Rita Barger, Ann McCoy
A description of the authors’ attempts to make a college mathematics class
more hands-on and interactive. The authors challenge other college mathematics
instructors to try similar approaches to enhance the learning and understanding
of their students.
Dustin L. Jones
An activity where prospective
mathematics teachers made hypotheses about the dimensions of a fair cylindrical
die and conducted experiments with different cylinders. He also provides a
model that estimates the probability that a cylinder would land on the lateral
surface, depending on the height and diameter of the cylinder.
Gail Kaplan
A hands-on approach to learning
proofs by induction. Students create patterns of dominos so that when the first
domino is pushed, the entire design collapses, one domino at a time. Students
then build designs that do not work. By constructing a list of conditions that
ensure a given pattern will collapse, students discover the basis for proofs by
induction. A discovery worksheet leads students through mathematical examples.
Cathleen Sanders
When given opportunities to explore
mathematics, make conjectures, and write about what they have discovered,
students gain a deeper understanding of this fascinating subject.
Zachary Rutledge, Peter Kloosterman, Patricia Kenney
The performance of seventeen-year-olds
on the Long-Term Trend program of the National Assessment of Educational
Progress. The analysis focuses on a selection of questions from the assessment
on which performance has changed significantly between 1982 and 2004.