Spring 2021 Schedule

This seminar will be the first of two focused on implementing inclusive teaching practices. We will have a panel discussion and Q & A with Carson Rogers, Ellen Goldstein, and Stella Gastineau; each panelist will describe a specific teaching practice that they have implemented in their classroom. Following this discussion, we will brainstorm ideas for the second seminar in this series - a workshop meant to provide time and resources for anyone looking to implement new teaching practices in their classroom.

Video

Slides

Resources

https://math.mit.edu/seminars/esme/

Christine von Renesse, Westfield State University

with Juliana Belding

https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/mcas/departments/math/research/seminars-and-colloquia/mathematics-education-colloquium-series.html

We welcome (back) Robyn Brooks, Ross Goluboff, Siddhi Krishna, and Cristina Mullican. Ross, Siddhi, and Christy received their PhDs from BC and Robyn received her PhD from Tulane in 2020. They will share insights from their first year of academic employment, including what they've learned during their first year post-PhD, what kind of preparation they received that was most useful, things they wish they'd had more exposure to before graduating, etc.

Agenda and questions

https://math.mit.edu/seminars/esme/

Vilma Mesa, University of Michigan

Nicolas Petit will lead a discussion about the various online homework platforms used in the department, along with the benefits and drawbacks of each.

https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/mcas/departments/math/research/seminars-and-colloquia/mathematics-education-colloquium-series.html

Speaker: Prof. Marta Civil, Department of Mathematics, University of Arizona

https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/mcas/departments/math/research/seminars-and-colloquia/mathematics-education-colloquium-series.html

https://math.mit.edu/seminars/esme/

The Value of Computational Thinking in Statistics Education

Jo Hardin, Pomona College

In a seminal paper, Nolan and Temple Lang (2010) argued for the fundamental role of computing in the statistics curriculum. In the intervening decade the statistics education community has acknowledged that computational skills are as important to statistics and data science practice as mathematics. There remains a notable gap, however, between our intentions and our actions. To understand that gap, together with Nick Horton, we assembled a collection of papers for a special issue of the Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education (2021) focused on what has changed over the last ten years with respect to computing in the statistics curriculum. Broadly, the collection of papers (1) suggest creative structures to integrate computing, (2) describe novel data science skills and habits, and (3) propose ways to teach computational thinking. My talk describes the special issue with particular focus on the last of the three aspects: the role of computational thinking: The computer as part of the thinking process and not only a tool for implementing mathematical theory.

https://math.mit.edu/seminars/esme/

Mathematical Proof, Online Assessment, and High School Connections in First-Year Discrete Mathematics

Doug Ensley, Shippensburg University

This presentation will take the form of a brief tour of three parallel threads in recent work updating my freshman-level discrete mathematics course materials: (1) Explicit connections to secondary school content leverage common student experiences, promote communication within the class, and better serve majors pursuing teaching certification. (2) Computer-based interactions (retooled in HTML/JavaScript to be tablet friendly) provide support for an inquiry-based approach to students construct their own understanding of mathematical proof. (3) An extensive MyOpenMath library for discrete mathematics supports online assessment for all topics in the course. And of course, if it’s sunny in Pennsylvania that day, there will be 6 more minutes of presentation.