Blogs

IMPACTful Discussions (Innovative Teaching and Learning): AI and You

By Rob Eby posted 15 days ago
HAL: Let me put it this way, Mr. Amor. The 9000 series is the most reliable computer ever made. No 9000 computer has ever made a mistake or distorted information. We are all, by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error. HAL: I know I've made some very poor decisions recently, but I can give you my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal. I've still got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission. And I want to help you. If you are a fan of the film “2001: A Space Oddity” you recognize the above quotes. If you are not, in short so as not to give spoilers, HAL is an AI computer built to help ...

IMPACTful Discussions (RMETYC, Equity, DevMath): Equity in Action: Using Research to Influence Change

By Frank Marfai posted 04-02-2025
In a key chapter of the book Vital Directions for Mathematics Education Research edited by Jeremy Kilpatrick in 2013, Jo Boaler and colleagues spoke to the need of having more “foxes” in mathematics education (see reference, chapter attached to this post). To quote a portion of their abstract, “Mathematics education researchers have produced many important research insights into how students learn mathematics, but relatively few of these insights have influenced the practice of classrooms. This chapter takes up Kilpatrick’s call for more “foxes” in mathematics education and considers the ways the field may move to work in more “foxy” ways. (pg. 189). In ...

IMPACTful Blog (Math Intensive): Mathematical Notation

By Robert Cappetta posted 02-20-2025
From our earliest days in school, mathematics notation presents a problem. Do we really need so many ways to express multiplication? 2x3 is the first notation children see. Later versions include 2•3, 2∗3, 2(3), and (2)(3). As kids move into algebra, so many of them struggle, so maybe the notation is part of the problem. Bob Davis, one of the early pioneers in mathematics education, preferred the notation with missing numbers represented by empty boxes and triangles. It makes more sense to put 7 into an empty box, rather than into an x in . An internet meme with a huge number of views is the arithmetic question 8 ÷ 2 ...

IMPACTful Blog (Math Intensive): Testing Challenges in Math Intensive Courses

By Robert Cappetta posted 01-15-2025
Since the pandemic, there has been an increased focus on providing calculus classes to remote learners. In the past, distance-learning students typically completed exams at college testing centers or approved off-site locations such as public libraries or military bases. However, the significant rise in the number of remote students has made these options increasingly impractical. In recent years, internet-based proctoring services have been used to maintain the integrity of the exams, but a quick YouTube search on “How to Cheat on Online Proctored Exams” yields several results including one video with 1.2 million views. A second concern with these systems ...

IMPACTful Blog (Math Intensive): Evolving Calculus Curriculum

By Robert Cappetta posted 01-15-2025
In the 1980s, the calculus reform movement brought forward some exciting ideas to improve how we teach those courses. These recommendations focused on using technology, solving real-world problems, and helping students communicate mathematical ideas clearly—both in writing and through discussion. The movement also introduced the "rule of three," encouraging students to approach key concepts graphically, numerically, and algebraically. Topics were carefully selected to connect with a variety of disciplines, and the emphasis shifted away from memorizing formulas and mimicking procedures. Furthermore, clear and simple language was preferred over complex mathematical ...

IMPACTful Blog - Developmental Mathematics - Motivating Students to Succeed

By Kim Granger posted 11-05-2024
For the past three years, I have taught both a stand-alone college algebra course as well as a college algebra with support (our version of a co-requisite) course every semester. I have used the same course calendar and the same tests for both groups of students. Both classes are “flipped” and class time is filled with active learning. Both classes meet 3 days a week: the stand-alone class meetings are 50 minutes long, and the co-requisite class meetings are 100 minutes long. I have discovered that the college-ready students are working harder and having more success than the students in the corequisite courses. Through the use of an electronic ...

IMPACTful Blog (TfP): Change is inevitable. Transformation is a choice.

By Karen Gaines posted 10-17-2024
It is my hope that the title of this blog (a quote from Heather Ash Amara) gets you thinking about what transformation really entails. Often change is thrust upon us by outside factors, but to truly transform, we need to make a choice to do so. Transformation (according to the Cambridge Dictionary) is ‘a complete change in the…character of something or someone, especially so that the thing or person is improved.’ As instructors, as well as people, we should always be striving to improve ourselves. AMATYC is doing its part to transform mathematics education in the first two years of college by continually updating our standards (as highlighted last ...

