This quarter I am teaching the second course in the two quarter sequence of undergraduate abstract algebra. I use inquiry based learning and that means I need everyone to be able to present and share their work with others. I wish everyone could have an iPad (or any other touch screen tablet). But it isContinue reading “January 18 Day 316: Beginner’s Mind”
Category Archives: teaching
January 15 Day 313: Transcription Errors
Recording a zoom lecture to the cloud will create an audio transcription. In math, the interpretation of what we say can be amusing. While posting yesterday’s class, these beauties caught my eye. What Zoom thought What was said IRL …rotating an accident… …rotating a hexagon… parody parity serum necessary no theorem necessary What group isContinue reading “January 15 Day 313: Transcription Errors”
January 13 Day 311: Skipping Out
I feel a little guilty because I didn’t write anything yesterday. The quarter began over a week ago. My experiment with a new-to-them technology was less than ideal partly because only half the students were present and partly because I was an idiot. I am more than willing to talk about my own limitations, butContinue reading “January 13 Day 311: Skipping Out”
January 11 Day 309: JamBoard vs. Limnu
I started the quarter using Google JamBoard because it was the technology the students used in the first quarter of this two quarter sequence. I’ve used it for two days and I have a few complaints. I can only select one object at a time to copy/move/resize. The size of the images pasted to theContinue reading “January 11 Day 309: JamBoard vs. Limnu”
January 10 Day 308: How To Clarify?
I thought my instructions were clear. I am teaching an inquiry-based learning class synchronously but remotely. Because of the JMM2021, based on student availability I changed the time of the class last week to 5-7 pm Pacific Standard Time. When someone cannot attend, I have a (less ideal) alternate to participation in class. Here areContinue reading “January 10 Day 308: How To Clarify?”
January 5 Day 303: Notable Firsts
The Joint Mathematics Meeting 2021 is a virtual affair and will be my first national conference of the pandemic. It officially starts tomorrow morning but today was the MAA Board of Directors meeting that is held the day before. I’ve just finished planning my first two days of attendance. There is a learning curve forContinue reading “January 5 Day 303: Notable Firsts”
January 2 Day 300: Getting Back To It
University of Washington winter quarter starts Monday, January 4 so it is time to get serious about teaching once again. I switched teaching assignments at the last minute to help fill an unexpected gap. Originally, I was scheduled to teach TMATH 308 Matrix Algebra —a fully enrolled synchronous remote section at 8 am on TuesdaysContinue reading “January 2 Day 300: Getting Back To It”
December 18 Day 285: Finally Finished
After 5 days of oral assessment, including 19 interviews between 8 am and 3:30 pm today with hardly a moment to breathe, I can report that the final assessment interviews for Autumn 2020 are finished. With more than twice as many students as last spring, I feel as if I have entered a Zoom coma.Continue reading “December 18 Day 285: Finally Finished”
December 16 Day 283: Words of Gratitude
I am overwhelmed by the kind words I have received from students today. Some have come in email, others through the Course Management System, and some even “screen-to-screen” (since we weren’t actually face-to-face) at the end of their oral interviews. “Thanks again for the great quarter and helping me learn, and have a good day!”Continue reading “December 16 Day 283: Words of Gratitude”
December 15 Day 282: Magical Thinking or Avoidance Behavior?
Two days of oral finals completed and three days to go. Patterns from earlier in the quarter remain consistent. For some reason, students schedule interviews for the last possible minute. The number of interviews increases each day. Thank goodness the growth isn’t exponential. Is it magical thinking or avoidance behavior that motivates their scheduling? DoContinue reading “December 15 Day 282: Magical Thinking or Avoidance Behavior?”
Math Belongs to All of Us 