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Discovering Math: Algebra through Geometry
numberstrong@gmail.com
B.S. Mathematics, UMass Lowell
MS Mathematics candidate, Northeastern University
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Steve Dalton returns as a Mathematics tutor for his second year in fall 2010. He has introduced an exciting concept for teaching math, using Paul Lockhart's essay "The Mathematician's Lament" as his inspiration. (For more on this, visit our "Discovering Math" tutorial page on this website.)
Steve has always had a penchant for mathematics, a skill that served him well when he began his studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 2004. While at UML he began to tutor fellow students in mathematics, and found it greatly fulfilling to be able to apply his math smarts to help others. He graduated in 2008 with a firm conviction to teach mathematics for a career. He is currently enrolled in Northeastern University's Master of Science in Mathematics program, in hopes of being able to teach in a university setting someday.
When he is not crunching numbers, Steve likes to spend his time playing music, exercising, and most of all spending time with his beautiful wife and baby boy.
Steve's educational philosophy strongly emphasizes the need for personalized attention and care in teaching. He does not do cookie-cutter approaches. Each person's needs are different, so each session's methods must be different. As he likes to put it, doing math is like driving from point A to point B: there are many roads, and you can get there safely as long as you don't break any laws. His academic goal in teaching math is to tell students about these "laws," while allowing them to map out their own route. Steve considers the logic and structure of mathematics to be a powerful revelation of the rationality of the world, an indispensable element of his strong Catholic faith. He sees the classroom as a place for enrichment - not just memorization of facts - and so encourages a class atmosphere of respect and friendliness, not just intellectual demands. |
