Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

History Of Mathematics: An Exercise In Strengths, Mary Walkins

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2011

As a leader in strengths-based education, Lee University encourages each new student, since fall of 2003, to take the Gallup StrengthsFinder to determine their top 5 signature themes (out of a possible 34). At Lee, the syllabus for the History of Mathematics course calls for students to write a paper on a mathematician. In the fall of 2009, as an added dimension, students were asked to critically think about and incorporate the strengths they believe that mathematician may have. Each student was required to compare and contrast his or her strengths with those of the mathematician. This was done with …

The Study Of Mathematics: A Text From A Christian Perspective, Doug Phillippy

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2011

This paper examines the integration of the Christian faith with the teaching of mathematical texts using the author’s textbook, The Study of Mathematics: Developing a mature understanding of mathematical thought, with consideration of Christian faith and vocation.

The History Of The Area Between A Line And A Parabola, Gordon A. Swain

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2011

This is a review of various methods used by many mathematicians to determine the area of the segment bounded by a parabola and a line. We include descriptions of proofs from the Greek period (Archimedes), the Arabic period (ibn Qurra and ibn Sinan), and the 1600's in European (Galileo, Roberval, Fermat and Wallis, among others), in order to display the changing nature of mathematics.

Pascal’S Thoughts Seen In The Light Of Scripture, Loredana Ciurariu

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2011

In this paper we study Pascal’s character via his writings. There are indications that his health might have deteriorated following the experiments he had done using mercury. He talks in his Pensées about faith, grace and purity of the heart, about the peoples and the way in which God leads them, about wisdom, dreams and hopes and that which lies in the human heart. If a statistics was done concerning the most used books and verses from the Bible in Pensées, these would be: Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Matthew, Mark, Jeremiah, Hebrews, Romans, Luke, Isaiah, Psalms. But those which occupy a central …

Two Faith Integration Projects For Freshman Majors, Nicholas J. Willis

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2011

Two projects will be presented that integrate faith and Mathematics in a freshman Introduction to Proofs class at George Fox University. The first project asks students to look at the life of a Christian Mathematician. The focus of this project is to show students that many great mathematicians also had immense faith. The second project asks students to take a close look at their own life. How do they plan to live a life of Christian faith in their chosen profession? Both projects are designed to encourage students to look at their careers in Mathematics as a vocation.

The Search For Hamilton, Eric Gossett

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2011

In July and August of 2009 my wife and I went on a four-week trip to Scotland and Ireland. We would be visiting Dublin, so I decided that we should visit the famous bridge where William Rowan Hamilton carved the equations for the quaternions. The task was not as simple as I had assumed. This paper gives some details of the search.

Where, Oh Waring? The Classic Problem And Its Extensions, Brian D. Beasley

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2011

This paper will sketch brief outlines of Edward Waring’s life and the history behind the eventual solution to his famous conjecture about expressing positive integers as the sum of kth powers. In addition, it will present some of the related questions currently being studied, such as expressing sufficiently large integers as sums of powers, sums of powers of primes, and sums of unlike powers.

Connecting Mathematics Students To Philosophy And Faith, Nathan Moyer

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2011

This paper describes a class project that helps students wrestle with the deep philosophical questions of mathematics in a relevant way. Through article readings and group discussions, various historical views of mathematical philosophy are examined and critiqued. An emphasis is placed upon students making meaningful connections between their own views of mathematics and their personal Christian faith or worldview.

Paper Abstracts (2011), Association Of Christians In The Mathematical Sciences

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2011

Eighteenth Conference of the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences

Introduction (2011), Russell Howell

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2011

Eighteenth Conference of the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences

Table Of Contents (2011), Association Of Christians In The Mathematical Sciences

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2011

Eighteenth Conference of the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences

Schedule (2011), Association Of Christians In The Mathematical Sciences

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2011

Eighteenth Conference of the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences

Planting The Seeds Of Computational Thinking: An Introduction To Programminsuitable For Inclusion In Stem Curriculag, Eric Freudenthal, Art Duval, Sarah Hug, Alexandria Ogrey, Kien Lim, Catherine Tabor, Rebeca Gonzalez, Alan Siegel

Selected Works Temporary Series

Inadequate math preparation discourages many capable students – especially those from traditionally underrepresented groups – from pursuing or succeeding in STEM academic programs. iMPaCT is a family of―"Media Propelled" courses and course enrichment activities that introduce students to―"Computational Thinking." iMPaCT integrates exploration of math and programmed computation by engaging students in the design and modification of tiny programs that render raster graphics and simulate familiar kinematics. Through these exercises, students gain experience and confidence with foundational math concepts necessary for success in STEM studies, and an understanding of programmed computation.

