Abstracts for talks
AMS-MAA-MER Special Sessions on Mathematics and Education Reform
Joint Annual Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona, January, 2004
Title: An overview of strategies for utilizing CUPM Guide 2004, and a closer look at two
Presenter:
Harriet Pollatsek, Mt. Holyoke College
Abstract:
This presentation will give an overview of strategies for utilizing "Undergraduate Programs and Courses in the Mathematical Sciences: CUPM Curriculum Guide 2004." It will be informed by discussions with and reactions from hundreds of mathematicians over the past three years of work on the CUPM Guide 2004, as well as by the speaker's experience as an outside evaluator of mathematical sciences departments. The opportunities and challenges provided by two of these strategies will be explored. (1) The CUPM Guide 2004 contains six fundamental recommendations for all departments, programs and courses. Recommendation 1 directs departments to examine the characteristics of the students enrolled in their courses, determine the extent to which the goals of their courses and programs are aligned with these findings, and assess the extent to which these goals are achieved. How can departments do this? How can it help them? (2) The CUPM Guide 2004 and its companion volume "The Curriculum Foundations Project: Voices of the Partner Disciplines" (edited by Susan Ganter and William Barker) provide departments and individual faculty opportunities to begin productive discussions with colleagues in and out of mathematics. What are the likely benefits and risks of these conversations?
Title: Using the Illustrative Resources, I.
Presenter:
David M Bressoud, Macalester College
Abstract:
An integral part of the CUPM Curriculum Guide 2004 is the website of Illustrative Resources, brief descriptions of resources as well as initiatives that have sought to make the kinds of changes recommended in the Curriculum Guide. This will be an introduction to the Illustrative Resources, describing their current state, what needs to be done, and how the CUPM proposes to ensure that this resource continues to grow and be useful.
Title: Using the Illustrative Resources, II.
Presenter:
William E. Haver, Virginia Commonwealth University
Abstract:
This talk explores how the Illustrative Resources can be used to support implementation of the curriculum changes called for in the CUPM Curriculum Guide 2004, with an emphasis on those recommendations that concern specific groups of students.
Title: Making mathematics intellectually enlivening.
Presenter:
Michael Starbird, University of Texas, Austin
Abstract:
Mathematics courses have the potential to be among the most important courses students take in college to help them develop their ability to think. This potential is perhaps especially significant for students who are not pursuing technical majors. Mathematical methods of analysis have produced some of the greatest triumphs of human thought and creativity, and all students can benefit from including some of those methods of investigation in their own habits of thinking. We can make the mathematical component of students' education enlivening, engaging, fascinating, and intellectually stimulating because many mathematical ideas are enlivening, engaging, fascinating, and intellectually stimulating. Some students would not use those words to describe their mathematical experience in college. And some faculty members would not use them either. The question is how to alter our institutional habits to make our students' mathematical experience in college truly significant to their intellectual development. This talk will describe some of the challenges and possibilities in making mathematics come alive for all our students.
Panel: Discussion on improving undergraduate mathematics programs: Utilizing the CUPM Curriculum Guide 2004
Moderator: William Barker, Bowdoin College
Panelists: David Bressoud, William Haver, Harriet Pollatsek, and Michael Starbird
Abstract:
The CUPM Guide 2004 is intended to help Mathematics Departments improve their undergraduate programs. This panel will discuss specific ways in which the Guide can be used to achieve this goal. Comments from the audience will be strongly encouraged. Panelists will include the speakers from earlier talks in this Special Session: Harriet Pollatsek (Mt. Holyoke College), David Bressoud (Macalester College), William Haver (Virginia Commonwealth University), and Michael Starbird (University of Texas at Austin). The panel will be moderated by William Barker (Bowdoin College).
Title: Progress Reports on Implementing the Recommendations in the MET Report - A Faculty View
Presenter:
Dale Oliver, Humboldt State University and Virginia Warfield, University of Washington
Abstract:
The CBMS report, The Mathematical Education of Teachers (MET Report), 2001, has provided the mathematical community with a framework for improving the mathematical preparation of teachers. In this introductory session of a special session dedicated to implementation of the MET report, the presenters will outline the challenges facing mathematics faculty in preparing teachers and discuss several efforts that are underway to help these faculty to meet the challenges. These discussions will serve to introduce the other talks in the special session, which in turn will address three aspects of ongoing efforts to improve teacher preparation: mathematics courses that help prospective teachers deepen their understanding of school mathematics, professional development efforts that help mathematics faculty become more effective, and partnerships (e.g., with schools of education or school districts) that strengthen preparation programs. The presenters will finish by offering people an opportunity to bring up specific points they would like to see addressed in the panel discussion that will conclude the special session.
