Signed Numbers: Colored Counters in a “Sea of Zeros”
The “colored counter” method is an old tried-and-true method for teaching the concept...
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Category: Math Ed Research
NYT Opinionator Series about Math
For a few months now, the NYT Opinionator Blog has been hosting a series of pieces that do a phenomenally good job of explaining mathematics in layman’s terms. The latest article is about Calculus (with a promise of more...
Read MoreAlgebra is Weightlifting for the Brain
This was my presentation on Friday in Austin, Texas at the Developmental Education TeamUp Conference. The process of learning algebra should ideally teach students good logic skills, the ability to compare and contrast...
Read MoreTeaching Math with Technology (Discussion Panel)
While I was at Wolfram Alpha Homework Day, I participated in a Panel Discussion about the Myths about Teaching with Technology. The panel ran 30 minutes and was mediated by Elizabeth Corcoran. There were three of us (all women,...
Read MoreHow can we measure Teaching and Learning in Math?
Last week I prepared a new presentation for the MichMATYC conference based partially on the literature review for my dissertation. In my dissertation I am studying instructors, but in this talk I addressed both the instructor...
Read MoreMathematics Instructional Practices
What follows are ten mathematics instructional practices (MIPs) are meant to capture the nuances of the majority of mathematics instruction for the first two years of college mathematics. Lecture Collaborative Lecture...
Read MoreTrends in Reform Instructional Strategies for Math
I spent most of the day yesterday compiling data from the last four CBMS reports to get a sense of how widely adopted reform instructional practices are being used in mathematics. The graphs are interesting. You will probably...
Read MoreCognitive Psychology and Math Education
In the last three weeks I’ve read or skimmed about 2,000 pages of scholarly articles about math reform efforts, technology for teaching, innovations, change movements, faculty development, community college statistics,...
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