Bradford Egelston

Most of my professional reviews over the years have included an observation that I "entertain as well as inform."  I spent many years teaching middle school, which can consist of a notoriously tough crowd, but I tried to make my class a place that each student would look forward to attending.  When students were absent for one reason or another, they were always worried that they were missing something fun and interesting.  By and large, this eliminated many of the problems that typically difficult students brought to other classes.

I had a great teacher that, when he learned that I planned to major in education, told me:  "If you're going to teach for 30 years, then teach 30 years.  Don't teach one year 30 times."  Clinging to "tradition" in teaching is not an effective strategy.  As I look back, my willingness to try new things and constantly seek new ways of doing things has kept me fresh, passionate about what I do and has made me a stronger learner as well as instructor.

The best teachers have passion for their subject.  The best math professors I ever had in college were the ones who were excited to teach and show us things that they thought were interesting.  The worst were the faculty who approached teaching as a gatekeeping measure as if it were up to them to decide who was worthy to move to the next level and who was not.  While assessment is part of an instructor's job, they wore their 60% fail/withdraw rates as a badge of honor believing that their terrible reputations were actually boosting respect among the students.  

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When I first began teaching, I didn't have to compete with technology.  Students weren't attached to cell phones and didn't yet have the itch for instant gratification that many have now.  I always make sure my lessons are interactive, discussion based and possibly even entertaining.  I incorporate elements of pop culture and try to connect math to things I know they enjoy.  By moving around the room and being a moderator of debate and less of a lecturer, I'm confident that my students tend to learn and retain more.

As a teacher/instructor AND a parent of a daughter with learning challenges, effective instruction to those with learning disabilities is a cause that's near and dear to my heart.  It's imperative that instructors work WITH students to present information and materials in a way that the student can learn via the "path of least resistance".  The goal is not to lessen the work requirements or lower the bar, but to even the playing field.

In higher education, I've encountered many students with significant language-based barriers.  In my experience, I've been successful with the concept that "math is universal" and I can usually show what I need them to understand with illustrations and diagrams.  Only when I believe they understand what I'm doing will I introduce the necessary language and English vocabulary.

Student groups can be tricky.  In theory, assigning random groups should result in a mix of strengths and weaknesses that will balance out.  Like a good basketball or baseball team, students will gravitate toward different roles that either play to their expertise or they'll attempt to fill some aspect that's lacking.  Careful monitoring is necessary to determine when a certain mix doesn't have the necessary chemistry.  They may need some help in finding their niches or be prompted with some guiding questions or first steps.

In teaching math, it can be very difficult to keep students engaged.  Moving around the room and keeping proximity to students in mind during my "lecturing" is key.  When I'm at the whiteboard, making eye contact with specific students and keeping up the back-and-forth discussion keeps them from drifting to sleep.  Asking open ended opinion-based questions to students who are shy or may not be totally grasping the concept is a safe way to keep them included in what's going on.  When students volunteer answers, I'll challenge those answers (even if they're correct) to see if the student can back… >>>

Students should rely on feedback from grading.  Therefore, graded work needs to be returned to the student within 48 hours along with notes or explanations of docked points.  Marking an algebra solution as wrong and awarding no points isn't nearly as insightful as identifying what the specific error was (arithmetic mistake vs. algebraic mistake) and awarding partial credit.  For example, a student could make a minor error such as losing track of a negative sign or making an error in addition (2+3=6), but demonstrate a strong understanding of the algebra concepts being assessed.  Not all mistakes are created equal.

Troubleshooting should be a continual process.  Always be prepared for the event that your Plan A may not work, even if Plan A has been successful for the last 20 class meetings.  The number one goal is for the students to master the concepts that need to be taught and simply pounding a square peg into a round hole won't translate to any measurable success.