Andrew Hedman

Background

About Andrew Hedman

Upper School Math Teacher (2015 - present) Canterbury School, Fort Myers FL Upper School Math Teacher (2014 - 2015) Community School of Naples, Naples FL Teaching Assistant (2010 - 2014) Department of Mathematics, Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers FL Tutor, SI Leader (2010-2012) CAA, Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers FL I teach AP Calculus, multivariable calculus, differential equations, precalculus, and statistics at an independent school. I also sponsor the mathematics and astronomy clubs. I'm interested in classroom innovation and curriculum development. My focus in that regard is incorporating modern computational tools into the pedagogy. I would like my students to be comfortable using computational methods (programming) to solve their problems, and I would like to include applications integrating chemistry, physics, and biology into my math lessons. I use computational methods to introduce my students to advanced topics in an intuitive way. It appears that programming is making its way out of the computer science electives and into ordinary curriculum at all levels. I want all of my students applying to math, science, and engineering programs to have a firm foundation in programming and scientific computing. Inspired by pre-cartesian ideas of the mind and imagination, I stress to my students that mathematics is not primarily an external discipline that allows us to solve problems, but an internal discipline facilitates internal transformation and increases our creative and intellectual potential. I teach that the symbolic objects we discuss exist within the realm of our imagination, and that as symbolic they do not describe reality but to the contrary, by these objects we project our imaginations onto the canvas of reality. In the near future, my goals are to continue to grow as a professional educator and to develop rich secondary school mathematics courses that allow students to explore the timeless themes of symbols and imagination.