Jerry Dwyer

Developing science and math integrated activities for middle school students

This article reports the development and refinement of science and mathematics integrated activities for middle school students. The expectations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics that students develop an understanding of mathematics and an ability to apply it gave birth to these activities. The expectations of the National Science Education Standards that students engage in inquiry and discussion, as well as assessments that encourage them to analyse their findings and organize their conclusions, also framed these activities. Three middle school science teachers, who were less than confident in their mathematical abilities, piloted 3 of the 24 activities. Classroom discourse and teacher feedback were used to refine them. Diverse attitudes regarding the usefulness of mathematics and the comprehensive benefits of integrating mathematics into science activities are reported. Key components of the activities include detailed instructions, resources and references, discussion questions and assessment suggestions. Cooperative learning is highlighted as instrumental in the comprehension of both mathematics and science.

Supporting Education and Outreach in a Research Mathematics Department

Research mathematics departments promote scholarly activities primarily focused on traditional mathematical research. These departments also have a role to play in advancing high-quality teaching, student mentoring, K-12 outreach, and the mathematical education of preservice teachers. A significant number of faculty pursue these activities and enjoy varying levels of support. This chapter describes the benefits that accrue to a department that supports these activities while also recognizing the challenges that are often presented. The authors offer the perspective of an established outreach mathematician and that of a senior administrator who has actively supported outreach from his time as a mathematics department chair through his role as a college dean, provost, and now a university president. They argue that support can be provided at several levels from within the department and across the university, with a specific emphasis on setting clear guidelines for tenure and promotion based on nontraditional scholarly output in the areas of education and outreach.

Teacher immediacy and learning mathematics: Effects on students with divergent mathematical aptitudes

ABSTRACT Undergraduates pursue degrees in disciplines in which they hold an affect or possess an interest. Math and science majors possess a positive affect for mathematics; however, to maximize the number of math majors, it is important to boost the motivation of non-math majors to learn mathematics. This study examines the relationships between instructors’ nonverbal immediacy and (1) affective learning of math, (2) affect for math, and (3) affect for the instructor. Participants were 426 freshmen (math and non-math majors) at a public university in the southwest United States. Comparisons were made between students enrolled in calculus and algebra courses. Comparisons between groups of varying math aptitude were also examined. Immediacy was moderately correlated with students’ affective learning (0.38), with the strongest correlation for those with medium math aptitude (0.47). When affective learning was restricted to affect for the subject content, an even stronger correlation was found for students with medium math aptitude (0.49). There was no significant difference between the correlations for immediacy and affective learning for calculus students and algebra students. An even stronger positive correlation (0.61) was found between immediacy and affect for the instructor. Results suggest that, regardless of aptitude for mathematics, students enrolled in mathematics courses who perceive their instructors to be immediate have a greater positive affect toward the instructor and the mathematics content. Surprisingly, students with an average aptitude in mathematics have a greater positive affect toward the mathematics content when compared to students with higher and lower aptitudes in mathematics.