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1500 questions
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What prerequisites would college students need for a course based primarily on Euclid's elements?
I love Euclid's elements, and would like to base a course around them. Before I can pitch it to my supervisors, I need to know where it would fit in the curriculum. While it begins from elementary principles, it requires a high level of logic.
What…
Brian Rushton
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Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching
Does anyone know of any course called Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching? Where is this course taught? If it's not a course, is there any workshop about this? Or possible a book? It's not knowing how to do math but how to teach math (focus on…
Ms. Honey
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What to do about a student's poor handwriting
Related but different: What is a good handwriting font for mathematics?
A (former) student of mine (no longer! Thankfully passed his Trigonometry regents last week:) had a problem with his handwriting -- I am not exaggerating when I say that at…
Tutor
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How to bring an undergraduate researcher up to speed on a brand new topic
I am doing most of my research in a relatively new area of mathematics called finite subdivision rules. I have an undergraduate student who has begun doing research with me on some of the properties of simple subdivision rules.
He would like to get…
Brian Rushton
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7 answers
Non-Mathematical Examples of Orders
Different properties of different types of orders including partial, total, scattered and well-orders are a part of any graduate/undergraduate set theory course. I am looking for interesting "non-mathematical" examples of these orders in physics,…
user230
13
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5 answers
Role of human math teachers in the century of AI learning tools
In view of recent developments of AI-based adaptive math learning systems like Squirrel, Aleks, Knewton Alta, or Math Academy:
Does a human math teacher play any reasonable role, or will those systems make human math teachers completely…
Julia
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"Real life" examples of limits of functions at finite points
This is more specific than this similar question on math.SE, since I'm not satisfied with the answers there.
Question:
Can you provide an interesting, natural and simple example of some physical/geometrical etc. system, which has two continuous…
Michael Bächtold
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13
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7 answers
What are some good books on mathematical pedagogy?
I suspect that; just as one must "do" mathematics to learn mathematics, one must have practice teaching mathematics to become a great mathematics instructor.
Still, a good book on mathematical pedagogy could only help! I am looking for book…
Mithrandir
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Tutor: How to deal with meddling parent?
I am currently tutoring a student for the Integrated Algebra regents, and he's really doing great.
It's his father that bothers me.
He does do some math (he's an accountant or actuary of some sort), but doesn't have the time to help his son.…
Tutor
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9 answers
Is it meaningful to add a number to itself a fractional number of times?
(Migrated from the math stack exchange, where I received an apt-seeming suggestion to pose the question here, at the math-educators stack exchange)
I introduce my young kids to basic math concepts in the hopes that my armchair enthusiasm for math…
StoneThrow
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Ideas for term papers in a graduate or advanced undergraduate class
In my graduate courses, I often have my students write term papers on original mathematical topics. I explain the process in this answer over at MathOverflow. It works fairly well for me.
But I'd be very interested in hearing about other…
JDH
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4 answers
Wiggins' question #12
There's an interesting read: Conceptual Understanding in Mathematics by Grant Wiggins. In that text the author proposes "a test for conceptual understanding" which should be given "to 10th, 11th, and 12th graders who have passed all traditional math…
dtldarek
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13
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3 answers
Middle school math games for the parking lot
I'm looking for math games that a group of students in grades 5 to 10 (ages 11 to 15, say) could play in a gym or parking lot. My school has a STEM Day each year and I get tasked with cooking up some sort of math activity. (It's hard to compete…
B. Goddard
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What should I do if students did very poorly in the mid-term exam?
In the linear algebra course I taught, I have three exams. In the first exam, which is probably too hard, students did poorly. So many students said they have lost confidence. To encourage them, I announced that if their grades in the final exam is…
user11702
13
votes
5 answers
Use of language: "perfect square". is this useful or a hindrance?
I have recently been noticing the tendency to use the term "perfect square" when "square number" is really what is meant.
Usually I have seen it at elementary level: introductory algebra, popular puzzle pages, and so on.
I confess I cringe at the…
Prime Mover
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