Math 147: Graduate Teaching Seminar

Summer 2017
Kemeny 004 (please keep it locked). 1-4pm on class days; 12-5pm during math camps days. Instructors: Marcia Groszek and Alex Barnett

Goals

Here are the course goals as a PDF file.

Readings

The readings (see pre-course work) will be:

James Zull, "The Art of Changing the Brain" (2002).
Richard R. Skemp, "The Psychology of Learning Mathematics," expanded American edition (1987)
Eleanor Duckworth, "The Having of Wonderful Ideas and Other Essays on Teaching and Learning," 2nd edition (1996)

For Duckworth you'll want to read a bit on Piaget before you start, eg here. Watching the videos of kids is fun too (lots more on youtube).

Suggested books to buy

Steven Krantz, "How to Teach Mathematics," 2nd edition (AMS, 1999).
John Meier and Thomas Rishel, "Writing in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics" (MAA, 1998).
E. Rogers, N. Davidson, and B. Reynolds, "Cooperative Learning in Undergraduate Mathematics: Issues and Strategies That Work" (MAA, 2001). Out of print, available at Wheelock Books

Timeline and Assignments

Summary:
Class June 22,23. (then, 1.5 week gap!)
Class July 6,7.
Class July 10,11,13,14.
Math camp July 17,18,19,20,21. (block out noon-5pm for math camp days).
Class July 24,25,27,28.
Math camp July 31, August 1,2,3,4.
Class August 7,8,10,11.
Dartmouth guest teaching August 14-23 (and/or the previous week, or fall term for those not teaching in the fall).

Please block out 1-4pm each day in the regular course.

day #	date	tasks / group work / readings due	activities
1	Th June 22	pre-course work	Introductions, syllabus, goals of M147, good/bad learning experiences, categories of features of good ones (see photos); setting learning goals (importance, content vs higher-level, goals exercise for two courses), brainstorm assessment of a tricky goal.
2	Fr 23	prepare 5-min talks, MC1 goals	5-minute presentations (feedback forms, videocamera); brainstorm benefits of lecturing vs of reading, features of good lectures, clarifying goals, brainstorm evaluation of one non-content math camp goal.
	(due Tu June 27: choice of MC1 topic)
3	Th July 6	recap Zull, eval MC1 goals, video response	Chapter summaries of Zull, using Zull to improve teaching, design a learning cycle for understanding the derivative; what is a lesson plan, design a lesson plan segment.
4	Fr 7	Duckworth, learning cycle lesson plan	Discuss Piaget & Duckworth, inspirational Duckworth idea. instructor examples of cooperative learning, brainstorm advantages and disadvantages; cooperative learning exercise, commit to two MC1 NC goals, dissect MC1 goal assessment plans.
5	M 10	MC1 plan	Feedback/dissection of MC1 plan, writing math goal assessment questions (and answering them!); classroom assessment techniques (formative), classroom management.
6	Tu 11	Skemp, work on LPs	Skemp, brainstorm good blackboard technique; reading derivative LPs and adding CATs, Hativa on good lecturing.
7	Th 13	MC1 lesson plans; 5-min lec segment	5-minute lectures and feedback (in 108); discuss MC1 LPs.
8	F 14	remaining MC1 LPs	discuss all remaining LPs and evaluation plans.
	M 17 - F 21		Math Camp 1. 1-4pm each day. (Meet at noon; debrief 4-5pm). Topic chosen: Combinatorics (with quite a lot of graph theory).
9	M 24	MC2 topic, non-content goals	MC1 feedback, discuss MC2 topic, goals; creating writing exercises for chain rule.
10	Tu 25	MC2 topics plan and eval plan	Bloom's taxonomy, categorizing chain rule problems, creating structured exam questions; 2:30-4pm voice coach Helena Binder. teaching successful collaboration skills in calculus and math camp.
11	Th 26	1st 2 days MC2 lesson plans	5-min lectures. Discuss lesson plans, creating evaluation questions for goals in MC2, editing a lesson plan to flip lecture and group work; Felder-Silverman learning styles (questionnaire),
12	Fr 27	MC2 days 3-5	discuss remaining lesson plans.
	M 31 - F Aug 4		Math Camp 2. 1-4pm each day. (Meet at noon; debrief 4-5pm). Topic chosen: Logic, Paradoxes, and Infinity (ie Set Theory).
	(no meeting on Monday, nor homework for Tuesday)
12	Tu Aug 8		Cindy Tobery from DCAL; gender, diversity and cultural factors.
13	W 9	5-min lecs	Final 5-min lectures on research; practical issues: syllabi, honor code, midterm evals, attire.
14	Th 10	questions	1-3pm over in 224 Baker: Carl Thum (Academic Skills Center), Alicia Brandon (Student Accessibility Services), Natalie Hoyt (Undergraduate Deans Office), Katelyn McPherson (Athletics), Karen Afre (talking about diversity); 3-4pm: Faculty advice session, back in 004.
15	Fr 11	look at TS	2pm: teaching statements; 2:40-4pm: experienced grad instructor advice session.
	M 14 - Tu 22		Guest lecturing in Dartmouth classes (two lectures pre instructor)
		course portfolio	This is due Thurs Aug 31 on dropbox or by email

