Mathematics faculty from around the state gathered at Chandler-Gilbert Community College on Friday, October 6 to consider “Teaching Mathematics in 2017 and Beyond”. The conference featured three keynote speakers, Dr. Ted Coe, Dr. Francis Su, and Dr. Pat Thompson who were tasked to challenge participants to consider the role that mathematics faculty play in developing mathematical literate students.
Fall 2017 ArizMATYC Presentations
The following are the presentations given at the Fall 2017 meeting of ArizMATYC at Chandler-Gilbert CC.
Dr. Ted Coe – Mathematics Education: Issues and Trends Across the States
Dr. Francis Su – Reflections on Mathematics for Human Flourishing
Dr. Pat Thompson – Issues in Mathematics Teaching and Learning
Fall 2017 ArizMATYC Conference at Chandler-Gilbert CC
Save the Date:
Teaching Mathematics in 2017 and Beyond
ArizMATYC – Fall 2017 Conference
October 6, 2017
This conference will include two keynote speakers, a panel discussion, and active discussions all focused on questions such as:
- What do our students need to succeed in a 2017 world and beyond?
- What role could/should technology play in learning mathematics?
- How do we maintain a rigorous balance between conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, application/problem solving?
- What strategies are most effective for student success in the mathematics classroom?
- What mathematics should be taught and how should we teach it to meet the needs of our students and the academic/work culture they will face?
Plan to join your colleagues for active discussion about the teaching and learning of mathematics! Details about presenting, registration and accommodations will be posted soon.
Spring 2017 ArizMATYC Conference Information Available
The spring meeting of ArizMATYC will be at Mohave Community College in Lake Havasu City on Friday, March 31.
We are accepting conference proposals and conference registrations. To access the spring 2017 conference webpage, click on Next Meeting in the menu.
News from AMATYC
By Kathryn Kozak, Southwest VP
During the first weekend of April, the AMATYC board met to discuss many topics. One of the major topic discussed was the adoption of a new mission and vision statement for AMATYC. The new mission statement for AMATYC is
To provide high quality professional development, to advocate and collaborate at all levels, and to build communities of learners for all involved in mathematics education in the first two years of college.
The new vision statement for AMATYC is
To be the leading voice and resource for excellence in mathematics education in the first two years of college.
The next step is to develop the new strategic plan. The purpose of a strategic plan is to take the organization from where it is right now (the mission) to where it wants to be (the vision). The strategic plan for 2018-2023 will be presented during a forum at the AMATYC Annual Conference in Denver. If you are attending the conference, please attend the forums to provide your input. The board will approve the final version of the strategic plan at its spring board meeting of 2017, and present the plan to the delegate assembly at the 2017 conference in San Diego.
AMATYC Annual Conference in New Orleans
by Kathryn Kozak, VP of the SW Region of AMATYC
November 19-22 will be a great time in New Orleans. The AMATYC Annual Conference is being held in this exciting city during this time. This year there will be three themed sessions, one focused one statistics, another focused on teacher preparation, and the last one on precalculus, calculus, and beyond. Themed sessions are hosted by committees, and involve six, 15-minute sessions focusing on the theme of the themed session. The will also be a round table discussion on placement and assessment ideas. In addition, there is a research session on Thursday night, where you can see the latest research in two-year college mathematics education. The committees have been working very hard to make these sessions the best they can be. Please consider becoming involved in a committee so that you can be involved in the focus of the committees, and AMATYC, in the future. Each committee meets on Friday, November 20 from 4:15-5:45.
Wired Magazine: Finding a Video Poker Bug Made These Guys Rich—Then Vegas Made Them Pay
Today I was teaching probability in MAT 142 College Mathematics and told the story of some guys that discovered a bug in video poker machines. My students were fascinated with the story and it gave me an opportunity to relate probabilities to real like. I thought you all might be interested too.
New Faculty Spotlight – Pima College
Kyley Segers has worked as a member of the mathematics faculty at Pima Community College East Campus since fall of 2012. In that time she has grown tremendously as an instructor thanks to a fellowship in AMATYC’s Project ACCCESS (Cohort 10) and the mentorship of her fantastic colleagues. Currently she serves as a coordinator to Pima’s developmental mathematics emporium course, as a campus Honors Coordinator, and as one of the newest delegates representing ArizMATYC for the coming term. When she is not focused on school, Kyley enjoys playing games of skill (Settlers of Catan, anyone?), learning all sorts of new things, and road trips with good music.
Have a new faculty member you would like to spotlight? Send an email to webmaster@arizmatyc.org.
Fall ArizMATYC Conference on October 9
Block out your calendars, the Fall ArizMATYC Conference is set for Friday, October 9 at Mesa Community College. Full details may be found on the Next Meeting page above.
Just imagine…
- An opportunity to rub elbows with colleagues from around the state
- Many fascinating conference presentations
- The ever popular articulation meeting
- Lunch!
- Campus reports
- Campus art tour
- Centrally located in Mesa, Arizona
All for $15 (includes a membership to ArizMATYC!). To preregister for the conference, use the link on the Next Meeting page.
Alternative Pathways to College Level Math
Over the past few years, several alternative pathways to college level math have been explored across the country. These pathways differ from the usual pre/beginning/intermediate pathways that traditionally prepare students for college algebra. Instead, they aim to prepare students for a course like college math.
The faculty at Yavapai College are in the process of developing a new course that will help students move from Prealgebra to College Mathematics as quickly as possible. Since College Mathematics enrollments are on the rise, this will help more and more students complete their mathematics requirements quickly.