Math Class Needs a Makeover]  This is a video is a talk delivered by Dan Myers who points out how today's mathematics curriculum is teaching students to expect, and excel at, paint-by numbers classwork, robbing students of a skill more important than solving problems: formulating them. As a part of this process, Dan Myers suggest that in order to help students truly learn, they need a strong grounding in retention of basic mathematical concepts. In order to do this, mathematics needs to be stripped of all given facts. By creating a common experience, students need to be given an invitation to learn the material through curiosity.

**My Pedagogy **
 [|jordanprephilosophy.docx]
 * Pre Philosophy of Education **

This document is my pre-philosophy of mathematics education. This piece is an artifact of who I am as a teacher and what my pedagogy was before being exposed to a variety of models, thus demonstrating what elements I believe were important since the beginning of my last year at UMF. This artifact reflects my values as both an educator and a learner, how I think content should be taught, and what elements of content should be emphasized.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">This document begins with a discussion of my motive as a mathematics teacher: to challenge the stigmas attached to mathematics and help students discover and enjoy content in their own unique way. The statement then goes on to explain that in order accomplish this, the focus will be on //how// mathematics is learned rather than //what// mathematics is being learned. Through this design, the intent is to pique interest through generating active and engaged learners by using exploratory learning.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">**Math Journal** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">[|My Math Journal] <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">This link is to my mathematical, my personal reflections and thoughts to a variety of concepts, ideas, and techniques introduced to me over the course of EDU 361. The contents of this math journal begin with my pre-philosophy of education (found above), a discussion about Paul Lockhart's //A Mathematician's Lament//, how to use writing (effectively) in the classroom, responses to readings in the book //Concept Rich Mathematics Instruction// and //The Art of Motivating Students// as well as a letter explaining the benefits of using graphing calculators in the classroom.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">I see each of these journal entries as a snapshot of my pedagogy as a teacher: what I value, what concepts I think as important, what strategies I find most useful, and most important, how I think students will learn best.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">This document is my post-philosophy of mathematics education. This piece is an artifact of who I am as a teacher and what my pedagogy was before being exposed to a variety of models, thus demonstrating what elements I believe were important at the close of my last semester of classes here at UMF. This artifact reflects my values as both an educator and a learner, how I think content should be taught, and what elements of content should be emphasized.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Post Philosophy of Education **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Using William Butler Yeats' quote that states that "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.", this document discusses what my personal perspective on education and how I plan to effectively teach mathematics curriculum in a classroom. My philosophy is student-centered, with the primary focus of my efforts being on how I plan to rebuild students' confidence through investigatory learning. There is also discussion about how technology affects the classroom and how it is instrumental in student's learning mathematics content. I sum up my paper by acknowledging that though pedagogy, technology, and content are all important, the balance of these three items is ultimately determined by my students. I think that this genuinely reflects not only how I perceive a classroom, but also how I feel education can be constructed to be most effective for all students confronted with the task of learning mathematics.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 90%;">Introduction Quote: //Pedagogy//. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pedagogy