Teaching Statement YUKI TAKAHASHI

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1 Teaching Statement YUKI TAKAHASHI Teaching philosophy I love teaching. I have never thought it as a burden. Looking back at the five years that I spent as a graduate student at University of California, Irvine, teaching occupied a large portion of my life and it was always one of my greatest source of confidence and self-esteem. It always gives me a huge pleasure when I see students enjoy my class and when they appreciate my work. And of course, one can learn a lot through teaching. I believe without a doubt that teaching is the best way to learn. My understanding of subjects deepens every time I teach. Even when I teach lower division courses there are always new findings. Teaching at UC Irvine I can confidently say that my teaching at UC Irvine was overall quite successful. I passed the English verbal test at the end of the first quarter, and got a TA assignment by the second quarter. When the then Assistant Vice Chair of Undergraduate Studies assigned me a TA position, she ed me, it is really refreshing to see a graduate student so excited about research, courses, and teaching! You are a most welcome addition to the department. When the second quarter was over she told me that my teaching evaluation was the best in the department, and later she also informed me that she nominated me for the Outstanding TA Award (but I did not get it because the department had already decided to give me a different award). When my first summer was over the Graduate Affairs Officer ed me saying, I was just reviewing all the TA s evals from the Summer Sessions and your s were OUTSTANDING. Very, very nice. You should be proud of yourself!. In our department it is not very common for Ph.D. students to be given instructorships (especially during academic years), but in my second summer the department gave me an instructor position for calculus. The Graduate Affairs Officer told me that I am the first Ph.D. student in a decade that was assigned an instructor position in his/her second year. In my third year during the academic 1

2 2 Y. TAKAHASHI year I got an instructor position. I love teaching different materials. I have taught eleven different courses, which I am sure is very exceptional. I am sure that overall my students love my class very much. It is clearly shown in my teaching evaluations (all my teaching evaluations together with the list of scores that I got are available on my webpage takahasy/). Among all the twenty two teaching evaluations that I got as a TA at UC Irvine so far, fifteen of them have the highest median. Two of them has the highest mean, which means that everyone gave me the highest ratings. Teaching experiences prior to UC Irvine I have five years of experience of working at a university preparatory school (Waseda Academy) in Japan, when I was a student at the University of Tokyo. The teaching skills that I acquired there turned out to be quite invaluable. Without it, I am sure that I could never have done so well from the first year at UC Irvine. Teaching techniques There are several things that I always keep in mind when I teach: (i) Avoid using notes as much as possible. During discussion sessions I never use notes. The only exception is when I write down problems (but even then I usually avoid using it). I feel that looking at one s notes often can give the impression that you lack confidence, and do not have a clear understanding of the material. When I taught Introduction to Topology class in spring 2015 I did not even bring notes to the classroom. (ii) Prepare very well. One has to have a very clear understanding of the material to teach without notes. If it is your first time teaching the course, then of course you have to read the textbook multiple times. But that is not enough at all. One has to think which examples are the most appropriate to present in the class, how they should be ordered and how much time you should spend on each of them, and so on. Naturally it takes a long time, at least several hours and usually much more. (iii) Do not talk to the board. I am sure that it is extremely important to face your students to make your class interactive. It is very easy to get concentrated on the board but this is something one should avoid. (iv) Try to get students involved. For this aim, I always try to create an open and friendly atmosphere. I use jokes and sometimes I use stories. When I chose my advisor in my first year, he told me that come to my office to ask questions as much as you want. Disturb me as much as you can. Ask stupid questions. That is exactly the attitude I want. Good students are always like that. I quote it often, and use this story to encourage students to ask stupid questions. (v) Do not rush. It takes time for students to digest new materials. Also, many students do not write very fast. It is my policy to make sure before I start explaining that all students finished writing and are ready to listen. I do not think it is a good idea to explain things when they are still coping. It also helps to speak slowly and clearly.

