I guess all of you are also finishing off your first week or two of classes. Over the years I have spent less and less time going over the course policies on the first day. For me, the first day used to be an anomaly. I talked all of the hour and fifteen minutes and they sat. None of the subsequent classes would be like this. Yet this first day often turns students off and gives them the impression that my class is a one way communication channel. Many students may drop the class purely on the basis of that first day.
Instead of spending the entire class on the syllabus, I do fifteen minutes on how their grade is determined and then move on to an activity. For my college algebra class this semester, this activity had a secret motive. I decided to add to the group activities I do in class and make the projects in the class a collaborative effort. To make these groups effective, I need to get a feel for the students and how they work together. I wanted the activity to give me a feel for their personality…leader or follower.
Pima College’s Northwest Campus will be the location of the ArizMATYC meeting this fall. This meeting will be held jointly with the Arizona Developmental Education Summit. Because of this we expect a good turn out for both meetings. Set aside the dates, Friday, October 10 and Saturday, October 11, to attend both meetings.
You can get to the conference website by selecting the Next Meeting link on the menu at the top of the page.
Everyone of us have had a student who is willing to do anything to get a better grade in math class. Thanks to Oxford University, there is a perfect solution for those students. Just FLIP THE SWITCH!
Can rounding have an impact on the real world? In the case of the Olympics it certainly can. In the Women’s Downhill event this week, two women were awarded the Gold medal in a tie. However, they did not record the same time. This was because of rounding. Continue reading And The Gold Goes To…Rounding!→
The American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) is the main professional development organization for mathematics teachers at two-year colleges. Part of its mission is to “offer multiple opportunities for the preparation and continuing professional development of a competent and diverse mathematics faculty skilled in a variety of teaching modalities addressing different learning styles.” To fulfill this, AMATYC offers an annual conference, webinars, traveling workshops, an online community for members to discuss topics, a mathematics journal (MathAMATYC Educator), and a newsletter (AMATYC News). In addition, AMATYC has several position statements and guidelines that range from mathematics teaching to preparation of mathematics faculty.
by Kathryn Kozak, VP of the Southwest Region of AMATYC
I was hoping to write an informative article about a topic that is currently important in mathematics education, such as common core standards changes, developmental education redesign, or availability of open source books. However, I have to admit that I haven’t been able to concentrate on any of these topics. Currently, I am on sabbatical and sitting at my brother and sister-in-law’s farm in New South Wales, Australia, and watching the Grand Final of Australian League Football. So I am a bit distracted, and these topics are not on my mind right now. However, all of these topics and more are immensely important today.
An organization like ArizMATYC does not operate without the work of many volunteers. All ArizMATYC members (or potential members) are welcome to join the ArizMATYC Business Meeting scheduled from 2:00 to 3:00 PM on October 12 in Prescott. The meeting will be held in Room 19-225 at Yavapai College.
We are helping to host a regional AMATYC conference in 2013 and your involvement would be appreciated. One way you can get started is to join your fellow members at this meeting.
Here is the agenda for this Fall’s meeting.
ArizMATYC Business Meeting
Fall 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
Yavapai Community College
Approval of Minutes
Treasurer’s Report – Anne Dudley
Conference Update
Project ACCCESS
Secretary’s Report – Kristina Burch
Historian Report – David Dudley
Webmaster Report – David Graser
Membership Report – Laura Watkins
New Business
Newsletter Recognition: Sue Jensen
Regional Meeting Update
Election of New Officers
ArizMATYC T-Shirts
AMATYC Conference in November
Upcoming ArizMATYC Conferences
Recommendations for future meetings
Ask members to bring someone with them to the next meeting
Incentives: extra “raffle” ticket for door prizes
Award for bringing the most guests
Survey what people liked about these meetings in years past (on the post-conference survey)
Advertise what ArizMATYC can do for its members
Ideas for Sessions:
Poll members about expertise and what they could present
Need ideas for finding speakers: NAU speakers bureau, textbook authors, consultant who went
Many of you are probably familiar with the recent op ed piece in the New York Times, Is Algebra Necessary? In this piece Dr. Andrew Hacker, emeritus professor of political science at Queens College, CUNY, argues that all students do not need to take algebra to be productive members of society.
This article has generated a great deal of controversy (probably what he intended in the first place).
I guess all of you are also finishing off your first week or two of classes. Over the years I have spent less and less time going over the course policies on the first day. For me, the first day used to be an anomaly. I talked all of the hour and fifteen minutes and they sat. None of the subsequent classes would be like this. Yet this first day often turns students off and gives them the impression that my class is a one way communication channel. Many students may drop the class purely on the basis of that first day.
Can rounding have an impact on the real world? In the case of the Olympics it certainly can. In the Women’s Downhill event this week, two women were awarded the Gold medal in a tie. However, they did not record the same time. This was because of rounding. 
I was hoping to write an informative article about a topic that is currently important in mathematics education, such as common core standards changes, developmental education redesign, or availability of open source books. However, I have to admit that I haven’t been able to concentrate on any of these topics. Currently, I am on sabbatical and sitting at my brother and sister-in-law’s farm in New South Wales, Australia, and watching the Grand Final of Australian League Football. So I am a bit distracted, and these topics are not on my mind right now. However, all of these topics and more are immensely important today.