I’m a few months late with this, but my colleague Jason Ermer at Collaborative Mathematics has published Challenge 12 on his website: http://www.collaborativemathematics.org/
All posts for the month March, 2015
Collaborative Mathematics: Challenge 12
Posted by John Quintanilla on March 31, 2015
https://meangreenmath.com/2015/03/31/collaborative-mathematics-challenge-12/
A defense of the Common Core
I read the following defense of the pedagogical strategies behind the Common Core: http://www.vox.com/2014/4/20/5625086/the-common-core-makes-simple-math-more-complicated-heres-why
I really have no issue with the article itself. Sadly, the article does not address the two great deficiencies in the implementation of the Common Core: (1) homework problems and other assessments to gauge the depth of a student’s conceptual understanding of mathematics in ways that are age-appropriate, and (2) the direct tying of high-stakes tests based on the Common Core standards to the assessment of teachers.
I don’t feel like replicating my previous posts on this topic, so I’ll refer to my past posts here: https://meangreenmath.wordpress.com/2014/12/18/common-core-subtraction-and-the-open-number-line-index/
Posted by John Quintanilla on March 30, 2015
https://meangreenmath.com/2015/03/30/a-defense-of-the-common-core/
Scenes from the “Real World” where math is useful
This made me laugh: http://mathwithbaddrawings.com/2014/10/08/scenes-from-the-real-world-where-math-is-useful/
Posted by John Quintanilla on March 29, 2015
https://meangreenmath.com/2015/03/29/scenes-from-the-real-world-where-math-is-useful/
Gender Stereotypes in STEM
From the article Gender Stereotypes in STEM:
The study, which compared white and black women’s participation in and perception of STEM fields, found that black women were more likely than white women to show an interest in studying STEM disciplines when they enter college.
The research also shows that African Americans were less likely than white Americans to view STEM programs as masculine, which may help explain why the participation levels vary between the two ethnic groups.
The authors argue that race and ethnicity influence the gender stereotypes that women hold, which in turn influence their interest in the sciences, said Laurie O’Brien, an associate professor of psychology at Tulane University and one of the article’s lead authors.
Despite the findings of higher initial interest reflected in the journal article, other data show black women are underrepresented in the number of STEM bachelor’s degrees actually earned, according to the paper.
Posted by John Quintanilla on March 28, 2015
https://meangreenmath.com/2015/03/28/3973/
Helping Mathematics Students Survive the Post-Calculus Transition
Every so often, I’ll publicize through this blog an interesting article that I’ve found in the mathematics or mathematics education literature that can be freely distributed to the general public. Today, I’d like to highlight Michael J. Cullinane (2011) Helping Mathematics Students Survive the Post-Calculus Transition, PRIMUS: Problems, Resources, and Issues in Mathematics Undergraduate Studies, 21:8, 669-684, DOI:10.1080/10511971003692830
Here’s the abstract:
Many mathematics students have difficulty making the transition from procedurally oriented courses such as calculus to the more conceptually oriented courses in which they subsequently enroll. What are some of the key “stumbling blocks” for students as they attempt to make this transition? How do differences in faculty expectations for students and student expectations for themselves contribute to the “transition dilemma?” What might faculty incorporate into students’ learning experiences during the transition to help students better navigate the shift from procedural to conceptual, from concrete to abstract? This article offers some lessons learned in connection with these questions.
The full article can be found here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10511971003692830
Posted by John Quintanilla on March 27, 2015
https://meangreenmath.com/2015/03/27/helping-mathematics-students-survive-the-post-calculus-transition/
The Myth of “I’m Bad at Math”
Another nice article from the Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/10/the-myth-of-im-bad-at-math/280914/?single_page=true
Posted by John Quintanilla on March 26, 2015
https://meangreenmath.com/2015/03/26/the-myth-of-im-bad-at-math/
Algebra Doesn’t Have To Be Scary
A nice article from the Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/10/algebra-doesnt-have-to-be-scary/280931/
Posted by John Quintanilla on March 25, 2015
https://meangreenmath.com/2015/03/25/algebra-doesnt-have-to-be-scary/
Why Do Americans Stink At Math?
This is a long op-ed from the New York Times, but it’s pretty good: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/magazine/why-do-americans-stink-at-math.html?_r=1
Posted by John Quintanilla on March 24, 2015
https://meangreenmath.com/2015/03/24/why-do-americans-stink-at-math/
10 TED math talks to blow your mind
Highly recommended: http://www.ted.com/playlists/189/math_talks_to_blow_your_mind
Posted by John Quintanilla on March 23, 2015
https://meangreenmath.com/2015/03/23/10-ted-math-talks-to-blow-your-mind/
John Urschel, Ravens Offensive Lineman, Publishes Math Paper
I absolutely love this article from NPR: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/03/20/394340722/john-urschel-ravens-offensive-lineman-publishes-math-paper?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20150321
Some highlights:
John Urschel is an offensive lineman for the NFL Baltimore Ravens whose Twitter handle is @MathMeetsFball. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in math [from Penn State[, both with a 4.0 grade-point average. And this week he tweeted: “My paper, A Cascadic Multigrid Algorithm for Computing the Fiedler Vector…, has been published in the Journal of Computational Mathematics”
Here’s a link to his article: http://arxiv.org/abs/1412.0565.
Another great quote:
“I have a bright career ahead of me in mathematics. Beyond that, I have the means to make a good living and provide for my family, without playing football. I have no desire to try to accumulate $10 million in the bank; I already have more money in my bank account than I know what to do with. I drive a used hatchback Nissan Versa and live on less than $25k a year. It’s not because I’m frugal or trying to save for some big purchase, it’s because the things I love the most in this world (reading math, doing research, playing chess) are very, very inexpensive.”
Posted by John Quintanilla on March 22, 2015
https://meangreenmath.com/2015/03/22/john-urschel-ravens-offensive-lineman-publishes-math-paper/
