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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Teaching Mathematics With Poetry: Some Activities, Alexis E. Langellier
Teaching Mathematics With Poetry: Some Activities, Alexis E. Langellier
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
During the summer of 2021, I experimented with a new way of getting children excited about mathematics: math poetry. Math can be a trigger word for some children and many adults. I wanted to find a way to make learning math fun—without the students knowing they’re doing math. In this paper I describe some activities I used with students ranging from grades K-12 to the college level and share several poem examples, from students in grades two to eight.
On Not Teaching Addition: A Homeschooling Parent Teaches And Researches Math, Marion D. Cohen
On Not Teaching Addition: A Homeschooling Parent Teaches And Researches Math, Marion D. Cohen
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Interactions with the humans in one’s life can have bearings on the way one interacts with one’s work – and vice versa. In particular, the ways in which a math person who is also a parent interacts with their children can correlate with the ways that person interacts with students, colleagues, and with math itself. This article describes some of that correlation in one mathmom’s life. In particular, this mathmom worked toward balancing, both as a mom and as a teacher, her beliefs and feelings with societal mindsets and practices.
Everyman's Climb, Charles A. Coppin
Everyman's Climb, Charles A. Coppin
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Hal and Verity represent two different philosophies of learning, one used by most of us. In today’s world, authentic teaching is indeed a heroic act, but may not be the most popular. This piece draws distinctions between these choices, each time we teach a course, each day we walk into the classroom, and even when working with an individual student; they are ever present.
Motherhood And Teaching: Radical Care, Ksenija Simic-Muller
Motherhood And Teaching: Radical Care, Ksenija Simic-Muller
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
This essay is a personal reflection on how I leverage my positioning as a caregiver in my roles of a mathematician, teacher, and mother, to advance a vision for a more just and equitable society. I argue that care at home and in the classroom takes similar forms, and can be liberating instead of oppressive.
Freedom Through Inquiry, Francis Su
Freedom Through Inquiry, Francis Su
All HMC Faculty Publications and Research
I delivered this speech at the Inquiry‐Based Learning Forum & 19th Annual Legacy of R.L. Moore Conference on August 4, 2016. It is partly an homage to an influential teacher, partly an excuse to articulate what makes some styles of teaching so effective, and partly an excuse to talk about difficult issues facing our nation and our classrooms today.
The Lesson Of Grace In Teaching, Francis Su
The Lesson Of Grace In Teaching, Francis Su
All HMC Faculty Publications and Research
I want to talk about the biggest life lesson that I have learned, and that I continue to learn over and over again. It is deep and profound. It has changed the way I relate with people. It has reshaped my academic life. And it continually renovates the way I approach my students.
What Does It Take To Teach Nonmajors Effectively?, Feryal Alayont, Gizem Karaali, Lerna Pehlivan
What Does It Take To Teach Nonmajors Effectively?, Feryal Alayont, Gizem Karaali, Lerna Pehlivan
Pomona Faculty Publications and Research
Most MAA members teach mathematics at the college level, and many often teach courses intended for nonmajors. Indeed this is one of the main responsibilities of a mathematics department: offering service courses for client departments and general education courses for nonmajors. The three of us have been thinking about the question of how to teach nonmajors successfully for a while now. Finally we decided on a time-tested method of figuring things out: if you don't know what to do, ask the experts. We organized a panel titled "Effective Strategies for Teaching Classes for Nonmajors" for MAA MathFest 2012 and invited …
Humanistic Mathematics: An Oxymoron?, Gizem Karaali
Humanistic Mathematics: An Oxymoron?, Gizem Karaali
Pomona Faculty Publications and Research
Mathematics faculty are trained as mathematicians, first and foremost. If we did not experience the soul-expanding possibilities of liberal education during our own undergraduate years, we may hesitate to bridge disciplinary divides when pursuing our core human need to inquire and understand. Although most mathematicians I know are amazing teachers, communicators, and mentors, many still teach the same material that their professors and their professors’ professors taught. This time-tested approach can be powerful, fascinating, and even quite entertaining. But it can also seem far removed from the world we inhabit. Yes, we teach “real world applications” of mathematical concepts. Yet …
Teaching Research: Encouraging Discoveries, Francis E. Su
Teaching Research: Encouraging Discoveries, Francis E. Su
All HMC Faculty Publications and Research
What does it take to turn a learner into a discoverer? Or to turn a teacher into a co-adventurer? A handful of experiences—from teaching a middle-school math class to doing research with undergraduates—have changed the way that I would answer these questions. Some of the lessons I’ve learned have surprised me.