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 Mathematics Instruction Colloquium
Objective
The UA Mathematics Instruction Colloquium is a forum for presentations and discussions of topics related to the teaching of mathematics at all levels, from elementary/secondary to the UA's entry-level sequence and beyond. The colloquium is an open forum; the public is invited to attend. Participants and attendees have included faculty and students from the UA's mathematics, applied mathematics, and mathematics education programs, as well as teachers and administrators from the Tucson Unified School District.
In the 2008-2009 academic year, the colloquium is being organized by Ji Li and Nathan Carlson.
Location and Time
The colloquium is typically held on Tuesdays from 4:15 - 5:15 p.m.. If not otherwise specified, the location is in Mathematics 501.
You may click the title of any talk below to view its full abstract.
To all speakers
Please send your title and abstract to Ji Li. Please do not post your abstract at the department weekly news page. Thank you for your corporation.
Schedule of Colloquia - Spring 2009
- Tuesday, January 20, 2009
- Organizational Meeting: All are invited
- Tuesday, January 27, 2009 --- Math East 141
- Dr. Christopher Bergevin, Department of Mathematics, The University of Arizona
How should we teach mathematics to biology students? Conversely, how should we teach biology to mathematics students? This talk will discuss approaches, strategies and pitfalls I have experienced in developing and implementing new course material in calculus and statistics (Math 250A&B, 363) over the past year and a half. This development, done in conjunction with the UofA Biomath committee, has the underlying goal of providing students in life sciences a greater mathematical foundation for their future scientific endeavors. Several topics will provide focus: differences in the perception amongst educators as to precisely what mathematics means, the role of student expectations coming into mathematics courses, and how mathematics can be used in developing critical thinking skills for students in the life sciences.
- Tuesday, February 3, 2009 --- Gould Simpson 849
- Dr. Andrea Young, Department of Mathematics, The University of Arizona
Improv Techniques for the Mathematics Classroom
Although the goals of improvisational comedy and mathematics education may seem diametrically opposed-one is to entertain and the other is to instruct-in fact, the ideas of the former can help to achieve the latter. In this interactive presentation, I will demonstrate how some of the most fundamental tenets of improv can be applied to creating an open and engaging mathematics classroom. Participation will be encouraged.
- Tuesday, February 10, 2009
- Dr. William McCallum, Department of Mathematics, The University of Arizona
Conceptual issues encountered in the teaching of calculus
The Institute for Mathematics and Education (IME) will hold a workshop next March, entitled "Mapping the Calculus Curriculum", whose main purpose will be to articulate a set of problems encountered in the learning and teaching of calculus, focusing on their conceptual basis. The goal of this Instruction Colloquium will be to collect input from the audience on conceptual difficulties faced by students in calculus classes, and on the various methods teachers have developed to address these difficulties.
Everyone teaching calculus, whether in college or high school, is invited to attend.
- Tuesday, February 17, 2009 --- Gould Simpson 849
- Dr. Philip Grizzard and Matthew Thomas, Department of Mathematics, The University of Arizona
A Taste of the Tucson Math Circle
How can you convince precollege students to come talk about math after school once a week? Make it fun and informal, and of course bring pizza. The Tucson Math Circle began last year as an outreach program of the Institute for Mathematics and Education. Interested high school and middle school students are invited to come to campus on Wednesday afternoons to work in groups on challenging math problems. In this talk, we will discuss specifics about the Circle and give you a chance to toss around some interesting problems like solving a card trick. It will be the full Math Circle experience, complete with pizza.
- Tuesday, February 24, 2009
- Dr. Daniel Madden, Department of Mathematics, The University of Arizona
A History of the Function and How the Debate over Its Definition Led to New Mathematics
Mathematical functions play a central role in modern mathematics; however, this is a rather recent development. It took mathematicians quite a while and a lot of debate to recognize value of the value of the modern function. In this talk I will try to show why this, now basic, concept took so long to emerge. I'll talk about a famous correspondence between Euler and d'Almebert which was -at its core - a debate over functions. I'll explain how thinking about the best definition of a function led both Cauchy and Riemann to important new mathematical ideas. And I will show the central role that the calculus of complex numbers played in the development modern view of a function.