IMPACTful Blog - TfP - A Look at the AMATYC Summer Institute for Active Learning

By Scot Pruyn posted 10-01-2024
The Teaching for PROWESS (TfP) project continues to lead the way in transforming mathematics education in the first two years of college. Project leadership, along with faculty from Phase 1 and 2 colleges, kicked off Summer 2024 with the AMATYC Summer Institute for Active Learning, held at Clackamas Community College’s Harmony Campus in Portland, OR from June 19-22. This exciting event brought together 4-person college teams from Pellissippi State CC, North Iowa Area CC, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Arkansas State University - Beebe, Trident Technical College, Kansas City Kansas CC, Oakland CC, Gallatin College, Weber State University, Fox Valley Technical ...

IMPACTful Blog (Standards) - Embracing the Standards

By Karen Gaines posted 09-18-2024
Our colleagues in AMATYC have never ceased to amaze me. Their dedication to mathematics education, especially to our students in the first two years of college, is impressive. One of the best pieces of evidence to my claim is our set of standards found in Crossroads, Beyond Crossroads , and IMPACT written by AMATYC members over the past 30 years. These documents inform everyone about our strong conviction to provide the best possible mathematics education for our students. When was the last time you looked at these unbelievable documents? I must admit that I received a hard copy of Crossroads when I joined AMATYC back in 1996 and did not read ...

IMPACTful Blog (Standards Team): See what’s new in Beyond Crossroads Chapter 6!

By Mark Earley posted 09-09-2024
Over the past two years, members of AMATYC have worked in teams to update Chapter 6 in Beyond Crossroads , which is about Curriculum and Program Development. We have received feedback from members through three open forums in Summer 2023 and Summer 2024. We are now in the final stages of revising this chapter so it can go to the 2024 Delegate Assembly for approval, and we need your feedback! What revisions have your colleagues made? A team from the Statistics & Data Science ANet, led by Mark Earley, created two new sections not in the originally published document: one for statistics courses and one for data science programs. The team ...

IMPACTFUL Blog (Standards Team): See what’s new in Beyond Crossroads Chapter 6!

By Mark Earley posted 09-09-2024
Over the past two years, members of AMATYC have worked in teams to update Chapter 6 in Beyond Crossroads , which is about Curriculum and Program Development. We have received feedback from members through three open forums in Summer 2023 and Summer 2024. We are now in the final stages of revising this chapter so it can go to the 2024 Delegate Assembly for approval, and we need your feedback! What revisions have your colleagues made? A team from the Statistics & Data Science ANet, led by Mark Earley, created two new sections not in the originally published document: one for statistics courses and one for data science programs. The team ...

IMPACTful Blog (Standards Team): See what’s new in Beyond Crossroads Chapter 6!

By Mark Earley posted 09-09-2024
Over the past two years, members of AMATYC have worked in teams to update Chapter 6 in Beyond Crossroads , which is about Curriculum and Program Development. We have received feedback from members through three open forums in Summer 2023 and Summer 2024. We are now in the final stages of revising this chapter so it can go to the 2024 Delegate Assembly for approval, and we need your feedback! What revisions have your colleagues made? A team from the Statistics & Data Science ANet, led by Mark Earley, created two new sections not in the originally published document: one for statistics courses and one for data science programs. The team ...

IMPACTful Blog - Teacher Prep - Time for an Update?

By Keith Nabb posted 07-18-2024
Contrary to the widespread belief that education is slow to change, mathematics education has seen frequent changes in the last few decades. Student needs have changed, resulting in a reformulation of what courses and pathways are meaningful for today’s students. Instructional technology has changed the ways teachers might introduce an idea. Today, Artificial Intelligence has the potential to radically reformulate pedagogy in light of both its power to illuminate thinking and the dangers of outsourcing such thinking. Is it time for mathematics educators to rethink what is important for K-8 students to know about mathematics? What do you think? What feelings ...

IMPACTful Blog (Teacher Prep): Do your students love math?