3 TEACHING STATEMENT 3 (vi) Ask short questions often. I use this technique very frequently to get students involved, especially when I teach lower division courses. It is much more easier for students to speak up if the questions can be answered in a few words. (vii) Start with review. I do not think it is good to assume that your students remember everything covered in class up to then, especially when you teach undergraduate courses. I always start my discussions with quick review of important concepts or definitions. (viii) Present a lot of examples. I believe that in general showing a lot of examples is much more beneficial than giving complicated proofs, even in graduate courses. Of course there are proofs that one should know, but usually examples are more insightful than proofs. When I teach upper division courses I always iterate again and again the importance of examples. Selected Comments from Teaching Evaluations Thank you for being a great TA! great personality! Very funny and enthusiastic! Had a wonderful time in his class He should be a professor Yuki one of the best TA I ve had at UCI. Because of him I got through the course. Great at breaking down problems and providing multiple representations when explaining the problem. Yuki allows the students to think and work on a problem first before just giving them the answer (great teacher technique!). He is also, very humorous and energetic when teaching. intelligent, organized, well-paced discussions. His enthusiasm for math and, well, for everything really motivated me to learn the subject. YUKI IS FANTASTIC! My absolute favorite TA. Very clear descriptions. Yuki picks good problems that demonstrate concepts clearly. Yuki also manages to get strong class participation and make things exciting. Yuki is also attentive and wonderful during office hours. Also, I greatly appreciate the effort he puts in. He is the best discussion TA I have ever had! He makes such difficult concepts so easy to understand. I honestly think he would be an amazing professor. He s really patient with us and takes the time to explain things thoroughly. One of the best TAs I ve ever had. I really really like how Yuki teaches. Honestly, his discussion sections were a lot more productive, efficient, and helpful to me than lectures. Yuki has contagious enthusiasm for the subject and really encourages us to think, make connections, and try to see the beauty of math. I like that he allows us to attempt to solve some problems rather than just giving us solutions.

4 4 Y. TAKAHASHI Yuki is a great TA. Out of all the mathematic TA s I have had at UCI, Yuki has easily been the best. He is enthusiastic about teaching us, and covers the course material very well. He sits in during lectures in order to make sure he is teaching us the material our teacher, Scott, is going over, and is very dedicated towards helping us students understand the material. I have learned most of the course material through Yuki s discussion sections, and would highly recommend him as a TA, or even to teach a section. Yuki is the best TA at UCI. He speaks the best english out of all the international students, he is very clear, and he helps out a lot. It is clear that he truly cares about the students and them doing well. Thank you for everything Yuki. Nothing! Nothing you can do, you are the perfect TA. Thank you Yuiki! You can t improve perfection. The best TA I have had at UCI in my two years here, hands down. Could not ask for anything more out of him. Great job, keep it up! The TA is able to make a very difficult and confusing course more simple and straight forward. He is not only organized, but he is able to translate the material from book to classroom very well for students. As an Engineering student who has taken a variety of technical courses such as math, chemistry, physics, I have come across many Teacher Assistants and instructors alike whose first language is not English as well as individuals whose poor communication skills have inhibited me from excelling in the course. However, this is most definitely not the case with Mr. Takahashi, for his inclination in teaching, positive attitude, as well as thorough understanding of the subject material make him an exemplary instructor. Beyond all that, Mr. Takahashi s commitment to the students is admirable as he clearly aims to have all students understand his lessons. These traits are quite difficult to find in an instructor, and in fact I have heard only positive comments from my peers taking the class. One of the best TAs I ve ever had. I really enjoyed discussions and learned much more in this class than others I have taken. His explanations of examples made learning the material much easier and I actually enjoyed learning it, unlike in math 2D where I struggled a lot. I wish I could have had him for that class too. Thanks for a good class! Please keep up the great work! There need to be more instructors like you. Yuki is an amazing teacher. He is always willing to help if you have any questions. He simplifies the content so the student can understand the concepts much better and he writes legible and neat always explaining even the little details that most teachers will skip over and could result in confusing the student. He also gives students little tips and tricks to help them remember certain things about what they are learning. Overall, he is an excellent teacher and I hope to have him in any future math classes.

5 TEACHING STATEMENT 5 Interesting. Captivating. Thorough. Organized. Knowledgeable. He is willing to work with students and does everything he can to help them. He is amazing. No improvement. Best TA I ve ever had in my 4 years at UCI. Good job! I think you will make a great professor one day! You also have a cool walk and you are a great juggler!!! I really like this class! Yuki reminds me of my best friend :) Yuki is an amazing person, and I m really glad that he s my TA! This TA has been incredibly helpful in helping me study for the midterm exams and the quizzes. He tries hard to make himself available, and I am so glad that I have been able to meet him personally during his office hours. I think he would make an excellent professor one day. As these comments show, I always place very high emphasis on teaching. It is now part of my life. I believe that outstanding mathematicians should be outstanding both at research and teaching, and I want to become a such mathematician in the future.