Higher Education Commons^™

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 …

Student Work Section, R. Howard

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

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 …

The Perfect Perspective: A Mathematical Analysis Of Perspective Using Tools Available To Middle School Students, W. Griffin

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper examines the basic properties of perspective drawings, the history of perspective drawings, and the basic mathematics of perspective. Using a side view and a top view of a three-dimensional projection, similar triangles can be used to find distances from the axes and vanishing point in a projection. By breaking the three-dimensional projection into two, two-dimensional planes, one can recreate projections based on actual figures, or create placements of figures in real space based on a projection. Using this method, one 'can change a projection based on the changing position of the vanishing point. This simple approach to perspective …

Lessons Learned From Efforts At Institutional Change: Case Studies Of Six Ocept Institutions, T. G. Chenoweth, M. K. Kinnick, R. D. Walleri

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

As one part of a multifaceted evaluation of the Oregon Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (OCEPT), a case study approach was used to enable a deeper understanding of how a diverse group of six institutions attempted to achieve OCEPT goals and to learn more about factors that facilitated or hindered their efforts. Multiple sources of data were used, with heavy reliance on a series of on-site interviews. The analytical framework included a "depth" and "pervasiveness" typology of institutional change and a view of change as encompassing "meaning," "organization," and "effects." While goals and accomplishment levels, as well …

Methods Of Smile: A Science Seminar Course In "Deliberate Education", E. Davis-Butts, R. Collay

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Oregon State University’s Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences (SMILE) Program is an enrichment program for minority and underrepresented K-12 students. Through an eight-year iterative process, SMILE has developed and refined a science seminar course that allows undergraduate and master’s degree students to explore science enrichment for youth. Students enrolled in the course are engaged in teaching and learning as a community of learners with a focus on service learning. The intended audience for the course is those students who are interested in working in educational settings with youth—as classroom teachers, science/mathematics professionals engaged in precollege outreach, and the like. …

Title Page

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

The Development Of Instruments For Assessment Of Instructional Practices In Standards-Based Teaching, C. L. Wainwright, L. Flick, P. Morrell

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

We provide a description and rationale for the development of two instruments: 1) a classroom observation protocol; and, 2) a teacher interview protocol—designed to document the impact of reform-based professional development with undergraduate mathematics and science faculty, and its impact on the resultant preparation of teachers. Constructed upon review of the research on teaching and standards documents in mathematics and science, these instruments form the basis for data collection in a three-year longitudinal study of teaching practice among early career teachers as well as undergraduate college faculty. In addition, we suggest further applications of the observation protocol beyond the original …

The Use Of Traditional And Contemporary Instructional Strategies And Materials In The Elementary Mathematics Classroom, J. E. Riley

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Elementary school teachers were surveyed about the strategies and materials they use to teach elementary school mathematics. A list of twenty strategies and materials derived from the Changes in Content and Emphasis sections of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics were examined [1]. These strategies represent both contemporary and traditional approaches to the teaching of mathematics. Teachers were asked to respond to each survey item by indicating how often these strategies were used in their classrooms. The findings were compared to the goals of the NCTM Standards to assess how much …

A Descriptive Comparison Of One University Instructor's Instruction During Pre-Service Mathematics Courses And The Subsequent Mathematics And Science Instruction Of Three Of His Students During Their Student Teaching Experience, S. Blair

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Oregon Collaborative For Excellence In The Preparation Of Teachers – An Overview, M. Enneking

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Peer-Led Team Learning In Introductory Biology And Chemistry Courses: A Parallel Approach, A. Tenney, B. Houck

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Peer-Led Team Learning has been in use in Introductory Biology and Introductory Chemistry since Fall 1999 at the University of Portland. lts effect on improved conceptual understanding, retention of students, and improvement in study skills will be discussed. An ancillary, but no less important benefit in the development of interest in science teaching among the peer leaders, is also addressed.

Persistence In Mathematics By Underrepresented Students: Experiences Of A Math Excel Program, C. M. Hake, M. L. Crow, T. Dick

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Success in mathematics by underrepresented and nontraditional college students is measured not only by academic performance (grades), but also by the continued participation and persistence of these students in mathematics coursework. The Math Excel program at Oregon State University attempts to build "learning communities" with a sharp academic focus in support of students concurrently taking introductory level mathematics courses. The Math Excel program is based heavily on Uri Treisman's Emerging Scholars Workshop model of collaborative problem solving. In this article, we examine the experience of minority students in the Educational Opportunities Program participating in the Math Excel program. While the …

Journal Of Mathematics And Science: Collaborative Explorations

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

The Occurrence Of Reform Teaching Practice In Undergraduate Mathematics And Science Classes: The Students' Perspective, P. D. Morrell, J. B. Carroll

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Mathematics From China To Virginia By Way Of Singapore, H. Kim, C. Wu, A. Xue, J. Boyd

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Our article follows from an interesting concurrence of mathematical and educational lines. At least the concurrence seems so to us and we hope that those who read on will agree. The lines or streams are a joint minimester program at St. Catherine’s and St. Christopher‘s Schools, an interest in problem solving, and a Singapore connection. We shall describe the lines first and then describe the mathematics that we found at their intersection.

