Philosophy of Teaching Mathematics As a future educator, one of my main goals is to create an environment where students feel comfortable. Many times the term “mathematics” intimidates students; they revert to what they know and are sometimes anxious to step out of their comfort zones such as basic addition or subtraction. I want to push those boundaries, create exciting and engaging ways for my students to create that comfortability with mathematics, and show my students that math isn't so intimidating after all. I can foster the idea that math is exciting by remaining positive, as well as enthusiastic while teaching mathematics. One of my main goals as an educator is to abide by the New York State learning standards for mathematics while still finding ways to adjust the curriculum. I want to administer a curriculum that explores the full mathematics spectrum all while providing students with the material they will need for their futures. One of my main desires while teaching mathematics is for the students to be able to see the love that I have for it. Many times, students become most comfortable and excited for topics that are thought to be exciting as well as engaging. By creating hands-on activities and promoting collaboration, students can become active participants in lessons as well as becoming key components to peers, furthering everyone’s understanding of the topics. By providing hands-on lessons as a teacher you are giving your students an opportunity to apply inquiry learning. Not only does hand-on activities promote inquiry within the learning process but it also allows students to visualize the problems. For example, base ten blocks allows students to see that within the number 70, seven sets of ten make up the number. Integrating manipulatives and technology into lessons will help students transition from concrete to abstract learners. This makes it very important for educators to ensure that students’ ideas are concrete in order for them to be able to activate prior knowledge when solving more complex problems. A key idea to understand as an educator is that all students learn at their own pace so taking that into consideration and creating lessons that accommodate the needs of your students. Differentiating instruction is a major aspect in not only mathematics but education as a whole. Differentiating instruction provides students with different ways to look and approach a problem. Success is a major aspect to mathematics and, more often than not, students are intimidated with the thought of mathematics due to their fears of getting the answer wrong. In my classroom, I want to follow a student centered approach to learning. This approach teaches students how to set and achieve their own educational goals and allows students to make mistakes. By promoting an inclusive and positive environment for students as well as meeting their needs, it teaches students that mistakes are a part of the learning process.