Teaching

My supervisor has been experimenting with a “Building Thinking Classrooms” (BTC) approach to teaching, so our department began the year by participating in a BTC-style activity: standing in small groups around the room, working on “non-routine” problems on chalk boards / white boards. It was certainly engaging, social, and compelling, but I was definitely missing quiet time to think deeply about the problems on my own. It also seemed nearly impossible to not be influenced by other groups, especially those who quickly arrived at a successful approach. In any event, it was a thoughtful way to start the year, and it led to some great, productive conversations.

Originally posted on Mastodon.

I’m proud to be profiled on the COMAP blog, in an article that highlights the incredible work of our mathematical modeling group this past year. I’m grateful to the students for all their hard work, and to organizations like COMAP for creating opportunities to get students involved in applied mathematics and modeling. You can read the profile here.

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• Workshop — Applying Math Through Modeling
• Workshop — The Geometry of Statistics

Last night I ran a workshop for teachers about mathematical modeling. Modeling can be nebulous and overwhelming to those unaccustomed to applied math, so my goal was to give teachers an accessible introduction to the modeling process that allowed them to experience what distinguishes modeling from what might be considered “school math”.

The workshop was based on the work I’ve done building and running a mathematical modeling program at my school the past three years, where I’ve drawn heavily on resources from the Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications (COMAP) and modeling competitions like the MathWorks M3 Challenge.

Modeling is a wonderful way to get students doing authentic applied math, and even though I’ve got a lot to learn myself, I was happy to share what’s worked for me and my students as we have built our program.

Related Posts

• Workshop — The Geometry of Statistics
• Workshop — The Geometry of Linear Algebra
• Workshop — It’s All Linear Algebra

I saw some dispatches from the NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) annual meeting this past week, and I’m always disappointed at what constitutes professional discourse in math education. Beyond the facile messages of “thought leaders” and influencers, even the messages of purported substance seem like a continual re-telling of what should be obvious to everyone. Get students doing mathematics. Engage them intellectually and socially. Pay attention to how they think. These should not be revolutionary ideas.

Originally posted on Mastodon.