By Xianwei Van Harpen posted 07-01-2024
“I’ve always been terrible at math.” While common in mainstream American culture, this statement should concern us when coming from a prospective 3 rd grade teacher—someone who bears the responsibility of educating children in a variety of subject areas. Will this negative sentiment be passed down to his students? Will she allot less time to a subject she does not like or understand? Will a child’s creative solution fail to be recognized? We feel everyone can learn to love mathematics if they understand it. If students are given the space to explore and opportunities to share, this platitude may one day become, “I’ve always loved math. It has always made sense ...

SEAL-M Grant Repository of Math Lessons

By Ryan Kasha posted 06-25-2024
My name is Ryan Kasha, and I am a co-PI on an NSF funded grant at Valencia College on infusing active learning in mathematics. One of our goal of this grant is to build and share a repository of active learning lessons for mathematics. I am writing this blog to share this resource beyond my college. I hope you will explore and enjoy this resource. Successful Engagement: Active Learning in Mathematics (SEAL-M) , a 5-year NSF grant project, seeks to deepen community college mathematics faculty members’ understanding of active learning to emphasize knowledge construction leading to student success. Our project is a fun, collaborative way to take your teaching ...

IMPACTful Blog - The Synergistic Power of Interdisciplinary Teaching

By Jillian Miller posted 06-19-2024
SPECIAL NOTE: This blog has been posted on behalf of a QB@CC colleague, Joseph Esquibel . Joe teaches biology at Lansing Community College in Michigan. Hello! As a biology professor in this QB@CC interdisciplinary network, I’ve seen the impact of interdisciplinary education from a slightly different perspective. I was always interested in adding a numerical and quantitative focus to my teaching. However, it wasn't until I joined this network and worked closely with teams of math and biology faculty that I really reached this goal. My classes feel transformed. It is easy to think of classroom time as a zero-sum game, that time spent on one ...

IMPACTFUL Blog: Interdisciplinary Collaborations Empower Students & Faculty

By Jillian Miller posted 06-03-2024
“When am I ever going to use this?!” Math educators hear this question time and time again. Quantitative Biology at Community Colleges (QB@CC) is a 5-year NSF RCN-UBE funded project aimed at helping math instructors answer this age-old question for their students, especially their biology students who may not recognize the importance of quantitative skills in their chosen discipline. The primary objective of the project is to build a network of math and biology faculty from community colleges around the nation who work together to enhance students’ quantitative skills by creating, publishing, and disseminating open-access cross-curricular materials. Small ...

IMPACTful Blog - Developmental Math

By Kathleen Almy posted 05-15-2024
When we’re teaching a developmental math class, we often have two goals: student engagement and learning. There are many ways to accomplish each. Below is a framework I use when teaching developmental math, but also college-level math, and even professional development. It’s both effective and flexible. Assess – Before starting into objectives, a lesson, or an activity, first find out where your students are and what they need. This can be mentally (Are they stressed? Tired? Overworked?) and/or mathematically (How has the content been lately? Do they need more or less of a particular skill or concept?). Achieving this can happen in many ways, so take ...

IMPACTful Blog (DM): Teaching Soft Skills in College Math Classes

By Kim Granger posted 05-01-2024
One of the benefits of the developmental math course sequence that many institutions (and even states!) have phased out was that students had the opportunity to learn and develop soft skills over the course of multiple semesters before they reached college-level math courses. These skills helped prepare students for a higher level of success in their college-level coursework. In addition, the students who missed crucial content in high school or middle school during the pandemic are now arriving on our college campuses; some of these students have grown accustomed to receiving more flexibility than college faculty used to be willing to hand out. Now, more ...

IMPACTful Blog: Do we teach the way we were taught?

By Frank Marfai posted 04-01-2024
Stigler and Hierbert (1999) note that teaching is cultural, and that we teach the way we were taught. Foreign born instructors when coming to the United States, may have experienced a “culture shock” which had required them to vary their approaches to teaching mathematics. Likewise, mathematics teachers in the United States, through the process of professional development and studying research, have professionally grown in their teaching practices. Some have experienced this growth also through observing international colleagues and students. We invite you to join our conversation this month with your experiences related to this topic. Sources: ...