Rachel Lloyd

July 20, 2015

Final Paper

My math teaching philosophy is very important to me. The first part of my

philosophy is giving my students the opportunity to make their own discoveries. I believe
in having lessons that are engaging. My math teaching philosophy also includes the
practice of having my students write about different subjects, including math. I believe in
including the use of manipulative materials with hands on work, and I believe in
cooperative group work. All of these parts combined make up my math teaching
philosophy.
I think that one of the most important parts of my philosophy is giving my
students the opportunity to make their own discoveries and be a facilitator of learning.
Zemelman said, They must come to see and believe that mathematics makes sense, that
it is understandable and useful to them. They can become more confident in their own use
of mathematics. Teachers and students must come to recognize that mathematical
thinking is part of everyones mental ability, and not confined to just a gifted few
(Zemelman, 2005). Allowing your students to make their own discoveries will make them
more confident in their learning because they develop a greater understanding of the
different concepts that are being taught. Zemelman said, Concepts are built by each
person; understanding is created (Zemelman, 2005). I can give my students
opportunities to make their own learning by allowing them to work out problems to

figure out how to do them and letting them do math problems without being told the
exact way to find the correct answer.
Having lessons that are engaging is an important part of my math teaching
philosophy that I will include when I am teaching. Engaging the students in your lessons
will help them to feel like they are more involved and it will help with students who act
out because they feel like they dont have anything to do. Tucker said, When the level of
student involvement is low, students learn less because less time is spent in learning and
opportunities for behavior problems to occur become more frequent (Tucker, 2006).
There are so many different ways to engage students that make it so I should never have a
problem including this practice. Involving students in lessons shows that you care enough
about them to keep them on task and make sure that they are learning as much as
possible. Whether you are asking them questions or having them do different things on
the board. It is very important that they arent just sitting there doing nothing with the
opportunity to not pay attention to the lesson.
Another part of my philosophy is having students write about math among other
subjects on a regular basis. Having them write about math will help teach them the
different language and vocabulary that is involved with mathematics. Zemelman talked
about the importance of keeping a math journal that is filled with their words. He said,
They can describe how they solved a problem, why they used a particular approach or
strategy, what assumptions they made, and so forth. When they have to explain a
mathematics concept in their own words, students have to think and rethink what is really
important. (Zemelman, 2005) Being able to discuss and write about math develops a

greater understanding of the concepts. I want my students to have math journals and to
not be afraid to discuss problems and concepts with one another in the classroom.
Elementary students need to have lessons and other times throughout the day that
involve hands on work. That is why including the use of manipulatives in my classroom
is one of the most important parts of my math teaching philosophy. Tomlinson gave an
example of differentiating the process of learning. She said, Offering manipulatives or
other hands-on supports for students who need them. (Tomlinson, 2013) Not all of the
students that I will be teaching are going to learn in the same way. Some students will
need more help and different learning experiences than what others will need. Some of
the students that I will work with will really need to use manipulatives to grasp the
concepts that are being taught. Giving these students different materials might be the only
way that they can understanding something so I need to provide this opportunity for them
to help them learn what they need to.
I also believe in the practice of cooperative group work. Having your students do
work together and communicate with one another can be extremely beneficial. Zemelman
said, In mathematics, students should be encouraged and helped to communicate their
ideas by using a full range of language representationsspeaking, writing, reading, and
listening. Communication and reflection go hand in hand (Zemelman, 2005). Having
students do cooperative work together gives them a chance to communicate their ideas
with one another. Working together will help them to build understanding and it will
build their math language. I believe in having them work together when using
manipulatives to figure out a new or hard problem, and I believe in having them work
together on many different projects. I think it is important to have students do group work

because it can really benefit those that are struggling by placing them with students that
are understanding the material.
Having a math teaching philosophy that I truly believe in is very important
to me. Having my students do group work, work with manipulatives, communicate about
math with each other, and be engaged in the lessons are all important pieces of my
philosophy that I will included in my teaching and classroom. Knowing what I believe in
when it comes to teaching mathematics will help me to be a better teacher in your school.

Work Cited
Tomlinson, C. (2013, April 24). What Is Differentiated Instruction? Retrieved May 12,
2015.
Tucker, B., & Singleton, A. (2006). Teaching mathematics to all children: Designing and
adapting instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners (2nd ed.). Upper
Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Zemelman, S., & Daniels, H. (2005). Best Practice in Mathematics. In Best practice:
Today's standards for teaching and learning in America's schools (3rd ed.). Portsmouth,
N.H.: Heinemann.