Cole J. Jones

Teaching Philosophy

I tend to live and teach by the idea behind the phrase, "artistic mindset, engineering endeavor" -- to dream big, but practically. My story is one of a mathematician turned engineer, and if my experience in industry taught me anything, it's that students need more than what the standards dictate. However, my time spent tutoring, both privately and professionally, taught me that students have lives outside of my classroom, and I should expect to respect that time if I want them to respect mine. Thus, I give little homework, but demand my students' attention and time during learning times. Through careful questioning and practical demonstration, I am able to teach both how to recognize where math can be useful alongside its applications. I believe myself to be a progressive and fair grader, utilizing goal-oriented learning objectives to pace and accurately grade my pupils. The amalgamation of my life experiences and beliefs has cemented my style as an active, constructivist teacher, who values work ownership and student accountability. 

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I believe that the true root of mathematical understanding does not stem from an understanding of numbers, but an understanding of logic. Typically, I favor a methodology of breaking math problems down to their base components that can be answered with simple questions or drawings, building towards a complete, logical solution to the questions at hand. Thus, students of all levels of math learning can be exposed to and understand the high-level thinking that I expect in my classroom. I do not believe that math is "easy." I know that learning math requires effort, patience, and practice, which I try to model in my own work. I further this stance by selecting assessments that promote productive struggle. My main goal as a teacher is to show my students that math is not only useful as a tool, but also as a language with quirks, inherent phenomena, and irregularities. If I am doing my job correctly, my students will be able to leave my classroom with the logic and skills to view any challenge through a mathematical lens.