Daniela Stewart

I am a Mathematics Teacher with experience of teaching in Secondary Education as well as Further and Adult Education. I have chosen a career in teaching because I want young people to develop not just academically but also socially, morally, and culturally, through dynamic, passionate, and effective teaching. I believe that I am a good role model for young people and can inspire them to reach high targets and goals.

From my experiences in teaching so far, I have found the job to be extremely exciting and rewarding. I particularly want to teach Mathematics because it is a subject that, although often considered ‘dull’ or ‘boring’, I have a genuine love for, and I want to help change such negative attitudes towards the subject. I believe Mathematics to be especially important in a young person’s education.

In my lessons, I vary classroom activities and adapt my style of teaching to suit the individual needs of learners. I work on developing my questioning skills, encourage students to make connections between mathematical topics, use rich, collaborative tasks, expose, and discuss misconceptions and emphasize methods rather than answers. I use self-assessment, peer assessment and ask questions that prove students’ understanding and giving them time to think deeply about their answers.

I am a committed individual and always try to motivate students by providing a positive learning environment and by varying lesson content. One of my primary aims is to increase students’ motivation by helping them to discover the beauty of mathematics. I continually research for fresh ideas on how to make mathematics challenging, relevant and enjoyable so the students can develop their mathematical understanding and see themselves as “mathematicians” – that is people who can understand and do mathematics both academically and in real-world situations.