Teaching Perspectives Inventory Reflection

 

Results from my TPI 

My results range in order as: nurturing, developmental, apprenticeship, social reform, and transmission. I was surprised that nurturing was dominant; developmental, apprenticeship, and social reform were present; and that transmission was recessive. It always seemed as though math teachers needed to have a higher balance of nurturing and transmission, so initially, I had trouble reconciling those contradicting results. Having reflected on my teaching experiences however, I realize that these results were very in line with my actual style. 

It was unexpected that social reform wasn't higher in my results! I would have imagined it to have been at least second or third highest, especially given my perspective about teaching mathematics. Over the last few years, it's been a point to de-construct the euro-western perspectives of the local curriculum, and to encourage students to see the origins and development of concepts across cultures through time. Not only is it significant from a math perspective, but it helps us westerners understand the influence that medias have on shaping our mindsets. While it is notable that this is our society, it is equally important to acknowledge the histories of the diversity here- that makes us stronger. Additionally, I've thought it as important to help students understand number sense and be able to discern how political or activism related articles distort statistics to push or clarify narratives. 

That said, I'm pleased that nurturing and developmental and apprenticeship are in the top three, because to me that signifies a more emotionally based student-centred approach, which prioritizes growing their comfort and courage with learning math. Through the recent activities in EPSE 308: Writing an Everest Statement, and EDUC 450B: Choosing an Inquiry, I've realized that post-COVID, my teaching focus began to centre around developing good work habits and building a growth mindset. It appears that over the years my focus has gently shifted from social reform to nurturing, which is evident as I've now had more opportunity to work with secondary-aged students and identify areas in which they need the most help for our evolving society. 

While the TPI alone isn't sufficient to make any diagnoses or conclusions about our teaching, it does allow for deeper reflection into how we prioritize what perspectives. I'd like to learn more about how to implement the teaching perspectives practically into my teaching, and how to collaborate with my colleagues to provide a quality learning experience through areas we complement each other in.