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TEACHING DOSSIER

Dr. Margarita Kondratieva

(Updated: 2013)

CONTENTS

Summary

A. Teaching Responsibilities
B. Teaching  Goals
C. Teaching Philosophy
D  Evidence of Teaching Abilities
E. Personal Teaching Development
F. Teaching Committees and Service


SUMMARY

 The purpose of this teaching portfolio is to present my teaching activities, interests and goals;  in addition, it is intended as a record of my development as an instructor with particular emphasis on my commitment to teaching quality and innovation.  In addressing the importance of teaching, it has become clear to me that although learning is a serious and vital part of each student's development, this should not discount the role of personal interest, personal styles and good, clean fun!
 

A. TEACHING RESPONSIBILITIES.

Teaching Experience

Euclidean Geometry  
geometry of triangles and circles, concurrency and collinearity, constructions with ruler and compas, problem solving
Memorial University of Newfoundland    Fall 2010, 2011, 2013
Teaching and learning to solve mathematical problems  
graduate course for inservice mathematics teachers
Memorial University of Newfoundland    Spring 2007; 2010, 2012 on line
Technology and the teaching and learning of mathematics  
graduate course for inservice mathematics teachers
Memorial University of Newfoundland    Spring 2008; 2009, 2011 on line
The teaching of mathematics in the intermediate and secondary school  
senior undergraduate course for pre-service mathematics teachers
Memorial University of Newfoundland     Fall 2006-2009, 2011, 2013
Complex Analysis I  
Complex plane, analytic functions, Cauchy Integral formula, conformal mapping.
Memorial University of Newfoundland    Fall 2004, 2009
Linear Algebra I  
Vectors, matrices, linear systems, determinats, eigenvalues and eigenvectors
Memorial University of Newfoundland    Fall 2003, Winter 2004, Fall 2006, Spring 2007, Winter 2010
Linear Algebra II  
vector spaces, coordinate transformations, quadratic forms
Memorial University of Newfoundland    Winter 2008
Real Analysis II  
Uniform and pointwise convergence of sequences and series of functions.
Memorial University of Newfoundland    Fall 2005
Ordinary differential equations  
Methods of variation of parameters, undetermined coefficients, Laplace transform. Systems of equations. Applications.
Memorial University of Newfoundland     Winter 2004
Precalculus with graphing calculator 
Functions and models: polynomials, trigonometric functions, conic sections
University of Minnesota    Fall 2001
Calculus I 
Single variable calculus:differentiation and integration techniques
University of Minnesota    Fall 2000, Spring 2002
Calculus II 
Infinite sequences and series, space geometry, functions of several variables
University of Minnesota, MUN     Spring 2001, Fall 2002, Fall 2007
Calculus III 
Vector calculus. Green's, Stokes' and Divergence theorems
University of Minnesota, MUN    Fall 2001, Spring 2002, Winter 2005
Discrete Mathematics 
logic and advanced counting for computer science: verification and complexity of algorithms
University of Minnesota, MUN    Fall 2000, Spring 2001 and Spring 2002, Winter 2005
Numerical Methods and Algorithms 
Difference equations and finite difference methods
Moscow Institute of Electronic and Mathematics    1993-1997
Mathematical Models in Economy and Ecology
Population dynamics,  Optimization problems
Moscow Institute of Electronic and Mathematics    1994-1995
 Algorithms of Discrete Mathematics 
Data Structures and Algorithms
Moscow Institute of Electronic and Mathematics     1994
Matrices for Management and Social Sciences
Linear Algebra with business applications
University of Manitoba   Jan.-Apr. 2000
Equations of Mathematical Physics 
Heat equation, wave equation, Schroedinger eqn.
Moscow Institute of Electronic and Mathematics     1996
Advanced Mathematics for high  school students 
Precalculus, algebra and trigonometry, plane geometry
Specialized Mathematical School of the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy, Moscow    1995-1997