Online workspaces

Please upload homeworks and lesson plans to the relevant subfolder of the m147x17 folder on DropBox. You should have received instructions by email about this.

Photographs of the process

Here is the directory of photos from the discussions.
Here are some Math Camp photos.

Resources and Articles

Note that articles are only available from within the dartmouth.edu domain, which excludes Dartmouth Public wifi.

Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs), and also here, for rapid formative evaluation. For formative and summative assessment specifically of collaborative learning, see this article by Walker and Angelo (1997).
Alex's advice on how to write good worksheets and use them in class
Examples of concept maps (relating to Skemp): multivariable calculus and differential equations (both from Alex's handouts to students); cell in biology, statistics.
Clarity in lesson plans: Hativa, N. (1983). What makes mathematics lessons easy to follow, understand, and remember. The College Mathematics Journal, 14, 398-406. Statistically bogus but still a great summary of good techniques.
Rouviere on coop learning ideas in math teaching, Brown on guidelines for group work in math. (Both read on day 7).
Jenny's notes on classroom management.
Bloom's taxonomy of cognitive skills: Taxonomy in math, Shorser on undergraduate mathematics.
Pygmalion Effect (day 11): encyclopedia review, useful summary, another summary with useful lists, recent status.
Learning styles (day 12): Felder and Solomon, Felder and Silverman 1988. Meet your students: Sensing/Intuitive, Sequential/Global, Extrovert/Introvert. Recent commentary in the Chronicle
Dave Raggett's intro to HTML. Make this a file called index.html in directory public_html in your gauss home directory.
Presentation from Cindy Tobery (DCAL) and Adrienne Gauthier (EdTech): resources, and slides.
- Recent meta-analysis showing clear advantages of active learning: Freeman, Wieman commentary.
Implicit Association Test (IAT). If you like podcasts: Invisibilia had interesting episode on the history of the IAT and attempts to get rid of implicit associations.
Daryl Deford's math ethics seminar resources.
Racial microaggressions: definition and examples.
Psychological insights for improved physics teaching. Also applies to math, covers diversity and gender issues, and has great research data.
Why So Few? report on women in science and math (AAUW, 2010). PNAS article finding little evidence of gender bias at the higher levels nowadays.
Exhibits of media/culture representation of women and men in mathematics:
- Teen Talk Barbie (1992; withdrawn after protest)
- Land's End backpacks
- Allergic to algebra shirt
- A Beautiful Mind (2001) (first 01:15 minute of trailer)
- Big Bang Theory (see clips at 00:47 and 03:23).
- Hidden Figures (2016) (things are getting better).
Psychology research papers on the effect of attire (dress) on perceived competence of graduate TAs and professors.