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Faculty Excellence at UMUC

	Faculty Interview Spyridon Therianos Mathematics Spyridon Therianos has been teaching face-to-face courses, with tremendous enjoyment, for nearly 30 years. In the last two years, he has begun teaching online. He joined the Asian Division, where he is the second most senior faculty member, almost through happenstance due to a desire to travel in Asia. It was a felicitous match which has never been regretted by either side.

Interviewer:	Please tell us about your chosen discipline—how long have you worked in or taught it? What made you interested in the area? What keeps you interested in the area?
Spyridon Therianos:	I have always liked mathematics; I suppose it is in the blood. It is clear, it is logical, each problem has only one answer, and there are no arguments and different points of view. The greatest joy is when the students are satisfied with my teaching. Once in a while at the end of the term students tell me that not only they enjoyed the class and learned a lot, but that the class helped them put their math fears to rest. That's the greatest joy a teacher can expect.
Interviewer:	How would you describe your teaching style or philosophy? What experiences or person(s) have influenced your style or philosophy?
Spyridon Therianos:	I view teaching math like teaching a foreign language, and to most students it is a foreign language. Everything must be explained clearly and in detail, repeated and reinforced. All the new words must be defined, the theory must be presented using simple terminology so the students understand, and the examples must be chosen to illustrate the theory. I believe that math is not any harder than any other subject. My task is to make my students believe that, by showing them they can actually do math. As soon as the students begin to do problems and get the correct answers, their anxieties begin to recede and they are on their way to overcoming their fears about math.
Interviewer:	What do you find most satisfying about teaching in your chosen format(s)? What do you find challenging about teaching in your chosen format(s)?
Spyridon Therianos:	The most satisfying aspect of teaching is the gratitude of the students after they get through a tough math course that they thought was impossible. The most challenging aspect of teaching is to make something complicated so easy that anyone can understand it. To paraphrase a famous mathematician the most challenging aspect of teaching mathematics is to make the obvious, obvious.
Interviewer:	Please explain if you do something special or unique in your approach and how you developed that approach. What do you think it is about your approach that appeals to students?
Spyridon Therianos:	When I teach, I always put myself in the place of the student. I do not think this is special or unique; every teacher must do that. I try to adapt my way of teaching to the level of the course and the level and interest of my students. For example, for lower level math courses I teach by examples trying to minimize the theory; I explain using simple words all the formulas and the rules, and I adjust my pace to give every student the chance to keep up. The students like that.
Interviewer:	What suggestion would you give to students who are interested in majoring or working in your discipline?
Spyridon Therianos:	To major in math a student must like the subject, and must have ability in abstract thinking. A person who is interested more in applications rather than theory should look in areas where math is used, like physics, engineering, or computer science.
Interviewer:	What suggestion would you give to new faculty who are interested in teaching in your discipline at UMUC?
Spyridon Therianos:	Get down to the level of your students and communicate with them. Talk and write in plain language, explain the notation, show all the steps in detail, present the theory in as simple terms as possible, use pictures and diagrams to illustrate, and explain your thinking process. To summarize, don't behave like a high priest who reveals little by little the mysteries of math in an incomprehensible language.

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