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Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

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Lessons Learned In A Math Excel Workshop: The Importance Of Maintaining High Cognitive Demands, T. Dick

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Uri Treisman's Emerging Scholars Workshop model has been implemented on many college campuses over the last twenty years. The Treisman model is based on groups of students meeting regularly in a social atmosphere to work collaboratively in solving challenging mathematics problems related to their introductory coursework. Emerging Scholars Programs (or Math Excel as it is called in many settings, including ours) have been particularly successful in increasing the academic success and participation of underrepresented groups in mathematics. The primary responsibilities of a workshop leader include the design of a session’s worksheet, as well as the facilitation of students' problem solving …

Making Upper Division Mathematics Courses Relevant For Pre-Service Teachers, G. Hill

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This article addresses the disconnect that in-service and pre-service secondary school teachers feel between the material presented in upper division mathematics courses and high school classroom practice. Two examples are given from an abstract algebra course in which this problem is addressed.

Visualizing Basic Nuclear Reactions, D. Allen, M. T. Oliver-Hoyo

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

There are few instructional tools available to teach basic nuclear reactions to beginning students. The activity described in this paper can be used to help students visualize and write basic nuclear reactions such as alpha, beta, and positron decay, as well as electron capture. These reactions are represented using the technology of thermochromic paints, which either change color or turn colorless depending upon the temperature. By using a special thermochromic paint that turns colorless upon heating, students are able to visualize nuclear interactions. For instance, when positron decay occurs, the object depicting a proton will "decay" into a neutron by …

Understanding Teacher Reflection As A Significant Tool For Bringing Reform-Based Teaching To College Mathematics, K. Jeon

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper describes a senior mathematics professor’s effort to change his teaching practice in a mathematical analysis course for secondary pre-service teachers in alignment with the current reform movement. Data include semester-long observations and interviews with the professor and his students. The data were analyzed by the use of reflection as the most significant tool for examining his experience of bringing about change. The reflection was used as a bridge from theory to practice by serving as a significant point for the professor to experience the process of professional development in a real sense. Discussions include the role of teacher …

Recruiting More Mathematics Teachers Using Collaboration As The Main Ingredient: An Effective Model From Missouri, L. Kaiser

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

A National Science Foundation grant was designed to develop a series of courses to connect mathematics concepts taught in middle school classes with actual class materials used at the middle school level; however, a second component of the grant focused on efforts to recruit more teachers into the field of mathematics. By collaborating with several groups across Missouri, several strategies were developed that were shown to have positive results, both in increasing awareness of mathematics teacher shortage issues, and in encouraging attendance in Missouri mathematics education programs. The strategies developed were easy to implement and low in cost. The Missouri …

Teacher Use Of High-Stakes Test Score Data To Improve Instruction, James H. Mcmillan, Susan P. Mckelvey

MERC Publications

Across the United States most school districts and state departments of education have embraced high-stakes testing for their public schools and students. This has led to widespread school reform since many students have not reached the standards that the states and/or districts have set. Teachers increasingly focus on making sure that their students have enough knowledge to pass these tests, and some states and districts have made passing scores a requirement for graduation. Many states and districts have invested considerable time aligning their standardized tests with the objectives of the curriculum.

One of the consequences of high-stakes testing is that …

William Small 1734-1775: Teacher, Mentor, Scientist, Martin Richard Clagett

Theses and Dissertations

Several studies have examined the life of William Small but only in respect to certain phases of his life, particularly Small's connections to Thomas Jefferson, James Watt, or the Birmingham Lunar Society. In 1758 William Small was recruited for the post of professor of mathematics at the College of William and Mary. From 1760 through 1762, he was Thomas Jefferson's only professor at the College of William and Mary. In 1764 Small returned to England and, with the assistance of Benjamin Franklin and others, became physician and scientific advisor to Matthew Boulton, a wealthy industrialist. Small, Boulton, and Erasmus Darwin …