Students supervision
  Student   Area   Year   School   Program
Theresa Rickett  Math Education   2010-   MUN   Master
Oleg Ogandzhanyants  Mathematics (with Dr. S. Sadov)   2011-2013   MUN   Master
Andrew Jesso   Math Education (with Dr. D. Kirby)   2011-2013   MUN   Master
Kai Yang   Analysis (with Dr. S. Sadov)   2010-2011   MUN   Master
Moynul Hossain  Math Education   2010-2011   MUN   Master
David Matchem  Math Education   2009-2011   MUN   Master
Oana Radu  Math Education (with Drs. T. Seifert and H. Schulz)   2007-2011   MUN   PhD
Matthew White   Education (with Drs. B. Mann & J. Jensen)   2008-2009   MUN   PhD
Nancy Brophy  Mathematical modelling   2007, 2008   MUN   NSERC summer
Oznur Yasar  Optimization (with Drs. D. Pike & D.Dyer)   2004-08   MUN   Phd
Andrew Stewart  Analysis (with Dr. S. Sadov)   2007   MUN   NSERC summer
Zakaria Mohammad   Teaching advicing and training   2007   MUN   Graduate Teaching
Justin Rowsell  Analysis   2004-05   MUN   MUCEP
Maxwell King  Math Education (with Dr. R. Hammett)   2005   MUN   Master
Steven Maye  Analysis (with Dr. Sadov)   2004   MUN   NSERC summer
James Kane  Computer Science   2004-05   MUN   MUCEP/SWASR
Colin Reid  Combinatorics   2003   MUN   NSERC summer
Julia Goncharova  Computer Algebra   1996   MIEM   Master
Maxim Grechishkin  Computer Science    1996   MIEM   Master
Olga Bolotina  Computer Science   1995   MIEM   Master
Alexander  Sukharev  Optimization   1995   MIEM   Master
Evgeny Popov  Mathematical Economics   1994   MIEM   Master

Additional teaching commitments

  I  was an organizer of a student group participation in the European Congress of Young Mathematicians  Miskolc, Hungary, July 1996 and APICS competition/conferences in Fall 2003 UPEI, Fall 2004 USJNB, Fall 2005 Acadia University.

B. TEACHING GOALS


C. TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

part I (Spring 2000)

Determining the most  effective strategies for  teachers is an elusive task.  Nevertheless, it  is a  necessary process that each teacher follows  at  least  implicitly.  The  formulation  of  principles  one believes to be an important part of his/her teaching development is a challenging first step on  the  way of his/her pedagogical growth.   The main difficulty for me  consists in  saying more or less obvious  things about ideal teaching, which are  widely known, and which are  far from trivial for personal realization.

Teaching is a process of delivering information to students.  So,  the teacher should be an expert in the area he/she teaches and to  express much  enthusiasm  and  interest,  which  the  students  will hopefully inherit.   In  other  words,  the  main  objective is to catch students' interest and to give them relevant knowledge.

This gives an additional benefit: by searching for an effective way of teaching the teacher grows as an expert scientist too.

The teacher is a guide, who knows much more than (s)he is going to tell, and his/her responsibilities  are to systemize the  material, to clarify difficulties and to mention connections with other areas.  The teacher should  give   his/her own  example of  good organization  and preparation showing  the importance  of homework,  and then  insist the students follow.

The craft of teaching is to give bright examples and appropriate exercises,  to  pose  questions,  to  supply  hints,  and  to involve students in  the learning process. Such an  ability makes the teacher  a facilitator of learning.

I enjoy teaching mathematics,  and I do  believe that this  is the science   that   helps   in   the   process   of self organization   and systematization. Learning math,  a person develops  a special kind  of thinking, which is extremely useful in the understanding of all  scientific concepts, theories and philosophies.

In this regard, I  have to mention that  today students wish to  get more  practical, immediately applicable  knowledge, rather than  to study  abstract  theories.  Hence  it  is  hard  to teach  abstract material to them. This suggests two things for a teacher to do:  first, to  review the material in accordance with  contemporary life requirements,  and second, to persuade students  that  the extra knowledge gives them additional freedom  for self development in their  careers.

While  being  an  expert  is  the dominant ingredient of a good teacher, (s)he  also  should  have  a  theoretical  background for teaching and learning. Such a  background helps to  review personal experiences  and outlines  other  possible  approaches  to  teaching,  taking into account differences  in  students'  perceptions    and  styles  of learning.  Despite the  fact that  the result  of education  depends on both the student and  the teacher,  the teacher  is much more responsible  to   find  an   approach  to   discover  the student's inclinations and  to arouse  the student's  curiosity. That  is why we say   there are no bad students...

Today we pay much attention  to  presentation of material,  in other words, to the  accessories of the  way of the  knowledge delivery. This is obviously  an important  component unless  the content   suffers from  a  entertainment style  and  efforts  to  lure the audience  by  cheap tricks.   Humor,  cues  and  other  teacher's  behaviors which enhance closeness  to  the  audience  have  to  be  balanced  in a way that is culturally acceptable.

The  main  lesson  I  have learned  from  my  experience is that  teaching approaches   have to be  flexible and  each time  I need  to critically review and  adapt the  general principles  of my  teaching philosophy, which remains under construction.

part II (Spring 2002)

I know this wonderful feeling when a lecture goes really well. When there is a huge power of the learning union, and I am not tired after hours of working with a large class, but instead I am inspired and full of energy.

I can certainly tell when it happens, but I don't know exactly why. Maybe that is a reward for days of preparation, searching illuminating examples, clever hints and insightful proofs; reward for patience in careful explaining, grading and writing feedbacks. Maybe this is just a sunny morning, one right word or simply a smile.