Aims & Scope

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

The Milwaukee Idea: A Study Of Transformative Change, Jon F. Wergin, Jane Grassadonia

Teaching and Learning Publications

Through an initiative called the “Milwaukee Idea,” the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UW-Milwaukee) is striving to become a scholarly partner with its host city and to have that partnership energize the university’s teaching, research, and service activities. Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher conceived the Milwaukee Idea in 1998 as a way to capture the spirit and potential of the university’s urban location and character. This study assesses the extent to which the university has transformed itself through this recommitment to community engagement and whether UW-Milwaukee’s new urban mission is likely to be institutionalized in the coming years.

Zimpher knew from the start …

Revision Of A Non-Euclidean Geometry Course Based On The Van Hiele Model Of The Development Of Geometric Thought, M. P. Sheckels

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper describes the revision of a course in non-Euclidean geometry to incorporate active student learning. The design of the course and the sequence of lessons were based on the van Hiele model of the development of geometric thought.

The Impact Of A Clinical Faculty Institute On Participants' Skills For Mentoring Novice Teachers, Grades K-8, J. H. Cothron, G. M. Bass Jr.

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

A seven-day Clinical Faculty Institute was implemented to increase the skills of mentor teachers and to develop a cadre of Clinical Faculty for the four participating colleges and universities. The 128 participants entered with "some confidence" in their ability to mentor novice teachers in areas typically taught in methods courses; whereas, they displayed "minimal confidence" in skills typically taught in supervisory courses. By the end of the Institute, participants showed significant changes in their "self-perceptions" of skills in twenty areas, with post-scores clustering between 3.5 and 3.9 on a four-point scale. Future institutes should focus on supervisory skills and then …

Contents

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

The Virginia Collaborative For Excellence In The Preparation Of Teachers, R. W. Farley, W. E. Haver

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

A Model General Education Science Course Involving Humanities And Sciences, Education, And Medical School Collaboration, J. P. Chinnici

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This article described an innovative general education biology course for non-science majors, BIOL 102-Science of Heredity (SOH), stressing active student learning and collaboration [1]. The course has three components. The lecture is taught by J. P. Chinnici and several undergraduate "teacher apprentices"; students receive a classnotes packet, take in-class quizzes, and interact to work on genetic worksheets; incentives include reviewing books, visiting a science museum, and finding albino squirrels. Recitations are taught by graduate students in the Department of Human Genetics; student activities include preparing a family pedigree, writing a term paper, reporting orally and in writing on several media …

Enhancing Finite Mathematics With Global Awareness, D. L. Hydorn

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper describes the project of modifying the course, Finite Mathematics, to meet a Global Awareness course requirement. The components of the revised course are described, including topics, in-class activities, and student evaluation methods, along with a summary of the results of a general education assessment of the course.

Mathematics For Non-Science Majors Chemistry Course, D. D. Shillady

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

A chemistry course developed for non-science majors has been taught at Virginia Commonwealth University for the past five years. CHEM 112 uses current event articles from science magazines to make use of a verbal channel of learning in non-science majors, but some mathematics is necessary. Examples are given of successful presentation of nuclear chemistry and data needed for a balanced discussion of global warming. Manipulation of symbols in balancing chemical and nuclear reactions, simple algebra, and logarithms for pH and unit analysis of simple stoichiometric conversions are fundamental to basic chemistry. The population of a voting democracy could benefit from …

A Collaborative Pre-Practicum Apprentice Program Gives A Community College A Jump-Start In Teacher Preparation, G. F. Childers

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The Virginia Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (VCEPT), funded by a grant from the Division of Undergraduate Education of the National Science Foundation, implemented the VCEPT Pre-Practicum Apprentice Program a couple of years into the grant. Groups of colleges within the Collaborative were to work together to set up an experience for pre-service teachers at their colleges which emphasized mathematics, science, and technology and which gave the pre-service teachers some in-field experience observing instruction in the local schools with lead teachers in these disciplines. Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Virginia Union University (VUU), and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community …

The Science Studio – A Workshop Approach To Introductory Physical Science, S. R. Chaudhury

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper describes the Science Studio, an innovative workshop approach for instruction in a physical science course that combines aspects of traditional lecture and laboratory. The target audience for this introductory course is non-science majors, including prospective teachers. An inquiry-based, technology-rich learning environment has been created to allow students hands-on, in-depth exploration of topics in physics, and earth and space science. Course philosophy, course development, and sample activities are described in this paper, along with outcomes from a project-wide evaluation of the Virginia Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (VCEPT), an investigation of change in student attitudes and …

A Future Teachers Conference – A Vehicle To Retain, Inform, And Inspire New And Prospective Teachers, J. Kasabian, L. Fathe, J. M. Dewar

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The Los Angeles Collaborative for Teacher Excellence (LACTE) Future Teachers Conference is a day-long learning event for beginning and pre-service K-12 math and science teachers. The Conference provides information, resources and connections tailored to the needs of prospective and new teachers. A unique aspect of the conference is that a group of new and future teachers serve as partners with college faculty on the planning committee. Thus the Conference not only serves to educate new and future teachers, but also provides leadership training for the planning team members; and, the presence of prospective and new teachers on the planning team …

Journal Of Mathematics And Science: Collaborative Explorations

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.