- Tuesday, March 3, 2009 --- Gould Simpson 849
- Dr. Joceline Lega, Department of Mathematics, The University of Arizona
Mathematical modeling as a fourth year mathematics course
This talk will focus on the possibility of using mathematical modeling as a topic for a fourth year mathematics course in high school. Here, mathematical modeling should not be understood as curve fitting, but rather as an iterative process which starts with the observation of a phenomenon and an intuitive understanding of the (physical or biological) mechanisms at play, continues with the establishment of simplifying assumptions and the development of a set of equations (the model) describing the phenomenon of interest, and concludes with the testing and refining of the model. At the end of this process, the model can be used for predictive purposes.
A course on mathematical modeling typically relies on broad mathematical knowledge and is therefore an ideal capstone course. Because the material uses mathematical ideas to understand realistic situations, such a course often helps students attach meaning and significance to mathematical concepts, and is therefore perceived as more motivating and/or interesting than more standard mathematics courses.
I will present examples of modeling topics which I believe would be adequate at the high school level and discuss possible formats for the course. Time will be set aside for discussion with and input from the audience, in particular regarding the nature of the course, the use of technology, and the types of problems that would be of interest to high school students.
- Tuesday, March 10, 2009 --- Gould Simpson 849
- Dr. David Pimm, Department of Secondary Education, University of Alberta
Listening to mathematics classrooms with a linguistic eye
I have been attending in mathematics classrooms, especially to the teacher, for at least the past twenty-five years. I remain very interested in what it means to teach mathematics and in how the fact that it is mathematics being taught shapes that teaching. Using linguistic notions and means as one way of attending closely to what is said has proven productive for me. For about the same length of time (perhaps a little longer), mathematics fragments of lesson transcripts have increasingly been showing up in mathematics education writing. By means of some transcripted classroom data, looked at through a linguistic eye, I hope to illustrate some features of mathematics teaching as well as examine the nature of what can occur when speech is deliberately and purposefully turned into text.
- Tuesday, March 24, 2009 --- Gould Simpson 849
- Tina Schuster, Department of Mathematics, The University of Arizona
New UA Online Placement Test, ALEKS
Fall 2009 incoming students will take a new online assessment test, ALEKS, to attempt to place into UA Math classes. We are no longer using the paper Math Readiness Test. Learn more about the free practice test, learning mode, and the steps students need to follow prior to attending UA New Student Orientation.
- Tuesday, March 31, 2009 --- Gould Simpson 849
- Dr. Carole Beal, Cognitive Science College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, The University of Arizona.
AnimalWatch: Online Tutoring for Pre-algebra
AnimalWatch is a web-based tutoring system for pre-algebra, focusing on word problem solving. I will present an overview of the system and the results of evaluations conducted in Los Angeles schools. I will conclude by describing proposed adaptions for middle school students who are English Language Learners.
- Tuesday, April 7, 2009 --- Gould Simpson 849
- Joanna Lasek, Roosevelt University.
Development and Instruction in MyMathLab, success of online college courses
- Tuesday, May 5, 2009 --- Gould Simpson 849
- Alyssa Keri and Robert Schmidt, Department of Mathematics, The University or Arizona
The Transition from High School to University Mathematics:
How terminal high school courses align with introductory level university courses
Have you ever wondered exactly where the high school math curriculum ends and the University curriculum begins? This year, Alyssa Keri and Mike Schmidt, two local high school teachers have been teaching and taking math classes her at the University of Arizona. As the culmination of their 599 Independent Study course, they will present their observations on the differences and similarities of collegiate and high school pedagogy and curriculum. Special emphasis will be placed on how elements of the courses observed this semester (MATH 129 and 215) can be used to improve the scope and sequence of the high school curricula.
Affiliations
Last updated: April 23, 2009
comments or suggestions to: Ji Li
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