RATE MY *FREE* ITEMS, PLEASE! =) Several items are FREE for a LIMITED time. This is so I can build up my rating. Thanks! ----------------------------------------------------------------- I can't believe that I'm starting my 13th year (as of Sept. 2006) in education! I currently teach high school mathematics and have taught most of the courses offered at my school. My specialization is particularly Algebra One. I believe this course is the gatekeeper to the rest of the students' mathematical career, so I believe it is an important one to teach well. In addition to teaching high school mathematics, I am also currently a District New Teacher Advisor/Mentor and support teachers through their first years and BTSA tasks. I love this job because it allows me to have the best of both worlds. Not only do I get to observe and help teachers, but I get to put theory into practice when I teach my own students. It should be noted that after my sixth year teaching, I took a full-time position with the UCLA Mathematics Project for 3 years before I returned to the high school classroom. During these 3 years I was a full-time Math Consultant, Presenter, and Instructor. It was an amazing experience that I'm still doing part-time to this day!
I love math and it shows in my teaching! I have a passion for what I do and am very proud to call myself a TEACHER. There are days that I can't believe I get paid for what I do. (Then there are some days that I think I don't get paid enough!!! Just kidding!) My classroom is set up for cooperative learning and I have high expectations for my students. I believe they can all be successful in math if they are given the right support, instruction, and tools. I believe my students know how hard I work to make learning successful and enjoyable for them. They appreciate my enthusiasm and professionalism. At the end of the year, I hope they leave my class with a renewed respect for mathematics, a sense of accomplishment, and a big smile on their face. Learning math should not be painful and I attempt to provide them with a stress-free and safe atmosphere to learn.
I've been nominated for Who's Who Among Teachers - twice Disney's American Teacher Award - twice But my biggest rewards have been the ones that happen in the classroom. Unfortunately they don't have certificates or cash prizes, but they do have the biggest payoff. For example, nothing is better than seeing that "light go off" or "a-ha!" moment. It's exciting to see students learning mathematics!
BS in Applied Mathematics - UCLA Master of Education - UCLA I am currently pursuing my Preliminary Administrative Credential.
When I first read about this website I wasn't sure what to think. Being a mentor and advisor, I have always shared the material I have written FREELY with colleagues. Why should another teacher spend hours creating something that is already out there!? I have always been generous with whatever I've had. So it seems kind of odd that I could get "paid" for what I've been doing FREE all along. I still don't know how to feel about this, but I am excited to put some of my material out there and have other teachers use it. I am looking forward to your feedback regarding what you think and how it has helped you in your classroom. If you are familiar with the amount of TIME it takes to put a powerpoint presentation together, then you will appreciate the material I will be posting. These are all MY ORIGINAL WORK and are student tested as the most successful presentations in my own classroom. They have all been revised immediately after the lesson was presented in order to be the most effective the next time I teach it. I never thought I'd be such a convert to presenting with powerpoint. But thanks to a new laptop and a LCD Projector... and LOTS of hours... I am now a technologically savvy teacher who sees the power of a multimedia presentation. My students have been my biggest critics and they all responded positively when I introduced the projector into the classroom half-way through the year. I believe that in order to be effective, powerpoint presentations should take advantage of the fact that you can use animation to emphasize steps in the problem solving process. It should free up the teacher to walk around the classroom as each step of the slide is revealed (using a remote is very helpful here). Powerpoint is NOT a replacement for good teaching, it is merely a tool to support good teaching. ENJOY! AND PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS! --------------------------------------------------------------- ****3 Bonus Hints for successful presentations!**** 1. Yes, it can be very time consuming in the beginning to create presentations of your own, but feel free to use mine as a template for your own. And you can also find a goldmine of powerpoint presentations online FREE (good and not so good). One easy way to find them online is to go to google.com, choose "advanced search", type the keywords/topics you're looking for, go to "file format" and choose "Microsoft Powerpoint (.ppt)" from the options. Then get ready to explore! 2. Steps can be emphasized if the presentation is projected onto a whiteboard. The teacher can use the dry-erase markers to work out the problems, emphasize points, and even have students come up to the board to work out the problems themselves. Then the solutions can be revealed using the powerpoint. 3. Check out a website that myself and a colleague created for teachers. It's a listing of some of OUR FAVORITE MATH LINKS. Visit it and explore. Let me know what you think! =) http://mysite.verizon.net/resq8l0s/ --------------------------------------------------------