Discussions About Proofs Drive Student Learning

By Audrey Malagon Instructors know that students need deep understanding in proof-based courses. The literature shows that active learning has serious potential to help students make these learning gains. Kate Melhuish, Paul Dawkins, Kristen Lew, and Robert Sigley see discussion as a key mechanism for inviting students into the generation and understanding of mathematical ideas....

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Keeping it in the Zone

By Lew Ludwig In this series, I share my mistakes in teaching and provide alternative approaches. This serves two purposes, 1) to help prevent me from committing these mistakes again and more importantly, 2) to help you avoid similar mistakes by providing evidence-based practices that are effective in the classroom. Luckily, I am returning from...

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Defining Mathematics

By Ellen Veomett What is mathematics? If you’re like me, you may be used to expanding others’ understanding of what is included under the umbrella of mathematics. “It’s not just numbers!” we assure our children, “it’s not just Calculus!” we assure our students, “yes, there are still areas of mathematics left to research!” we assure...

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Testimonios: Dr. Tatiana Toro

Testimonios, a new publication from MAA/AMS, brings together first-person narratives from the vibrant, diverse, and complex Latinx and Hispanic mathematical community. Starting with childhood and family, the authors recount their own particular stories, highlighting their upbringing, education, and career paths. Testimonios seeks to inspire the next generation of Latinx and Hispanic mathematicians by featuring the...

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Mathematical Wonder: An interview with magicians Matt Baker and Joshua Jay

By Tim Chartier For many people, what math and magic have in common is that they can both be utterly befuddling. But for Joshua Jay and Matt Baker, there’s much more to the connection than that. Matt Baker Joshua Jay is a former World-Champion in close-up magic and Guinness record-holder for card tricks. He makes...

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I Went to Therapy so You Don’t Have To

By Erica Ward Erica Ward Just kidding, in all seriousness everyone needs therapy. I realize, however, not everyone has the resources (financially and/or emotionally) to start going. So, on the off chance one of those people stumble across this blog post, or if you’re just someone who is interested—here are some of the best lessons...

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ChatGPT: for Mathematicians, a Tool in Search of Good Applications

By Keith Devlin @KeithDevlin@fediscience.org My last two posts touched on the recent explosion of interest in uses of AI in mathematics and in mathematics education. That sudden increase in public attention on AI is a result of the release of the free online tool ChatGPT. For those of us who have followed the development of...

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Popular Perceptions of Mathematics Instruction

By: David Bressoud @dbressoud David Bressoud is DeWitt Wallace Professor Emeritus at Macalester College and former Director of the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences. davidbressoud.org One of the lessons learned when trying to revise the high school curriculum to offer students more options was that if this is sold as providing opportunities for under-privileged...

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Vector Poetry

By Radoslav Rochallyi Radoslav Rochallyi Can vectors be used to describe the shape and movement of words in poetry? Through the creation and analysis of this type of expression, it is possible to understand the world around us better and create new, stimulating works of art, thus opening a new era of creative expression. Poets...

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Born a Teacher

By Lew Ludwig My father died when I was five, and mom decided to make a go of the small hobby farm we had started and to raise my brother and me on her own. Growing up in a single-parent household, my mother played a large part in my upbringing. She taught grades 4-6 for...

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