Category Archives: Math Education

Specifications Grading Redux

Posted on July 9, 2015 by evelynjlamb

Last December, I wrote about specifications grading, an idea I first saw on Robert Talbert’s blog Casting out Nines (Co9s is ending, so you can find new posts at rtalbert.org) and wanted to try out in my class. Talbert has blogged about his … Continue reading →

Posted in Issues in Higher Education, Math Education | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Getting Warmer…

Posted on June 15, 2015 by evelynjlamb

I’m currently teaching a summer school for high school students. Our main focus is number theory and its applications to cryptology, but I like to start each morning with some kind of warm-up math puzzle or game. I know plenty … Continue reading →

Posted in K-12 Mathematics, Math Education, Recreational Mathematics | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Happy Deep Fried Torus Day

Posted on June 8, 2015 by annahaensch

Last Friday was National Doughnut Day and I hope everyone celebrated accordingly. Aside from being delicious with a cup of coffee, these sweet treats are a great way to think about math. From simple brain teasers to advances in quantum … Continue reading →

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Prepare to Be Nerdsniped

Posted on May 4, 2015 by evelynjlamb

You have a lot of bags, and you want to store them by stuffing all of them into one of the bags. For n bags, how many ways are there to do this? I’ve spent a good amount of time … Continue reading →

Posted in K-12 Mathematics, Math Education | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Pi Day Link Roundup of the Century

Posted on March 16, 2015 by evelynjlamb

We made it through the “Pi Day of the century” on Saturday. I took a spontaneous day trip to meet friends in Idaho, so I didn’t do any pi-related activities, but I saw plenty of pi coverage in the week leading … Continue reading →

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Math In Pictures

Posted on March 9, 2015 by annahaensch

When I was in graduate school I mostly worked really hard all the time. Like we all do, right? But occasionally, my officemates and I would get a bit punchy, and the need to blow off steam would momentarily supersede … Continue reading →

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Topology Teaching Blogs

Posted on March 2, 2015 by evelynjlamb

I’m teaching topology for the first time this semester, so I’ve been poking around the blogosphere for ideas of different ways to explain some of the ideas in this class to my students. Luckily, right before I started the semester, I ran … Continue reading →

Posted in Math Education | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

$${Mathematicians} \subset {Artists}$$

Posted on February 1, 2015 by bfinegold

Certain equations or concepts strike us as beautiful, stunning even. As she walked amongst the aquatints on the wall of Yale Art Gallery’s latest exhibit entitled “Concinnitas”, Jen Christiansen posed the title question of her blog post: “Math is Beautiful, … Continue reading →

Posted in Math Education, Mathematics and the Arts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Different Perspective: Mathochism and the Calculus Diaries

Posted on January 29, 2015 by evelynjlamb

I went skiing for the first time on Tuesday. As a native Texan, I’d never really seen the point of putting something slippery on your feet and then stepping on frozen water. But I live in Utah now, so ski … Continue reading →

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Can Specifications Grading Cure What Ails My Syllabus?

Posted on December 15, 2014 by evelynjlamb

I love teaching, and I hate grading. I know I’m not the only one. This semester, my math history course posed new grading challenges to me. Grading writing assignments is much more subjective than grading traditional math homework and tests, … Continue reading →

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