This paper presents early results from our formal evaluation of …

Acms 18th Biennial Conference Proceedings, Association Of Christians In The Mathematical Sciences

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2011

Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences 18th Biennial Conference Proceedings, June 1-4, 2011, Westmont College, Santa Barbara, CA.

A Study Of K–12 Music Educators' Attitudes Toward Technology-Assisted Assessment Tools, Lance D. Nielsen

Glenn Korff School of Music: Dissertations, Theses, Student Creative Work, and Performances

The purpose of this study was to examine K-12 music educators’ attitudes regarding the use of technology in the assessment of music learning. There is a considerable range of musical behaviors with different levels of complexity that can be assessed (Boyle & Radocy, 1987). A variety of software and web-based assessment tools are available for music educators. However, it is unclear how many teachers are taking advantage of incorporating these technological assessment tools into their instructional practice. This study provided current data about the demographics of teachers using technology to assess musical growth and the variables that might motivate a …

The Social Context Of Urban School Reform: Collective Efficacy And Student Achievement, Carla E. Ellis

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this correlational study was to determine if between-school variance in school-level student achievement is related to collective teacher efficacy in 10 urban elementary schools in Chicago. It also examined the effects of teacher leaders’ implementation of a School-University partnership and the leadership characteristics of principals on school collective efficacy. Collective teacher efficacy was measured using Goddard’s (1998) 6-point 21-item Likert Collective Teacher Efficacy scale. There were 280 teachers and 53 teacher leaders who completed the scale. The Collective Teacher Efficacy scale results were analyzed and examined in relationship to school-level Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) test …

Stories And Cultural Humility: Exploring Power And Privilege Through Physical Therapists' Life Stories, Marjorie Hilliard

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore how life experiences, set within their social, cultural, and historical contexts, shape the development of cultural humility in physical therapists (PTs). Cultural humility involves health professionals being actively engaged in an ongoing process with patients, colleagues, communities, and themselves to make sense of the complexities of social and culture differences within relationships in practice. Given demographic trends and health care disparities, it has become critically important to better understand the dynamics of developing trusting relationships to provide quality care. This study was influenced by relationship-centered care, sociocultural, and insurgent multiculturalism theories. A …

A Guest In Someone's House: Exploring The Role Of African-American Student-Faculty/Staff Interactions In A Community College Setting, Yolanda Isaacs

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

African-American students are enrolling in four-year universities and community colleges in the hope of receiving a degree; however, their rate of degree attainment at the latter institutions in particular continues to be troubling. Although community colleges are making efforts to improve the graduation rates of African-American students, more institutional strategies are needed to address this concern. The purpose of the study was to explore how the role of African-American faculty and staff can affect the success of African-American students in a community college setting. The researcher investigated African-American students’ perceptions and experiences regarding how African-American faculty and staff members have …

Intersections: The Schooling Experiences Of African-American Females Inolved In Long-Term Foster Care And Their Transition Into Womanhood, Sonia Kennedy

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

African-American girls are entering foster care and experiencing longer stays in a system that was not intended to facilitate adolescents transitioning into adulthood. For African American adolescent girls many remain in care indefinitely and move from one temporary foster home, group home and institution to another, with little stability or preparation for the future. Although the Adoption and Safe Families Act (AFSA) of 1994 and other policy reforms were designed to guide the temporary placement of children in foster care, this has not been the case, particularly for African American females. Upon entrance into foster care, African American adolescent females …

The Effects Of An Advisory Program On Middle-Level Student Learning, Jeffrey Stawick

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore if a middle school advisory program significantly effected student learning. Educators who advocate for the middle school concept for middle-level education claim that purposefully designed advisory programs can have specific beneficial effects. However, a limited body of knowledge and little empirical evidence supports this assumption. This study uses an ex-post facto quasi-experimental design comparing three consecutive eighth grade classes in a middle school where such an advisory program was developed. The program was designed to improve student learning through improved relationships, interventions, and additional instruction time. The first eighth grade class had …