About Me

My name is Drew Cousino. I am a seventh year graduate student of mathematics at Kansas State University. I study mathematics for two reasons. First, I love to learn. While this certainly does not imply that I am best and most responsible student, it does mean that I don't care about my grades or degrees. Instead, I care about whether I understand the material that I am expected to learn. Second, I find mathematics to be beautiful, both practically and theoretically. To me, math is a powerful subject which tries to find simple, elegant answers to seemingly simple problems.

Contact Info

Study Tips for Math Courses

Two of the main keys in succeeding in a math course are working both hard and effectively and not getting behind. While studying all night for tomorrow's test is working hard, it isn't usually effective for math classes. Try studying at least half an hour every day. Studying for a math class is like practicing an instrument or exercising: working a little bit each day is more effective than occasionally working for an extended period. As for not getting behind, this means keeping pace with the class and being prepared for the next class. New material builds on old material in math, and so not falling behind helps to ensure that you won't get lost later.

The KSU Math Department has a web page with more comprehensive information on how to succeed in KSU Math Courses.

My Teaching Philosophy

My goal as a teacher is for students to learn. I believe a student has learned a piece of mathematics when they have a conceptual understanding and the ability to perform the related computations. Conceptual understanding is simply recognizing the underlying connections between ideas. Conceptual abilities are difficult to measure in the classroom. Exams and homework can provide insight into the rote skills of a student. However, deeper learning is not necessarily manifested in such assessments. Identifying a deeper understanding typically begins with student interviews. From this qualitative data, more sophisticated tools to measure conceptual knowledge can be developed. In general, I am interested in effective teaching methods. When a particular classroom technique appeals to me, I seek evidence that this method improves understanding. Further, I wish to experiment with my teaching and observe the effects on the classroom.

Papers