I know this wonderful feeling when I come to my office and my students are waiting for me to share their little discoveries or to ask a number of tricky questions. My students learn and grow; they become friends. They start to discuss problems not because the problems were assigned, but because they are interesting, because the questions appear in their minds.

My secret hope is that they will go further, and one day I will be glad and proud of their achievements. But in whatever they will succeed, I know that I taught them to think and to work hard with all my love.

part III (Fall 2005)

We teach who we are. I read this expression once, and it emerges from my memory again and again. Indeed, when we teach we not only convey the information, but we transfer our relations with the subject to our students. Our engagement with the material, the importance it represents to us, the degree of our confidence and excitement --- that all will be reflected in our students' perception of our lessons.

At the same time we need to know who they, the students, are. What are their goals, interests, assumptions, background and abilities? How we can address their current needs and help them to experience new ideas, to employ mathematical heuristic and power, to enhance critical thinking and creativity?

It appears that in the magic triangle consisting of the teacher, the learner and the subject all links are equivalently important. And the special role of the teacher in this triangle is in his/her self-awareness of being sensitive to what the learners require in order to construct their own ability to perform, articulate and formalize.

D. EVIDENCE OF TEACHING ABILITIES

 The criteria by which I judge my teaching success include the careful use of student evaluations and my colleagues' comments on my performance.    In day-to-day work I rely upon frequent interaction with the students; by meeting with as many students as possible, I hope to encourage students in a team approach to learning.  As a result, students begin to see themselves, the class, their work and myself as part of a learning and discovery team. I wish the majority of students in my classes to develop a sense of security in terms of my availability to advise and answer questions, and to develop strong learning goals.

In 2008 I received a Motivational Teaching Award at the Dept. of Mathematics and Statistics.

From my students' informal responses it is evident that they appreciate:
• Good examples;
• Organized notes;
• Clear explanations;
• Review classes;
• Interesting discussions in class;
• Responsiveness, availability, and care from the instructor;
• Promotion of students’ success and progress;
• Learning and friendly atmosphere in class;
I am also pleased to know that my graduate students in mathematics education (ED6639 on teaching with technology, ED6634 on teaching problem solving) find the material they learn very applicable and often comment that the course informs their practices and changes the way they teach mathematics. For example:
• I liked solving problems and could definitely incorporate them in my own classes;
• I enjoyed the course since it allowed me to assess my own problem solving methods;
• Great that it was directly related to mathematics teaching;
• I liked learning techniques to help teach problem solving;
• It made me think about my pedagogical practices and beliefs;
• I think lesson plan preparation is excellent resource for teaching;
• I benefited from group discussions and sharing ideas with other students in class;
• The videos were really interesting and inspiring.
• The lesson plans were definitely worthwhile as were the exposure to the technology.
• I was able to develop an understanding of how technology can play a role in helping to complete curriculum objectives.
• I want to further study mathematics education because of this course!

Student's evaluation I received in Memorial University of Newfounland. (out of 5.0)

  Class   number of
students
  overall
presentation
   "The instructor responded my questions effectively"    Students were given constructive feedback   "Instructor stimulated my interest in learning"    "Instructor showed
concern for my progress";
  "I would recommend
this course taught by this instructor" 
Integral Calculus,
Spring 2012
99 4.0 4.3 3.5 3.7 4.1 4.0
Euclidean Geometry,
Fall 2011
13 4.4 4.5 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.0
Complex Analysis,
Fall 2009
8 4.63 4.63 4.5 4.4 4.88 4.13
Linear Algebra II,
Winter 2008
49 4.11 4.4 4.2 3.9 4.5 3.82
Linear Algebra I,
Spring 2007
18 4.42 4.3 4.5 3.8 4.8 4.3
Linear Algebra I,
Fall 2006
66 4.53 4.65 4.2 4.2 4.6 4.3
Real Analysis,
Fall 2005
13 4.45 4.55 3.9 4.27 4.82 4.2
Discrete Mathematics,
Winter 2005
75 4.15 4.31 3.9 3.9 4.4 4.1
Vector Calculus,
Winter 2005
68 4.24 4.4 4.05 4.24 4.52 4.11
Complex Analysis,
Fall 2004
13 4.6 4.5 4.6 4.4 4.7 4.5
Ordinary differential equations,
Winter 2004
48 4.43 4.5 4.03 4.0 4.55 4.2
Linear Algebra,
Winter 2003
53 4.54 4.6 4.4 4.43 4.63 4.64
Integral Calculus, Winter 2003 67 3.9 4.12 4.1 3.8 4.6 3.8
Integral Calculus, Fall 2002 47 4.1 4.2 4.1 3.8 4.5 3.8

