My Approach

My teaching philosophy is rooted in: (1) engaging students in active and experiential learning, critical thinking, and continuous reflection; (2) promoting student agency and empowerment; (3) ensuring cultural responsiveness and equity within the class; and (4) addressing students’ math/content anxiety by cultivating appreciation, curiosity, and a growth mindset to learning.

I practice “ungrading” in my courses by including course assignments where I focus students’ attention on what they are learning (as opposed to a grade or score). I do this by empowering students to score and assess themselves based on feedback I provide. I design assignments so that students have choice within the assignment, and voice in how they are graded (one of my favorite activities is having students design the rubric for an assignment together as a class). I also hold individual end-of-semester grade conferences where each student shares what they have learned from the course and what grade they believe they should get.

I am also a firm believer in experiential learning, which I enact by integrating simulations and rehearsals into my courses. For example, pre-service teachers taking my course learn and rehearse in class how to implement effective math teaching practices like facilitating math discussions. Students practice how to use manipulatives to teach math conceptually – such as using base ten blocks alongside place value mats and strips to teach the addition and subtraction algorithm. I have recently been experimenting with having my students use gen AI to engage in scenario-based case study simulations that help them practice their analysis of students’ mathematical thinking and how to address math misconceptions.

Having observed firsthand the number of CUNY students who have less access to studying abroad and opportunities to develop their global awareness and intercultural competencies, another way I embed experiential learning and cultural responsiveness into my courses is through designing and implementing virtual exchanges when possible. Over the years, it’s been a joy to partner with professors at Universidad del Caribe in Cancún, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in Mexico City, and National Taipei University of Education in Taiwan to design collaborative online international learning (COIL) projects that connect CUNY students with peers abroad.

Please contact me if you ever want to nerd out on talking about how to make learning engaging, meaningful, and accessible for all students (of all ages)!

Courses I teach

Recent courses:
EECE 350: Teaching Mathematics in the Elementary School
EECE 550: Mathematics in the Elementary School
EECE 220: Modern Learning Technologies
EECE 750: Learning and Technology in Early Childhood and Childhood

Other courses taught:
MATH 103A: Statistics A
MATH 103B: Statistics B
MATH 103: Statistics
MATH 120: College Algebra & Trigonometry
MATH 120.5: College Algebra & Trigonometry (w/co-requisite lab)
LASC 102: City Seminar (First Year Experience)
AMST 103: Introduction to Social Justice
AMST 203: Civic Engagement in a Global Society

**Syllabi available on request.

Workshops & Professional Development

I enjoy working with other peer educators beyond the classroom, which I’ve done through facilitating the following PD programs/workshops:

• Transformative Learning in the Humanities: Pedagogy Co-Leader of seminar series on active learning, anti-racist teaching, and innovative pedagogy for faculty across CUNY.
• Building an International Environment for Collaborative Learning: Workshop session in Pedagogy of Kindness series hosted by Queens College’s Center for Teaching and Learning.
• Global Scholars Achieving Career Success (GSACS) Institute: 5-day institute to train faculty to implement virtual exchanges in their courses.
• Globalizing Curriculums with Data – COIL Energizes the Learning Environment: American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges webinar.
• Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Two-part workshop for Bergen County Academy High School, New Jersey.
• Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL): Building Your Partner Profile. Workshop for CUNY Innovative Teaching Academy.
• COIL 101: Webinar for CUNY Online Teaching Essentials.
• Introduction to COIL: CUNY School of Professional Studies’ online webinar series on Online Teaching Essentials (OTE).