Sonjay Clarke

Id number: 20221062
Course code: MTPM1102
 My philosophy

I believe that learning is essential to the development of every child. It is essential for

obtaining a good education, as well as increased self-confidence and growth. Students learn

best when they are treated with respect and shown that we care about them, no matter how

difficult a child can be. As an emerging mathematics teacher, it is my responsibility to ensure

that every child I come into contact with learns to the best of their ability in the subject area. I

understand that it is not an easy subject and I understand that many children will dislike it as

they are introduced to more complicated topics; however as a Mathematics teacher it is my

duty to ensure I am bringing something unique to teaching so that every child to learn.

Teaching mathematics should be more than just teaching numbers or worded problems. My

goal as a mathematics teacher is to ensure all my students are learning and understanding the

importance of mathematics, I believe in making my classroom a safe haven for learning, and

taking risk, they are not afraid of speaking up and asking questions, without being looked

down on. Another goal of mine is to eliminate the barriers that students face hindering their

learning of mathematics, such as communication as mentioned about taking risk, psychology

barrier where one may be experiencing low self-esteem, social anxiety, emotional trauma and

such more, last but not least systematic barriers that affects both teaching and learning cause

by the education itself, I may not be able to do much, however I will attempt to seek the

materials for myself to carry out my teaching accordingly and that my students have access to

aid their learning. To eliminate any complications, I will ensuring I know all my students,

making notes as I go along to track their progress, make recommendations to remedy any

problems, collaborate with other teacher’s to get more insight on what I can do for my

students. I believe in making my teaching engaging, fun, creative, and educational and having

a good time, I will cater to my students learning styles as I know each child has their own
way of learning, according to a quote by Ignacio Estrada (n.d) “If a child can’t learn the way

we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” It is with great pleasure to know that I

am responsible for future doctors, teachers, pilots, engineers and such more. It was said by

Robert John Meehan (n.d) “We are not just teachers we are the managers of the world’s

greatest resources.”

I've learned the value of teaching and learning mathematics for myself, and I believe it's my

responsibility to pass that knowledge on to my students so they don't take it for granted.

Teaching mathematics to my students will not be solely for the purpose of passing a class test

or to determine who is the brightest or a competition to see who can finish first, it will also

include how important it is for students to have a basic understanding of mathematics because

it will prepare them for the real world. Therefore my teachings will include beneficial

knowledge and how it can impact our life. There is a study conducted by Sofia Ohman where

she discussed “why teach mathematics in school,” which confirm that school education is

responsible for every student’s ability of fundamental mathematical thinking, and for making

sure students have the skills they need to practise it in everyday life (Parszyk, 2009) which I

strongly agree. Teaching and learning mathematics do have an impact on society.

Mathematics contributes to society by improving the country in which we all live. While

understanding the basics is required to complete some tasks that aid in development, a deeper

understanding and knowledge of mathematics is required to complete the more time-

consuming tasks that aid in the growth of society. I will also let it be known how beneficial it

is because it can help us mentally by improving our critical and analytical skills, to see how

things work and to actually use our brain to think and come up with solutions, with all that

said about society, I can make reference to a research article; Abd Algani, Y.M. (2022) that

speaks about the Role, need and benefits of mathematics in the development of society which
resonated with me as an emerging mathematics teacher that aide my appreciation for

mathematics more and will be beneficial to my teaching. National Council of Teachers

Mathematics, Principles and standards for mathematics (2002) has opened my eyes how I can

go about drafting up my lesson plan for the appropriate grade level. There was nothing

puzzling about the topics that should be introduced and how it should be introduce. With the

aid of this I trust that being creative with how I introduce a topic or using my initiative to

come up with simpler ways of explaining a problem, my students will understand better.

I can relate when I was once in the classroom, it was not an easy task learning all the topics in

mathematics such as measurement, trigonometry and bearings, but I know when I applied all

my attention and focus in understanding what was being taught I was able to grasp the

concept. I became appreciative of my teacher’s method of teaching as I was introduced to

more than one ways to solve problems. I decided to become a teacher because starting high

school; I have always found myself trying to educate others. I want to be able to share my

knowledge and understanding with others, I want to be able to grow my understanding as

well and improve my teaching skills.

Theories and Perspectives of Mathematics course has been extremely useful in that it has

opened my eyes to a wealth of information that I was previously not aware of or had not

considered despite being student. I concluded my philosophy by stating that I want to become

a resourceful teacher and that I capable of achieving all my beliefs and goals because I have

learned the importance of Mathematics and can apply that knowledge to my practice for

successful outcomes of teaching abilities and for my students to learn. I believe I have

completed the first stage of becoming an effective teacher and possessing the necessary

knowledge. I am looking forward to complete the necessary stages at The Mico University

College, which I am confident will not fail me.