For comparison here is All Math Courses Evaluation Summary Report
  Class   number of
sections
  overall
presentation
   "The instructor responded my questions effectively"    Students were given constructive feedback   "Instructor stimulated my interest in learning"    "Instructor showed
concern for my progress";
  "I would recommend
this course taught by this instructor" 
All MATH Winter 2003 49 3.9 3.94 3.72 3.53 3.9 3.64

Student's evaluation I received in the University of Minnesota. (out of 6.0)

  Class   number of students   overall presentation    " I learned a lot"   Enthusiasm in teaching 
Precalculus,
Fall 2001
100+30 4.6 4.96 5.52
Calculus III,
Fall 2001
30 4.25 4.4 5.25
Calculus II,
Spring 2001
144 4.12 4.36 4.8
Discrete Math,
Spring 2001
30+30 4.1 4.2 4.9
Discrete Math,
Fall 2000
30 4.0 3.8 4.5
Calculus I,
Fall 2000
144+30 3.8 3.9 4.6

In the University of Manitoba I have received the following feedback:

  Nature of performance   Issue of feedback    Strengths   Areas of consideration 
Teaching Assistant

136.131 Matrices for management and social sciences

January-April 2000

Supervisor 

Professor
Robert Thomas
 

University of Manitoba

1. Carefully planned presentation with reasonable organization.

2. Stated a purpose of the lecture, presented a brief overview of the lecture,  stated a problem to be solved, made explicit the relationship between today and the next and the previous lectures.

3. Used clear and simple examples.

4. Established and maintained eye contact with as many students as possible.

5. Spoke at a rate which allowed students time to take notes.

6. Voice could be easily heard; voice was raised and lowered for variety and emphasis.
1. to increase interactivity with the audience
Teaching Assistant

136.131 Matrices for management and social sciences

January-April 2000

  students 1.Work is accurate and devoid of errors.

2. Has a good working knowledge of the course material.

3. Is helpful and treats students with respect.

1. Time control.

3 one-hour presentations at 
seminar

129.745 Issues in Higher Education

January-April 2000

Instructor 

Dr. Dieter Schonwetter

 

1. Clarity in presenting the model; made a complex model very easy to understand by creating a visual image (table, diagram, scheme).

2. Very objective presentations, demonstrating an excellent academic knowledge of the material.

3.Effective use of blackboard.

4. High level of expressiveness: eye contact, appropriate hand gestures, appropriate humor.

5. Engaging students through the class exercise, going around the room to ask students for their input.

6. Is comfortable to trying something new, practicing a "risk" in the exercise.
1. Clearing of voice occurred a few times.

2.Although your English is easily understandable, the accent modification workshop could benefit you. 
2 short videotaped presentations at workshop
Teaching Techniques

June 2000

Instructor

Dr. Gary Hunter
and peer students

1. The concept was clear.
2. Good hooks.
3. Great dissonance.
4. Very coherent - visually - presentation.
5. Logical sequence: moving from easy to complex.
6. Looks friendly, nice smile.
1. Prompt the audience, give more hints.

2. Complete stand.

 

E. PERSONAL  TEACHING DEVELOPMENT


In order to develop professionally I have been enrolled in the Certification of Higher Education and Teaching program at the University of Manitoba.  I have taken a graduate course  Seminar in post-secondary education, which focuses on teaching and learning issues in higher education.
 In May-June 2000  I  attend a number of University Teaching Services (UTS) workshops:

In 2000-2002 I attended a monthly seminar in the University of Minnesota (Duluth) In 2003-2010 I attended selected workshops offered by Instructional Development office at Memorial University. In 2008 I also attended Desire to Learn workshops for instructors teaching on-line courses and developed two gradute courses in mathematics education offered on line in Spring 2009 and 2010.

Informally, I continue to read extensively on teaching and instructional issues and continue to develop each of my courses each year to reflect these changes as well as global changes in a wider context.


F. TEACHING SERVICE AND PROMOTION OF MATHEMATICS COMMITTEES

  Member of COMC CMS Committee Memorial University of Newfoundland   2013
  Member of CMS Competition Committee Memorial University of Newfoundland   2010-2013
  Provincial coordinator for High School outreach events
(Math Kangaroo, Blundon seminar, Math League)
Memorial University of Newfoundland   2006-2013
  Member of Undergraduate Competition Committee Memorial University of Newfoundland   2002-2011
  Member of High School Competition Committee Memorial University of Newfoundland   2004-2011
 Secretary of the Master Degree Examination Board Moscow Institute of Electronics  and Mathematics   1994 - 1997
 Secretary of the Mathematical Education Council  Moscow Institute of Electronics  and Mathematics   1996 - 1997


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