See the Structure’s Philosophy

Creating a culture of respect. Honoring every individual journey.

See the Structure cultivates a space where each distinct part of the math journey is valued and respected—because when students and teachers feel seen and supported, they flourish.

See the Structure’s
four pillars of respect

Respect the Learner

Everyone is different. And every approach to learning is different. Instead of trying to fit every math student into one box, I believe in creating an environment where students actively engage in the exploration of the limitless beauty of math. This is where confidence shines, curiosity flourishes, and classrooms buzz with excitement.

Respect the Content

Math is a beautiful intricate web of patterns, structure, and connections, which are lost when it’s reduced to only memorization or repetitive operations. Instead, students should be invited into a world full of discovery, where everything is interconnected, and where structure functions as a foundation.

Respect the Educator

Teachers play a beautiful role in nurturing and developing students. Why then, are so many teachers reduced to automized page-turners, completely removing the human element? Instead, I encourage teachers to guide their students to a place where curiosity is cultivated, deep learning is enjoyable, and collaboration is natural.

Respect the Learning Process

In many classrooms today, math feels like a collection of isolated ideas and rushed lessons. But what if we approached math differently—where students had the time to reflect, test, and even marvel at the patterns around them? When you see how everything connects, you can approach learning with patience.

Imagine a classroom buzzing with curiosity, where students are motivated, engaged, and excited to take part in their own math development. Sounds amazing, right? I think so too.

From Philosophy to Practice: Beliefs in the STS Approach

Learning how to learn
There are practices that encourage learning while others simply deter or delay it. Some practices promote performing, but that isn’t learning. Spoiler alert: performing without understanding does not promote learning, and learning in isolation is not a strong move. 

Active, Not Passive
Students need to be active in their learning for it to stick—much of school time places students in a receptive mode, trying to absorb so much spoken language. In the STS approach, educators function more like facilitators for learning, not trainers—turning the power over to the students.

Respect the Learning Process
There are natural rhythms to all things, and learning is no exception. There are times to work hard, produce, engage, discuss, sweat it out a bit…and there are times to journal, share, reflect, ponder, wonder, and dream. Reflection is key to consolidation of ideas. Learning is not an activity where we try to cram as much in as possible. Quality, not quantity.  

Language is Not a Barrier
STS gets right to the heart of a concept, using color and visual information thoughtfully.

All Students Can Engage
Every student can access grade-level content and robust math ideas. I’m a big proponent of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and this has profoundly informed much of my work.