Teaching Philosophy

Why do two of the greatest and most interesting topics in science, mathematics and economics, have such a bad reputation among students of all ages?  Ask a student “What time is it?” and they will hardly be baffled by your question. They don’t say: “I have the entire dictionary of the English language in front of me and I don’t know where to begin searching for an answer… I’m lost.”  This seems to be their reaction; however, whenever they face a question of economics or mathematics, the infamous “word problems.”
 
While mathematics and economics present many counterintuitive and intricate problems, the underlying logic needed to approach a question is similar to the logic of everyday decision-making.  While logic does not guarantee a correct answer – we all make arithmetic mistakes here and there – it does, however, guarantee a movement in the direction of the correct answer. But if the method to arrive at right answers is so simple, then why are so many students lost?  

I have found in my years of tutoring and teaching mathematics and economics that students fear subjects with many rules, if they have not been made to understand the reason for rules. Understanding the limitations of a science is the first step to understanding its potential. Students should be comfortable with the limits, and learn them through trial and error. Errors play a major role in good decision-making. They are good teachers.  When students have seen first hand where faulty logic will take them, they take care to avoid the rabbit hole. "What to do" is as important as “what not to do.”

Therefore, the essence of good teaching is, in my opinion, to be able to answer the ultimate question that we all are genetically programmed to ask: “Why?”