How to Be a Good Teacher is an Undecidable Problem

Authors

Erica Flapan, Pomona CollegeFollow

Document Type

Article

Department

Mathematics (Pomona)

Publication Date

2011

Keywords

pedagogical techniques, college level mathematics

Abstract

In this article, I describe my attempts to use various pedagogical techniques to teach college level mathematics and the particular problems that I ran into with each. I explain how I reached the conclusion that there is no best pedagogical approach. Rather each person’s teaching methods should fit their personality, their mathematical preferences, and the needs and goals of their courses and their students.

Rights Information

© 2011 Mathematical Association of America

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Recommended Citation

E. Flapan, How to be a good teacher is an undecidable problem, College Mathematics Journal, (November 2011). Reprinted in The Best Writing on Mathematics 2012, edited by Mircea Pitici, Princeton University Press (2012).