Mathematics Educators Stack Exchange
Mathematics Educators Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
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What are some common errors and misconceptions about the Pythagorean Theorem?

I'm teaching a geometry class and want to ensure my students understand the most common errors and misconceptions related to the Pythagorean Theorem and its applications. I attempted an initial Google search, but it didn't produce any significant…
Humberto José Bortolossi
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Is there a resource for learning to read mathematical notation/equations/formulae?

Ideally, I am looking for an online resource. But a book or any other would help already. Background: I am a senior teaching assistant in the field of business and statistics. Most of my students have not had formal training in mathematics, and…
Nibood_the_slightly_advanced
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Explaining Sigma-Notation

I attempted to introduce the summation notation $\Sigma$ to my students. The notation was unfamiliar to the students beforehand. I worked through many examples with them, but for most of them, working with such an abstract notation remains…
wayne
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Course materials for developing a mathematical theory from "natural questions to ask"

Educational setting. I'm teaching math courses - typically consisting of lectures, weekly homework sheets, and an exercise class where the homework questions are discussed - for undergraduate and Master's level students at a German university. The…
Jochen Glueck
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Models for spherical geometry

Context: I am an associate professor at a small liberal arts institution in the US. I am currently preparing to teach geometry this fall. Our course is mostly focused on Euclidean geometry (it's required for all math education majors), but it does…
AegisCruiser
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Can this be a better way of defining subsets?

I remember my high school days where subsets were defined in the following manner: Given two sets A and B, if every element of B is an element of A, then B is called a subset of A. A common confusion arising from this definition is that of an…
Harshit Rajput
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Is there a calculator centered secondary school curriculum somewhere?

Context For the last few years I have been pondering about the use and disuse of calculators in secondary school level mathematics. Now, after coming across a 'hot network question' regarding a student enquiring why calculator shouldn't be used and…
David Mulder
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Galois Theory: necessary?

I noticed the discussion of whether the teaching of Galois Theory is necessary on MathOverflow. Here at LSE, everything we teach in mathematics should have some application to the social side of life. Granted, there are physics applications. But are…
Robert Simon
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Advice on starting a math circle in a small rural University town

I teach at a University in a town of roughly 5700 people with a few towns of comparable size within twenty minutes drive. I am very much interested in starting a Math Circle in the area and am looking for advice from folks who have successfully had…
ncr
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Should math for elementary teachers content be taught under the direction of the math department?

I recently was appointed math department chair at a small university. We have a 3 credit math for elementary teachers content course. Administration told us they will change this course into an elementary education course. Basically, it will go from…
Paul
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How should I modify my grading as a TA?

I am first year masters student. This past year, I did a first year lab with three different sections. I received the TA evaluations of the said lab and got not-so-great reviews to my surprise. I got around a 3.8-3.9 for two of them and one of them…
Merry
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3 answers

How do you know when a textbook is too difficult for you?

Not sure if this is more appropriate for here or for Math.SE, but here goes: How does one who is self-studying mathematics determine if a textbook is too hard for you? Math is hard in general, but when does a textbook cross that line from being…
pyridoxal_trigeminus
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The Interleaving Effect: How widely is this used?

I came across the idea of mixed up practice in Benedict Carey's book, How We Learn, in a chapter on the benefits of interleaving, particularly for learning Maths. For instance, in "blocked practice", students might work on Maths problems in order,…
Stephen Clement
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How well can students learn abstract concepts through concrete examples?

In my own personal experience in teaching linear algebra, where many students encounter abstract ideas for the first time, I find that most students have trouble consolidating observations from concrete examples into understanding of abstract…
Bilbo
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What to do if there is a disagreement on fundamentals, e.g. axioms or inference rules?

Sometimes it happens that a person doesn't want to accept your argument, because he claims not all the inferences are valid. There's a famous example of Lewis Carroll, namely What the Tortoise Said to Achilles, where nonacceptance of a basic…
dtldarek
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