Tom Pranayanuntana

Aside from textbooks, what other reading material would you recommend to your students?

Instead of acquiring more reading material, students should begin by thinking deeply about what is said in textbooks they have read. This will lead to their own interest and pursuit of knowledge in a specific field of mathematics. I recommend to every student to review each concept they have just learned by giving his/her own easy examples for those concepts and sketch graphs, draw diagrams, and use whatever techniques available for or related to the subject to solve the problems. See attached pages.

Please provide a brief description of your teaching philosophy

For the past several years, teaching mathematics and learning has been the predominant theme of my life. I have taught a wide spectrum of courses beginning with elementary math to advanced calculus. I enjoy the different aspects of teaching, whether it is expounding on the rudiments of finite mathematics or by addressing the difference learning styles of students.

Students who come to my class expecting to just sit back and take notes are in for a surprise. I do not believe in pouring out pages of information in a monologue because students cannot grasp the information properly. Students should get their hands dirty with the material and do their own experiments with each of the concepts they learned.  My classes are very interactive because I ask a lot of questions, along with using technology to make mathematical concepts in my classes more tangible.

I believe in the dictum that “The best teacher is the one who teaches you to think.” Whenever students ask me a question, I don’t give them the complete answer. I give them suggestive hints and gently nudge them in the right direction, which helps them discover the solution on their own. It improves their self-esteem and increases their curiosity in the subject. With the good resources and guidance students can succeed and reach their goals with ease.
 

What do you enjoy most about teaching at Poly?

Having the equipment available at NYU-Poly allows me to use technologies, different techniques and tools in order to convey the concept from different perspectives  and knowledge to students.

I take pride in being a professor at NYU-Poly because I get to teach some of the brightest minds. The inquisitive nature of students at Poly inspires me to do better and makes me look forward to my lectures. Their questions challenge me to analyze the topic from different perspective and never allows the subject to become dull.

Is there a particular person who has made a significant positive impact on your life?

There are many people to whom I owe a great debt because of the huge positive influence they had on my life but above them all I am most appreciative to Dr.Chandni Shah. She inspired my true passion for mathematics and she was my beacon of light in the darkest of times. Her suggestions sparked me to pursue a PhD in mathematics.