Understanding the Language of Mathematics: A New Common-Sense Method for Learning and Teaching Mathe

Alexander Firestone always wanted to be a teacher but felt that in order to know what was important to teach, he should be out in the real world to see what he was able to do with his present education. Upon graduation from the University, he secured a position as a Research Physicist working on new types of rocket propulsion for deep space exploration. In the first week, he realized that his present education ill-equipped him as a problem-solver working on new ideas. This was the beginning of What, How, and Why. After successfully working on the projects he was assigned, he realized he was ready for teaching. Over the last 50 years he has used his teaching and classroom experiences as a laboratory, developing What, How, and Why learning.

I still get telephone calls this very evening (student from Westmount College in Christchurch) former students wanting to know how I'm doing and sharing their classroom experiences with me as a teacher. That was nearly 40 years ago. I'm a very passionate teacher who has taught for over 40 years and still teaches casually full-time. I am probably the oldest Mathematics teacher in Australia who is a passionate Mathematics teacher and is still able to teach full time. My teaching positions include classroom teacher, HOD mathematics, Principal, University lecturer in China. I have over 8 years of part-time experience doing post-graduate university study on What, How, and Why. Three in China and five at Griffith University in Queensland. I have presented papers and given Talks at International Education Conferences in Australia, and New Zealand.