Title: Preparing Mathematicians to Educate Teachers
Presenter:
Bernard L. Madison, University of Arkansas
Abstract:
Preparing Mathematicians to Educate Teachers (PMET) is a four-year NSF-funded project of the MAA that is just finishing its first year. This presentation by one of the PMET co-directors will describe the components of PMET and the opportunities for participation. The components include workshops for college faculty (eight scheduled for 2004), a mini-grant program, regional networks, and information and resources dissemination. There are two areas where PMET is soliciting help and these will be discussed. One is an effort to gather and organize material providing examples of specific mathematics concepts that arise naturally in K-12 teaching but are not well treated in the undergraduate programs for teachers and are difficult for pre-service or in-service teachers. The second area is suggestions for links or postings on the PMET website (http://www.maa.org/PMET) including textbooks, reviews of textbooks, supplementary curricular materials, innovative teacher education projects or programs, and professional meetings.
Title: What mathematicians should know about teaching math for elementary teachers
Presenter:
Sybilla Beckman Kazez, University of Georgia
Abstract:
Examples of mathematics that prospective teachers often find confusing or have misconceptions about but that mathematicians might either overlook or view as too trivial to discuss will be given. The presentation will feature types of problems that are relevant to teaching mathematics but that may be unfamiliar to mathematicians. Student work, exhibiting a range of what can be expected, will be shown.
Title: Elementary Mathematics for Teachers. A mathematician's course for prospective elementary teachers.
Presenters: Scott J Baldridge, Indiana University, and Thomas H Parker, Michigan State University
Abstract:
This talk describes a mathematics course, designed by mathematicians, for prospective elementary teachers. I will describe three unique features of the course: the extensive use of the Primary Mathematics books from Singapore, the idea of a "teaching sequence", and the use of "teacher's solutions" in class and in homework. The course is based on the new textbook Elementary Mathematics for Teachers by the T. Parker and S. Baldridge. The goal of the textbook and the course is to present the mathematics clearly and correctly while keeping the focus on material that elementary school teachers will be addressing in their classrooms.
Title: The Mathematical Education of Elementary School Teachers: A Mathematics - Mathematics Education Partnership at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
Presenter: Ruth Heaton and James Lewis, University of Nebraska
Abstract:
The Mathematical Education of Teachers recommends that the mathematical education of teachers be viewed as a partnership between mathematics faculty and mathematics education faculty and further recommends that there needs to be more collaboration between mathematics faculty and school mathematics teachers. We will report on Math Matters, a NSF funded partnership at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that involves faculty in mathematics, faculty in mathematics education, and Lincoln Public School teachers.
Math Matters is designed to strengthen the preparation of future elementary school teachers. The centerpiece of the project is a block of courses that integrates mathematics instruction with pedagogical instruction and field experiences. Students take integrated mathematics and methods courses and participate in a field experience course under the supervision of master teachers at Roper Elementary School. We will discuss our experiences in building a partnership between education faculty, mathematics faculty and mathematics teachers as well as our efforts to deepen our students' understanding of mathematics while connecting the mathematics they study to the tasks faced by an elementary school teacher.
Title: A capstone course for prospective high school math teachers.
Presenter: Richard O. Hill and Sharon L. Senk, Michigan State University
Abstract:
Following the recommendations of the CBMS in "The Mathematical Education of Teachers," we decided to jointly teach a capstone course for future secondary teachers. We restricted it to students who had completed their core junior-level math courses and had also been accepted into the teacher preparation program at MSU. We ended up with 23 students. For a textbook, we used "Mathematics for High School Teachers, An Advanced Perspective" by Usiskin et al. but supplemented it somewhat. We will present what our initial plans were, what we ended up doing, what the surprises were, and how we would modify the course the next time. We will also discuss things we learned from having a mathematics educator and a mathematician team teach the course.
Title: Fractals in the Classroom: Yale Teacher Workshops (and Course MA 190).
Presenter:
Benoit B Mandelbrot, Yale University
Abstract:
For the 5th time last summer, Yale offered an elementary and an advanced summer workshop on Fractal Geometry for high school and college mathematics teachers. It is now supported by the N.S.F. As outreach, two satellite workshops will be added in 2004. The principals who conceived the project (independently) are Adjunct Professor Michael L. Frame and the speaker. Teaching is mostly done by Frame. The motivation and testimonials from attendees' experiences in their own classrooms are found in our book "Fractals, Graphics, and Mathematics Education" (MAA 2002) and also an "inspirational" DVD that just came out. The speaker will describe these offerings, try to account for their great success, and recommend wider adoption. He will also mention a Yale course on fractals: MA 190 is now in its twelfth year; its combined (fall and spring) enrollment is about 100. Both projects use (differently) the same course notes by Frame on the Yale website.
