Head of the department called me in for a meeting because my student-led math analysis sessions drastically improved passing rates, but I don't use any special materials—how do I explain my teaching style without sounding unprofessional?
Hey everyone, I could use some advice on how to handle an upcoming meeting with the head of the math department.
I'm a second-year undergraduate student. Earlier this year, one of the official teaching assistants offered me a position as a student tutor to hold extra, separate problem-solving sessions for Mathematical Analysis.
Historically, the pass rate for this course has always been quite low. However, this semester, the pass rates jumped significantly. Students started praising my sessions, saying my way of explaining things finally made things "click" for them. Word got around, and now the head of the department is looking for me to have a chat.
I'm assuming they're going to ask what special materials, books, or methods I used. The problem is: I don't use any special materials. I just work things out from my head, and we mostly go through past exams and one specific problem book.
Also, my biggest inspiration was the senior assistant who taught my analysis class when I was a freshman. I essentially tried to adopt her teaching style and patience because it worked so well for me. However, I’m worried that if I tell the department head "I just copied the assistant's style and made things up as I went," they might think I'm joking, or worse, it might accidentally put the assistant in an awkward spot or make me look completely unprepared.
How should I explain my approach to the department head? How do I translate "I build concepts from absolute scratch assuming zero prior knowledge, and I mimic a really good TA who taught me" into professional academic terms?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!