Author Archives: Elise Lockwood

Thick Derivatives

by Tevian Dray, Professor, Department of Mathematics, Oregon State University One of the iconic messages of the calculus reforms that took place in the 1990s is the “Rule of Four,” emphasizing the use of multiple representations: algebraic, geometric, numeric, and verbal. But … Continue reading

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Preparing the Next Generation of Students in the Mathematical Sciences to “Think with Data”

By Johanna Hardin, Pomona College, and Nicholas J. Horton, Amherst College As statisticians in mathematics departments, we have both spent many department meetings, departmental reviews, and water-cooler conversations discussing the merits of various different curricular decisions with respect to the … Continue reading

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Don’t Count Them Out – Helping Students Successfully Solve Combinatorial Tasks

By Elise Lockwood, Contributing Editor, Oregon State University Introduction Solving counting problems is one of my favorite things to do. I love the challenge of making sense of the problem, the work of correctly modeling what I am trying to … Continue reading

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Active Learning in Mathematics, Part V: The Role of “Telling” in Active Learning

By Benjamin Braun, Editor-in-Chief, University of Kentucky; Priscilla Bremser, Contributing Editor, Middlebury College; Art Duval, Contributing Editor, University of Texas at El Paso; Elise Lockwood, Contributing Editor, Oregon State University; and Diana White, Contributing Editor, University of Colorado Denver. Editor’s … Continue reading

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Let Your Students Do Some Grading? Using Peer Assessment to Help Students Understand Key Concepts

By Elise Lockwood, Contributing Editor, Oregon State University On many occasions when I grade my students’ proofs, or when I read their solution to a particularly interesting problem, I am surprised by something I read. Sometimes I am surprised because … Continue reading

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Attending to Precision: A Need for Characterizing and Promoting Careful Mathematical Work

By Elise Lockwood, Contributing Editor, Oregon State University My research focus is on undergraduate students’ solving of counting problems, and I have worked toward better understanding students’ combinatorial thinking. Counting problems provide excellent opportunities for students to engage in meaningful … Continue reading

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Inquiry-Oriented Instruction: What It Is and How We Are Trying to Help

By Estrella Johnson, Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education at Virginia Tech University, Karen Keene, Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at North Carolina State University, and Christy Andrews-Larson, Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education at Florida State University Making fundamental changes to … Continue reading

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Mathematics Professors and Mathematics Majors’ Expectations of Lectures in Advanced Mathematics

By Keith Weber, associate professor of Mathematics Education at Rutgers’ Graduate School of Education. Dr. Weber is one of the faculty in Rutgers’ Proof Comprehension Research Group. Introduction The advanced proof-oriented courses for mathematics majors are typically taught in a lecture … Continue reading

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Reading Articles in Mathematics Education – It’s Not Just for Prospective Teachers!

By Elise Lockwood, Contributing Editor, Oregon State University. When I teach classes for pre-service teachers, I typically have the students read and discuss a math education article about the teaching or learning of content they may eventually teach. This may … Continue reading

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Helping All Students Experience the Magic of Mathematics

By Oscar E. Fernandez, Assistant Professor in the Mathematics Department at Wellesley College. Mathematics is a beautiful subject, and that’s something that every math teacher can agree on. But that’s exactly the problem. We math teachers can appreciate the subject’s … Continue reading

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