Mathematics Educators Stack Exchange
Mathematics Educators Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
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3 answers

"But I copied that from a book-reference you gave! How can that be wrong?", or how can you grade homework which is solved poorly in some book?

Sometimes when assigning homework, it is possible that the homework can be found in some books or lecture notes, sometimes even referenced by yourself. As long as the proofs and arguments there are good and/or students bring up their own thoughts…
Markus Klein
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Models and strategies for teaching fractions in 7th grade mathematics

I'm a first year student at a university college, and I'm currently teaching 7th grade for a few weeks as a part of my education. I'm struggling a bit with finding models and strategies to develop an understanding of fractions within the class,…
user695
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What are the minimum criteria when checking homework for completion only?

I know that some instructors collect homework and "grade that on the basis of completion" (e.g., item #2 on this answer). In fact, I tried this myself for several years, based on advice from my mentor in graduate school. But I found it to be…
Daniel R. Collins
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3 answers

Constructive refutation of student misconception

Although @Gareth Shepherd recently posted Addressing fundamental math errors close to the issue, I experienced my problem of misunderstanding in class, where two good K10 students were asked to present at blackboard the reduction of…
Morten Engelsmann
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5 answers

Common misconceptions in high school probability curriculum

I am teaching probability to high school students. The material we are covering is pretty standard and includes: Introducing how to calculate the probability of events, e.g. coin flips, card draws, lottery tickets. The sum of the probabilities of…
Improve
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9 answers

Is it too late for me to start learning mathematics?

I am 26 now. I left study after completing school. Now I am thinking of doing a Bachelor's degree in mathematics. I purchased a basic Calculus book and I found it interesting. So I took some advice from a PhD scholar. His straight answer was that I…
user10718
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Reason behind the dominance of particular countries in the IMO (International Mathematical Olympiad)

I was watching the result of IMO 2014 where I found that China was on Top and USA, Russia were following China. This is not the exceptional case, you can pick the results of each IMO in some of the previous years and you will find that these…
Vidyanshu Mishra
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6 answers

How to teach students when they can and can't cancel factors in a fraction?

I mainly tutor adults in college algebra classes or lower. Sometimes an expression like $\dfrac {x+5}{5}$ will come up, and the students will say: "We can cancel out the $5$'s and get $x+1$, right?" I tell them that this is incorrect, and usually…
Ovi
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Against introducing precise definitions first

After introducing eight different ways of viewing the derivative of a function (infinitesimal, symbolic, logical, geometric, rate, approximation, microscopic), Thurston, in his famous essay, Thurston, William P. "On proof and progress in…
Joseph O'Rourke
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Should I teach Laplace Transforms? How much?

My question is in the title. Let me elaborate and give some context: I'm teaching a first differential equations course, essentially for engineers, at the university. I'm developing the syllabus and content for the course. I'm at liberty to pretty…
Jake Mirra
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Evidence for or against the claim that some students are "algebra people" and others are "geometry people"

Where I live and work, there is a widely-accepted and often-repeated claim that there are two kinds of students: "algebra people" and "geometry people". This claim sometimes gets expressed in different ways; sometimes it is articulated as a…
mweiss
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Should my 8th graders see a proof of the Pythagorean Theorem?

I've been teaching the Pythagorean Theorem in my 8th grade class, and I noticed something odd. In the book I'm using, the sequence goes something like this: Motivate the idea of distances on a grid Talk about areas on a lattice grid Work on finding…
Wmol
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Research on the use of outlined / structured proofs in instruction

Has there been any research into comparing the effectiveness of using "structured proofs" or "outlined proofs" in higher level mathematics education, compared to traditional "prose" proofs? For the purpose of this question: A "structured proof" is…
Willie Wong
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6 answers

What good is the phrase "Taylor series"?

I've taught integral calculus a few times, and in every course the students are confused about the distinction between Taylor series and power series. It's something I remember being confused by as a student. Now that I have a little more…
Tim kinsella
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Is there any math text reader device to help children who cannot see?

I don't teach school math but as a part of my voluntary activities in some NGOs, sometimes I am in this special situation. When I was in a school for special children who cannot see I came across a question about a possible problem in reading…
user230
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