Title: Confronting Diverse Student Interests: Departmental Efforts in Reforming Undergraduate Mathematics
Presenters:
Naomi Fisher, UIC, Jerry Bona, UIC, Kenneth Millett, UC Santa Barbara, Samuel Rankin, AMS, and Bonnie Saunders, UIC
Abstract:
Excellence in Undergraduate Mathematics: Confronting Diverse Student Interests is a 3-year, NSF funded project to create a network of mathematics and mathematical sciences departments that are working to excel in instruction for all their students. The center of the project is a series of 6 national workshops to assist departments to assess their undergraduate programs, learn about exemplary approaches, and share good ideas. The workshops include a working session for participating department teams to draft plans for reforming or expanding their undergraduate programs to discuss with their department colleagues.
105 departments have participated in one or more of the five workshops to date. These departments represent the spectrum of institutions teaching undergraduate programs: 31 departments are in comprehensive universities, 39 departments are in research universities, 21 departments are in 4-year colleges, and 14 are in 2-year colleges.
This talk will review selected topics discussed at the workshops and summarize key points for moving ahead successfully to reform undergraduate programs. The talk is an introduction for the succeeding talks in which several departments describe the reforms they have been instituting in undergraduate mathematics instruction.
Title: The Computational Mathematical Sciences Program at Arizona State University.
Presenter:
Eric J. Kostelich, Arizona State University
Abstract:
Typical undergraduate mathematics curricula look much the same as they did in the 1950s. Students rightly wonder, "What can I do with a math degree?'"---particularly since many of them never see any of the significant applications of mathematics to science and technology in the past half-century. I will describe a curriculum and some innovative undergraduate courses that have been developed as part of a new interdisciplinary baccalaureate program in the mathematical sciences at Arizona State University. The program seeks to attract mathematically talented students with broad scientific interests and prepare them for a variety of professional objectives.
Title: More effective mathematical education for teachers.
Presenter:
Amy Cohen, Rutgers University
Abstract:
The faculty in Mathematics and Mathematics Education at Rutgers are adapting and implementing recommendations from the CBMS report "The Mathematical Education of Teachers." Courses are being revised or initiated to help prospective teachers acquire and communicate a deep understanding of appropriate mathematics. Our "Connection Seminar" makes explicit how the content of our upper-level math courses underlies and clarifies high school content. This seminar has abstract algebra and elementary real analysis as prerequisites. Participation by graduate students in mathematics education alongside undergraduate math majors enriches the discussion. This seminar complements the education course "Modern High School Math" which will become a capstone experience for future teachers. We are now offering a newly designed math course which focuses on the mathematical needs of K-8 teachers. A decent respect for the students and the topics (e.g. the arithmetic and algebra of basic number systems, properties and measurement of geometric objects) requires that this course be expanded to two semesters. We are discussing a possible "minor in the mathematics of the middle grades" to enrich the content knowledge of teachers in the grades 5-8.
Title: Evolution of the Undergraduate Curriculum at the University of South Carolina.
Presenter:
Douglas B Meade, University of South Carolina
Abstract:
The undergraduate curriculum at the University of South Carolina was fairly static during the 1990s. This millennium, however, our programs have been evolving through growth and revitalization. We are experiencing growth through an increase in the number of students in our programs, the introduction of new courses, and the creation of a new Emphasis in Actuarial Mathematics and Statistics within our B.S. degree. The revitalization efforts include the restructuring and refocusing of the calculus sequence, the enhancement of our courses for Secondary and Middle School Education students, the upgrading of our Discrete Structures course for Computer Science students, the creation of new courses in modern topics such as wavelets, cryptography, and mathematical biology, and the creation of a formal research experiences for undergraduate students. In this case study I will describe some of the successes, failures, false starts, and ongoing efforts in these, and other, curricular projects in the Department of Mathematics at the University of South Carolina.
Title: Reforming the mathematics core for engineers and everyone else.
Presenter:
Jeffrey K Lawson, Trinity University
Abstract:
The Department of Mathematics at Trinity University recently modified its core mathematics instruction for the first two years to improve its relevance to other STEM disciplines without sacrificing the content necessary to prepare mathematics majors. We desired to respond to the needs of our Engineering Science majors, but, given the size and mission of our institution, we could not merely create a separate track of instruction just for them. Furthermore, we did not want a new core curriculum to leave our own majors unprepared for upper-division instruction. Working closely with the Department of Engineering Science, we created a core curriculum featuring early transcendentals and differential equations in single-variable calculus, more multivariate integration in vector calculus, as-needed linear algebra in ODEs, and a rigorous yet applicable course in PDEs. The new curriculum provides just-in-time instruction in the primary mathematical tools for STEM disciplines, but the changes will also benefit mathematics majors in our new core-plus-electives B.A. program. Keys to success included listening to our constituents, assessing our departmental needs, building consensus, developing an assessment plan, and including innovations in pedagogy.
