Math Values – Mathematical Association of America

The Math Values blog from the Mathematical Association of America explores the diverse voices of mathematics to bring you thought-provoking articles, informative content, and practical ideas. It reflects the MAA’s values of inclusivity, community, teaching and learning, and communication.

For an older version of the Math Values blog, visit the old site here.

Designing with Nature’s Math

By Nick Nakadate I am often asked what inspires my design aesthetic and how images manifest. I’m a big fan of the patterns that occur in nature, and I use math heavily in the technical design that I first learned and used when I worked as an architect. I admittedly take pointers from the Catalan...

Calculus for Teachers: The Mean Value Theorem

By David Bressoud @dbressoud As of 2024, new Launchings columns appear on the third Tuesday of the month. The inclusion of the Mean Value Theorem in a standard first-year calculus course, especially Advanced Placement Calculus AB, is a curious choice. Students are expected to know the necessary assumptions—the function is continuous on [a,b] and differentiable...

Opening the Gate Without Losing the Flock

By Lew Ludwig As we navigate through our third year of integrating generative AI into higher education, it’s becoming increasingly clear that this technology will not quietly fade away like MOOCs (remember those?). Not only are students already using a variety of AI technologies, but employers also expect graduates to possess AI skills. Consequently, students...

Math Values for the New Year

By Kira Hamman Well, it’s that time again, when the imaginary structure we’ve imposed on the Earth’s rotation around the sun calls on us to observe certain rituals: fireworks, champagne, songs nobody understands. A giant ball dropping in New York City, and various other things dropping in other parts of the country. Maybe a new...

Meet the President-Elect of the MAA!

By Tim Chartier & Jenna Carpenter Earlier this year, frequent Math Values contributor Tim Chartier sat down with MAA President-Elect Jenna Carpenter to discuss her work increasing the participation of women and other underrepresented groups in STEM and her tips for creating more inclusive and welcoming institutions, departments, and classrooms. TC: You are noted nationally...

Teaching Math as an Act of Resistance

By Dave Kung During the September Presidential debate, Kamala Harris pulled a surprising judo move. She invited the audience to attend one of her opponent’s rallies. In addition to the people leaving early, clearly a sore spot for her opponent, what I saw at those rallies was a large group of people unquestioningly believing what...

Structuring Professional Learning Communities for College-Level Instructional Change

By Erin Moss STEM majors who are placed into college algebra frequently experience the course as an obstacle to success and timely degree completion. Since research has demonstrated that inquiry-oriented instruction leads to increased learning and persistence in STEM degrees, developing faculty who are able to implement that pedagogy in college algebra is a worthy...

Calculus for Teachers: On Continuity

By David Bressoud @dbressoud As of 2024, new Launchings columns appear on the third Tuesday of the month. This month’s column was inspired by an article by Xiaoheng Yan, Ofer Marmur, and Rina Zazkis, “Calculus for Teachers: Perspective and Considerations for Mathematicians.” The authors had interviewed mostly Canadian mathematicians. Unlike Advanced Placement Calculus in the...

A Baker, a Decorator, and a Wedding Planner Walk into a Classroom

By Lew Ludwig Baking, Decorating, or Planning: What Role Are Your Students Playing? Are your students learning to bake the cake? Are they learning to decorate the cake? Or are they acting as wedding planners so they can outsource the cake so they can focus on the other stuff? This analogy, shared by Maha Bali...

Three Ways to Support Students

By Axel Brandt Among college and university personnel, faculty (arguably) have the greatest opportunity for interactions with students. We are often called upon to support students in many aspects of their lives, including academic, emotional, and career preparation. Let’s talk about some relatively simple ways that we can answer that call. Academic Support via Office...

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