Title: Collaborating with mathematicians to use active learning in university mathematics courses: the importance of attending to mathematicians’ obligations
Abstract In this paper, we discuss our experience in collaborating with mathematicians to increase their use of active learning pedagogy in a proof-based linear algebra course. The mathematicians we worked with valued using active learning pedagogy to increase student engagement but were reluctant to use active learning pedagogy due to time constraints. Our mathematicians perceived obligations in their teaching that increased the time it would take to implement some of the active learning pedagogy that we suggested, leading them to view this pedagogy as inviable. By attending to mathematicians’ obligations, we were able to design active learning strategies that met the interests and needs of the mathematics educators and mathematicians collaborating on this project. more »« less
Brucati, B; Hearne, L; Weber, K; Johnson, E; Fukawa-Connelly, T
(, Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education)
Cook, S; Katz, B; Melhuish, K
(Ed.)
In this paper, we discuss our experience collaborating with mathematicians to increase their use of active learning pedagogy in a proof-based linear algebra course. We use this experience to attend to three primary research objectives. First, we identifi ed three primary categories of instructor considerations that would determine whether or not they would incorporate a proposed strategy. Second, we observed and made sense of which of these were most prominent for these mathematicians. Third, we determined what combination of considerations needed to be satisfi ed to warrant the implementation of a strategy by these mathematicians.
Brucati, B; Hearne, L; Weber, K; Johnson, E; Fukawa-Connelly, T
(, Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education)
Cook, S; Katz, B; Melhuish, K
(Ed.)
In this paper, we discuss our experience collaborating with mathematicians to increase their use of active learning pedagogy in a proof-based linear algebra course. We use this experience to attend to three primary research objectives. First, we identifi ed three primary categories of instructor considerations that would determine whether or not they would incorporate a proposed strategy. Second, we observed and made sense of which of these were most prominent for these mathematicians. Third, we determined what combination of considerations needed to be satisfi ed to warrant the implementation of a strategy by these mathematicians.
Melhuish, Kate; Guajardo, Lino; Contreras, Norman; Dawkins, Paul C; Diaz-Lopez, Alexander; Garcia, Rebecca; Lew, Kristen; Harris, Pamela; Roh, Kyeong_Hah; Walker, Shanise; et al
(, Special Interest Group of the Mathematics Association of America on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education)
Cook, S; Katz, B; Moore-Russo, D
(Ed.)
In mathematics, counter narratives can be used to fight the dominant narrative of who is good at mathematics and who can succeed in mathematics. Eight mathematicians were recruited to co-author a larger NSF project (RAMP). In part, they were asked to create author stories for an undergraduate audience. In this article, we use narrative analysis to present five polarities identified in the author stories. We present various quotations from the mathematicians’ author stories to highlight their experiences with home and school life, view of what mathematics is, experiences in growth in mathematics, with collaboration, and their feelings of community in mathematics. The telling of these experiences contributes towards rehumanizing mathematics and rewriting the narrative of who is good at and who can succeed in mathematics.
Contreras, Norman; Dawkins, Paul_Christian; Guajardo, Lino; Harris, Pamela_E; Lew, Kristen; Melhuish, Kathleen; Roh, Kyeong_Hah; Williams, II, Dwight_Anderson; Winger, Aris
(, Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education)
Abstract The Reading and Appreciating Mathematical Proofs (RAMP) project seeks to provide novel resources for teaching undergraduate introduction to proof courses centered around reading activities. These reading activities include (1) reading rich proofs to learn new mathematics through proofs as well as to learn how to read proofs for understanding and (2) reading mathematician stories to humanize proving and to legitimize challenge and struggle. One of the guiding analogies of the project is thinking about learning proof-based mathematics like learning a genre of literature. We want students to read interesting proofs so they can appreciate what is exciting about the genre and how they can engage with it. Proofs were selected by eight professors in mathematics who as curriculum co-authors collected intriguing mathematical results and added stories of their experience becoming mathematicians. As mathematicians of colour and/or women mathematicians, these co-authors speak to the challenges they faced in their mathematical history, how they overcame these challenges, and the key role mentors and community have played in that process. These novel opportunities to learn to read and read to learn in the proof-based context hold promise for supporting student learning in new ways. In this commentary, we share how we have sought to humanize proof-based mathematics both in the reading materials and in our classroom implementation thereof.
