I gave a math talk today online. In Peru. Three years ago, something like this would have been unimaginable. Now, after teaching online through COVID, it seems like a natural next step to share mathematical joy beyond our borders. It felt novel. I haven’t ‘taught’ online for months and months. So I fretted over everything:Continue reading “September 2 Day 908: Zooming Around the World”
Category Archives: teaching
July 24 Day 868: Your Opinions May Vary
I am pleased to announce that the opinion piece I authored for the AMS Notices is now available online. I wrote it specifically for academics in mathematics, yet I believe the need to align metrics of merit with institutional mission and values applies to all disciplines (and all institutions.) I share it with you nowContinue reading “July 24 Day 868: Your Opinions May Vary”
March 19 Day 741: Joys of ‘Spring Break’
It’s the first official day of spring break for UW Tacoma and Willamette University. My son Zach and I are lounging in the family room, working on math—he is getting a start on his homework, I am grading final projects. I enjoy chatting with him about mathematical induction, giving LaTeX tips, and providing feedback onContinue reading “March 19 Day 741: Joys of ‘Spring Break’”
March 16 Day 738: Finals Reflections
I have been administering oral final examinations over the last two days. Compared to previous quarters, when I had double (or quadruple) the students to manage, it was down right pleasant. The process hasn’t changed except that I administer the interviews in person rather than remotely through Zoom. I noticed more than ever before thatContinue reading “March 16 Day 738: Finals Reflections”
March 1 Day 723: What’s Your Battery Charge Level?
What a difference 24 hours can make. Yesterday, to answer the title question, I wrote: Battery needs charging. I’m at the end of my winter quarter so I’m looking at a massive amount of grading. Teaching is draining when only half the students are present and the rest are black boxes on Zoom. I amContinue reading “March 1 Day 723: What’s Your Battery Charge Level?”
February 20 Day 714: Missed Opportunity
It was a beautiful morning. The sun eventually broke through the cloud cover (as shown in the cover image.) After my walk, I set my priorities for the day: Grade Friday’s reflections Comment on rough drafts and return so students can continue to develop and improve their final projects, due in 3 weeks. Work inContinue reading “February 20 Day 714: Missed Opportunity”
February 16 Day 710: Precision of Language
This is the eve of an important due date: rough drafts of my students’ final projects in Matrix Algebra are due at 8 am. They will spend a good portion of tomorrow’s class in a peer review exercise. I tell students that writing mathematics is like writing poetry–every word has a purpose and is chosenContinue reading “February 16 Day 710: Precision of Language”
February 11 Day 705: Pandemic Learning
I noticed something the other day. In class, when students didn’t know how to solve a problem, the first thing they did was Google it. I had set up working groups with a mixture of in-person and remote participants. Computers were open for communication. I purposefully gave only one copy of the activity to eachContinue reading “February 11 Day 705: Pandemic Learning”
February 8 Day 702: Oral Midterms Again
It’s midterm time and that means a day administering oral interviews. It’s a small class (only 16 students) and I scheduled them all for one day. Today. They started at 9 am and ended at 7 pm. The process hasn’t changed. The questions are variations on previous themes. It really shouldn’t have seemed much differentContinue reading “February 8 Day 702: Oral Midterms Again”
January 27 Day 690: I Changed My Mind
I do want to talk about Wordle. As opposed to January 24 Day 687: We Don’t Talk About Wordle. Let me set the stage. I am trying to teach in person. In reality, I am teaching a synchronous remote course from the classroom. Only one human being joined me on campus this morning (13 othersContinue reading “January 27 Day 690: I Changed My Mind”
Math Belongs to All of Us 