Meet Diane Mathios, A Distinguished Educator

Diane Mathios has been an instructor of mathematics for 26 years and has served the students of De Anza for nine of them. Her commitment to the academic success of underrepresented populations permeates her career whether at the high school, university, or community college level. "She is respected for her rigorous academic standards combined with a capacity for developing individual student potential," said Judy Miner, vice president of Instruction. "Students find her enthusiasm for mathematics to be contagious and recommend her to their friends."

Diane engages in continual professional development and experimentation with learning strategies. Her pedagogy is ever evolving as she refines collaborative learning techniques, incorporates multicultural perspectives in the classroom, and responds to diverse learning styles with a variety of methodologies. "Over the years, I have tried to work more collaborative activities into my lessons and become more student focused. Because I started teaching at the high school level, involving students was always important, but each year I find new methods and activities."

"I have always enjoyed mathematics and I also enjoy sharing my love of the subject with others," Diane said. "I have found that making mathematics understandable to students is a wonderful challenge and opportunity for creativity. Every job has its challenges, but I cannot think of anything I would rather do than teach."

Barbara Fink, chair of the Mathematics Department and fellow math instructor, said, "Diane is an excellent teacher. She has been a leader in developing math curriculum, and she has been the major presenter at a number of workshops the department has run for the math faculty on integrating collaborative work and multicultural perspectives in the curriculum. Students appreciate her organization, clarity, willingness to help both inside and outside of the classroom, and her love of teaching. Students speak glowingly of Diane."

It's not hard to understand this high praise when one looks at the success and retention rates of her students as compared to those of the entire Mathematics Department:

"What the statistics do not readily show is the immediate connection that Diane makes with her students as a result of her expertise, sensitivity, and generosity of spirit. She is an incalculable treasure!" said Judy.

Another co-worker agrees with this assessment. "The Distinguished Educator Award is a fitting tribute to Diane, whom I consider one of the best teachers I've had the opportunity to work with," said Herminio Hernando, a counselor in the Math Performance Success (MPS) program. "I've been working closely with Diane in the MPS program since I started in the fall 2001 quarter. I work with students in class every day and from the outset I was impressed with her dedication to the success of each and every student in the program. She believes that every student, regardless of his or her background, is capable of succeeding in math and she teaches from that perspective."

Diane said working with the MPS program has been one of her most rewarding experiences. "The MPS students are those who have had difficulty with mathematics in the past and often come into the program with low confidence in their ability to succeed. By the end of the year, they see that they can succeed with hard work. The sense of accomplishment and empowerment they gain from the experience is very rewarding to me as a teacher."

One of Diane's teaching heroes is Uri Treisman, who developed the Treisman Workshop model. "He had an enormous impact on the way I teach," she said. "His focus on believing in students' ability to be excellent in mathematics and challenging them to do superior work through collaboration with other students is one that has guided me in my teaching."

Diane's Web site (http://faculty.deanza.fhda.edu/mathiosdiane) explains to prospective students how she likes to run her classes. "I like to have students actively engaged in the learning process. For that reason, I try to incorporate group activities as much as possible. I often have students work in groups on discovery-oriented worksheets. In these worksheets, students will explore mathematics concepts by using calculators and discussing results with their groups," she said. "I also usually assign one or two group projects during the quarter. These are extended assignments that must be completed outside of class in cooperation with other members of their groups."

What Diane wants her students to take away from her classes is a sense that they can succeed in anything if they put their minds to it and work hard. "I also hope that students will see that mathematics is a subject worthy of study and has a beauty of its own. My dream is that students will come to love math as much as I do," she said.

She also does not take all the credit for the success of her students. "I am so grateful to my students, who have worked so hard in my classes. Really, they are the ones who have achieved excellence. I am also grateful to De Anza College and its faculty for its support of our work with students. This an inspiring place to work. I am humbled by this honor."

Diane selected "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi as her award from Judy's stash of autographed books.