Gurski, Katharine; Peace, Angela; Prosper, Olivia; Stepien, Tracy; Teboh-Ewungkem, Miranda I
(, Notices of the American Mathematical Society)
Navigating a career as a mathematician in academia, industry, or a national lab was challenging for many families with children before the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, the pandemic hit and the situation was exacerbated. Parents and parents-to-be were tested and challenged in ways unanticipated, with time for parental duties clashing with time for research, teaching, and service, leaving those wishing to be parents contemplating the feasibility of this balancing act of parenthood and work-life in a COVID-19 era and beyond. Many members in our mathematics community experienced these challenges first hand and persevered. Lessons were learned and different methodologies employed as many reimagined what work-life and home-life balance looked like. These lessons and methodologies can be useful in our future endeavors as parent-educators and researchers, and if shared can benefit others who are in parenthood or on the path to parenthood, as they seek to create a better harmony between work and home life. Thus, this article explores and showcases some of the discussions that ensued during a 2022 Joint Mathematics Meeting (JMM) Professional Development Workshop Mathematicians Navigating Parenthood organized by the authors. The article collects key discussion points and lessons learned, putting together useful solutions and resources, as well as unresolved questions. We report on strategies to help parents and parents-to-be succeed as well as present proposals on what departments could implement based on their individual policies to provide a welcoming environment to colleagues with, or expecting, children.
Johnson, Estrella, Weber, Keith, Fukawa-Connelly, Timothy_Patrick, Mahmoudian, Hamidreza, and Carbone, Lisa. Collaborating with mathematicians to use active learning in university mathematics courses: the importance of attending to mathematicians’ obligations. Educational Studies in Mathematics 119.1 Web. doi:10.1007/s10649-024-10381-x.
Johnson, Estrella, Weber, Keith, Fukawa-Connelly, Timothy_Patrick, Mahmoudian, Hamidreza, & Carbone, Lisa. Collaborating with mathematicians to use active learning in university mathematics courses: the importance of attending to mathematicians’ obligations. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 119 (1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-024-10381-x
Johnson, Estrella, Weber, Keith, Fukawa-Connelly, Timothy_Patrick, Mahmoudian, Hamidreza, and Carbone, Lisa.
"Collaborating with mathematicians to use active learning in university mathematics courses: the importance of attending to mathematicians’ obligations". Educational Studies in Mathematics 119 (1). Country unknown/Code not available: Springer Science + Business Media. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-024-10381-x.https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10566738.
@article{osti_10566738,
place = {Country unknown/Code not available},
title = {Collaborating with mathematicians to use active learning in university mathematics courses: the importance of attending to mathematicians’ obligations},
url = {https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10566738},
DOI = {10.1007/s10649-024-10381-x},
abstractNote = {Abstract In this paper, we discuss our experience in collaborating with mathematicians to increase their use of active learning pedagogy in a proof-based linear algebra course. The mathematicians we worked with valued using active learning pedagogy to increase student engagement but were reluctant to use active learning pedagogy due to time constraints. Our mathematicians perceived obligations in their teaching that increased the time it would take to implement some of the active learning pedagogy that we suggested, leading them to view this pedagogy as inviable. By attending to mathematicians’ obligations, we were able to design active learning strategies that met the interests and needs of the mathematics educators and mathematicians collaborating on this project.},
journal = {Educational Studies in Mathematics},
volume = {119},
number = {1},
publisher = {Springer Science + Business Media},
author = {Johnson, Estrella and Weber, Keith and Fukawa-Connelly, Timothy_Patrick and Mahmoudian, Hamidreza and Carbone, Lisa},
}
Warning: Leaving National Science Foundation Website
You are now leaving the National Science Foundation website to go to a non-government website.
Website:
NSF takes no responsibility for and exercises no control over the views expressed or the accuracy of
the information contained on this site. Also be aware that NSF's privacy policy does not apply to this site.