My teaching philosophy is founded on the firm belief that student success should always be based on merit and hard work. To transition this to the classroom within the International Baccalaureate environment, I align my teaching practice with the philosophies of social constructivism and cognitive load theory. My travels as an exchange student and previous IT background both serve as foundational influences in my teaching of mathematics. Specifically, I design curriculum and pace lessons as a scalable architecture. By applying my personal principles of continuous improvement from my software engineering background, I systematically refine how I run the classroom to minimize cognitive friction.

I have used some of the material presented by Peter Liljedahl to connect this to my teaching approach. This essentially creates a form of Vygotsky’s “zone of proximal development”, where students from various backgrounds interact, using a universal language imposed by mathematics, to solve problems as a group. In practice, this collaborative student communication setup creates an agile environment in which students use peer-to-peer conversation to improve their ability to solve daily problems. This directly links practices from the IB attribute of being internationally minded via the established norm and expectation that students respect perspectives that may not align with their own.

In addition, I use the Illustrative Mathematics curriculum, which supports inquiry-based learning and serves as a guide rather than a pre-canned set of directions for students. Having a curriculum as a guide allows students to use their own agency to support their learning. Curriculum, as a guide, provides an example of how linking student self-determination supports the development of their motivation and ability to navigate mathematical concepts.

Establishing a social contract and differentiating instruction with scaffolding enables all students to take risks and take ownership of their learning. Scaffolding supports differentiated lessons while maintaining curriculum integrity. Clear classroom expectations and boundaries foster a safe environment, including zero tolerance for bullying, respect for all, treating others as you wish to be treated, and an expectation of effort. Consistent application of these principles encourages risk-taking, a key IB learner profile attribute and an essential part of a merit-based philosophy.

As a teacher, I encourage students to view failure as a valuable part of their learning journey and emphasize its role in future success. These approaches, combined with high expectations, prepare students for college and life.