Philosophy for Success

Learning is a team sport. Students should take advantage of the resources around them: teachers, classmates, peers, and Math Lab. Often, students will learn more by discussing their work with classmates than by holding up alone in a library with their books and notes.
Students should examine the WHY's as much as the HOW's. Too often students become obsessed with the trees and can't see the forest. In reality, many of the skills can be handled by silicone and electricity; however, knowing which skills to apply is up to the human factor.
Students should learn from their mistakes. One of the primary reasons for giving assessments is to allow students the opportunity to have a reality check with their understanding.
Students should make every effort to enjoy mathematics. The less students see math as a chore; the more likely they are to thrive.

Philosophy for the Use of Technology

There are good times to utilize technology, and bad. A successful math student is one who knows the difference.
While calculators and computer software can perform virtually every skill taught in math classes, students must learn a "number sense" which allows them to verify answers which are indicated by the little black boxes.
The power of technology has enabled students to investigate more complicated problems without being encumbered by the brutality of the computations.
Ultimately, learning math is about logical reasoning and problem solving, and humans are still far more powerful in these areas than computers and calculators.

Homework Philosophy

Homework is assigned for the benefit of the student.
Homework is not intended to be burdensome nor time consuming. However, there are times when math problems can get a bit out of hand. If a particular problem is taking longer than most, move on or seek help.
Often odd numbered problems are assigned so that students can continually verify that their work is accurate. If a student has done 2 or 3 in a row incorrectly and cannot find his/her mistakes, he/she should seek help before moving on.