Teaching

I aim to get my students excited about math, while at the same time treating them with respect and fairness.

A Statement:

When I grew up, information was relatively scarce. The internet has given us near universal access to a wealth of information. People can easily interact with each other, and even prompt AI-generated content. Many educators are fearful of these changes. I am generally excited about them, but I am mindful that education must adapt with our technology.

Today's teacher can no longer simply dump information onto students and ask them to repeat it back to them. Don't get me wrong: having 'fluency' in your discipline is more important than ever. Perhaps even more important (at least in mathematics) is developing a strong 'mental engine'. In this spirit, I place extra emphasis on honing students' problem-solving skills, motivating mathematical topics, and drawing connections between them. Some amount of memorization is important here too. Even though you can Google stuff, having immediate mental access to basic facts lets you take larger strides when you need to solve complex and challenging problems.

I also place strong value on mathematical 'beauty'. First off, it's worthy of our appreciation and usually induces curiosity. But more pragmatically, seeing this beauty helps you organize and remember the basic stuff you need from a math course.

Finally, I offer thanks to all of my students out there. I get joy and motivation from our interactions. Please help carry my passion for mathematics and learning into your future endeavors. And stay in touch!

Upcoming Courses in Spring 2024:

  • MATH 322 (combinatorics)
  • MATH 427 (design theory)

    Teaching Resources:

  • Lecture notes for MATH 413 (applied algebra)