Category Archives: Math Teaching

Using Groupworthy Tasks to Increase Student Engagement

There has been an ongoing call in mathematics education for students to be engaging in problem solving and collaborative groupwork.  Although, many instructors find that when they put students in groups, some students seem disengaged and we may start to … Continue reading

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Applying the Inquiry-Oriented Approach in teaching Math Courses

The Inquiry-Oriented (IO) Approach and Advanced Mathematical Thinking (AMT) processes play an important role in improving undergraduate math education. IO approach and AMT processes act as a new movement of modern math education based on the methods used in math … Continue reading

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The Role of Generalization in Advanced Mathematical Thinking

Generalization and abstraction both play an important role in the minds of mathematics students as they study higher-level concepts. In the second chapter of the Springer book Advanced Mathematical Thinking, Tommy Dreyfus defines generalization as the derivation or induction from something particular to something … Continue reading

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Infinity Elephants and Gabriel’s Horn

Guest Author: Brian Hook Vi Hart’s Doodling in Math Class: Infinity Elephants is a fun little video that brushes over many mathematical concepts without getting bogged down in technical jargon. Vi, a prolific recreational mathematician who also contributes heavily to Khan Academy, … Continue reading

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Eigenightmares, Dancing Stick Figures, and the Advantages of a Spiral Approach to Pedagogy

For my next installment on innovative teaching techniques, I’d like to dredge another demon that haunted my nights long ago—EIGENVECTORS!  Normally, eigenvectors are introduced in the waning days of a first-year linear algebra course, when students’ minds are already saturated … Continue reading

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