Dr. S. H. Saker
Statement of Teaching Interests
Teaching is not new to me. I have had the pleasure of teaching and serving as both an assistant professor and teaching assistant in several courses already in the area of Mathematics and Mathematical Biology. This experience made me realize that one of the greatest challenges in teaching is to convey the insight of a problem to students with different perceptions and diverse backgrounds. It was only then that I comprehended my teacher enthusiasm about teaching. I discovered that little is more rewarding than the excitement and the spark in the student’s eyes when they grasp a new concept, a fact that contributed to my desire to pursue an academic career.
I had my first experience as a teaching assistant in my first years of my graduate studies at Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Egypt, when I taught , Calculus I, , Calculus II, , Calculus III, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Statics and Mechanics. Second as a lecturer of Mathematics for different courses to mathematicians and sciences students. In addition, I devoted considerable amount of effort to choose the course text book, design the syllabus, prepare the lecture notes, and design new assignments, and final exams. This is why I decide to become a teaching professor to a different class each time and thus expose myself to many teaching and testing techniques to different problems and students related issues, although this meant new materials, different expectations and type of work and hence more load.
I look forward to teaching more courses, both graduate and undergraduate, especially in advanced differential and difference equations and their applications in mathematical modeling (population dynamics, predator-prey systems, Malaria model, cell production model, respiratory dynamics model, survival red blood cells model, etc.) which cover new concepts like oscillation, stability, boundedness, persistence, permanence, attractivity). Finally, one of my reasons for applying for faculty position in Mathematics position is for the opportunity to teach both graduate and undergraduate to conduct research and communicate their results. I have had the chance to supervise graduate (ph.d.) student (T. S. Hassan) in my department who was working on oscillation theory of differential and difference equations, and I have realized that leading a productive group is challenge by itself
Overall, I consider teaching to be a vital component of an academic career. I have found teaching, mathematics, and mathematical biology to be very rewarding and believe my experiences have prepared me for the task ahead.
My Teaching Philosophy
First of all, I would like to say that my teaching philosophy in general, starts with students. The most important thing that I must consider is where the appropriate starting point is and what students are capable of understanding. My role as a Mathematics professor is to be organized and well prepared. This is an extremely important aspect of being a good and effective professor. It takes creative planning and preparation to keep students interesting to learn mathematics, and learning by interacting with me, not only listening to my lecture. The second thing that I take into account is what the desired outcomes that I would like my students to come with. In addition, I must be familiar with both the standards and the school curriculum before planning “how” and “what” I am going to teach. To succeed in the classroom, I must set reasonable goals for myself and my students, which we will achieve together. Moreover, I should decide which teaching strategy I am going to use in my teaching style, and try to engage my students with, especially in the differential and difference equations and mathematical biology courses. In general, creativity and experience are necessary to fascinate any students for that matter.
I plan to help my students to develop problem-solving abilities, use their own learning style, and enhance their cognitive skills. I believe that the interaction between teaching and learning is complicated one. I encourage my students to look for and appreciate the elegance of Mathematics in Biology, Medicine, Ecology, and in their everyday worlds. I feel the best thing I bring to the classroom is my leadership ability and my sense of humor. Students must have a sense of responsibility in the management of the class. Class roles need to be understood and respected. The environment should be a warm and inviting learning atmosphere. I view each student as an individual and honor different learning styles, abilities, and frustrations with sensitivity and respect. Indeed, I believe in support and encouragement for all of my students. One way of keeping students active in class is to work in groups as a team, share their knowledge, and engaging in cooperative learning activities on a small project. They learn teamwork responsibility, and they get to know people that maybe they haven’t previously got to know. My style outside the classroom is to share my colleague’s work, ideas, strategies, experiments, and teaching philosophies. I believe that all multicultural needs should be met at school, whether cultural, economical, or social community field trips are a great escape. They give professors a chance to create real relevance in their lives. They get to see what they are learning tied into their everyday lives.