Title: Making Mathematics Relevant: College Algebra Reform at Trinity College.
Presenters: Laurie Johnson and Sita Ramamurti, Trinity College
Abstract:
Trinity College is a private, four-year liberal arts college for women located in Washington, DC. The mathematics department serves all the students in the Trinity community and for the past decade every Trinity student was required to pass a minimum of one mathematics course in addition to College Algebra. In December 2001 some members of the Trinity mathematics department were invited to participate in an AMS-MER workshop entitled "Excellence in Undergraduate Mathematics". After that meeting we revisited the idea that traditional College Algebra was the best course for all students, particularly those not majoring in math and science. As a result of our study we decided to develop a new course, Elementary Mathematical Modeling. We designed the course to contain many of the ideas taught in a traditional College Algebra course but to de-emphasizes repetitive algebraic manipulations. The course focuses on combining technology and real-world data in a way that is intended to make the material relevant to the students. This is our third semester teaching this course and we are presently in the process of assessing its impact. We anticipate having some results to share by the time of the Joint Meetings.
Title: Implementing Mathematics Reform in College Developmental Mathematics.
Presenters: Andy Carter and Steve Cohen, Roosevelt University
Abstract:
Roosevelt University is comprehensive Masters I institution with dual campuses, one in downtown Chicago and the other in suburban Schaumburg with a diverse student body of about 7500 students. In this case study we consider Roosevelt's developmental math program as it evolves from a traditional lecture, example, and practice instruction to an inquiry-based model. Beginning Algebra: An Inquiry Approach (BAIA) is a reform mathematics curriculum developed with NSF funding at the University of Purdue, Calumet to be in close alignment with NCTM standards. BAIA is now being used in a few sections of Introductory Algebra, the first course in Roosevelt's developmental sequence. The effectiveness of the two curricula used in Introductory Algebra is being compared through an attitudinal survey and a common exam given to all students taking this class at the beginning and end of each of the fall and spring semesters. The presenters will also discuss other aspects of the implementation such as the opportunities for our preservice mathematics education students to work with a Standards-based curriculum.
Title: Joaquin Bustoz and the SUMS Program at Arizona State University
Presenter:
Andrew Bremner, Arizona State University
Abstract:
Joaquin Bustoz died tragically in August 2003 following injuries sustained in a car accident. He was a national leader in efforts to encourage under-represented students to study advanced mathematics and science, and in 1985 founded at Arizona State University the SUMS Institute (Strengthening. Understanding of Mathematics and Science), which enables talented students from inner city, rural, and reservation high schools, to enroll in rigorous ASU-credit courses in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology. He received two presidential awards, the first from President Clinton in 1996 for Excellence in Mentoring, and the second from President Bush in 2003 with presidential recognition of the SUMS Institute. From 1999 he directed ASU's NSF-funded MARC (Minority Access to Research Careers) Program. This talk will be an introduction to the man, and to the work he so modestly but effectively carried out at ASU.
Title:
Dr. Bustoz and the SUMS Institute at Arizona State University
Presenter:
Katherine Sisulak, Arizona State University
Abstract:
Abstract not available at this time.
Title: The Far-Reaching Impact of Professor Joaquin Bustoz and the Math-Science Honors Program: A Personal Testimony and Tribute
Presenter:
Trachette L. Jackson, University of Michigan
Abstract:
As the founder and director of the SUMS Institute, Professor Bustoz has guided and influenced the scientific careers of hundreds of underrepresented minorities. For me personally, he conveyed a message unlike any other, that an African-American woman could make significant contributions to the field of mathematics not only as an educator, but also as a researcher. In this talk, I will share my first-hand accounts of Professor Bustoz's deep, personal commitment to improving the scientific training and research awareness of minority students.
Title: Personal account and impact of educational programs initiated by Dr. Joaquin Bustoz
Presenter:
Brian Alvarado
Abstract:
Abstract not available at this time.
Title: Perspectives on the career of Joaquin Bustoz and the SUMS Program
Presenter:
John N. Mc Donald, Arizona State University
Abstract:
We offer comments on the work of Joaquin Bustoz with discussion of his mathematical and educational efforts, including his creation of the SUMS (Strengthening Understanding of Mathematics and Science) program. Highlights of SUMS, reasons for its success and a few "lessons" that the general mathematics community can draw from Joaquin's life's work conclude the talk.