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Unanswered Questions

58 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
13 votes
0 answers
203 views

What studies exist, comparing the efficacy of exercise sheets with or without worked solutions?

I've been tutoring mathematics at university level for over 10 years, and one of the more common requests from students is worked solutions for sheets of exercises. Most educators I've worked with ...
11 votes
0 answers
139 views

Literature on student understanding of assumptions

In a discussion with a physics lecturer he mentioned that one major area where students fail is understanding assumptions - for example, if we are interested in two objects hitting each other and then ...
10 votes
0 answers
706 views

Use of Lockhart's *Measurement* in a course?

I greatly admire Paul Lockhart's Measurement (Harvard Press). Many of you know him through A Mathematician's Lament. One review of Measurement said, “Here Lockhart offers the positive side of the ...
10 votes
0 answers
135 views

Studies into the effects of having fewer classes per term

Have there been any studies done into the effect of having fewer classes per term on a student's comprehension of their mathematics course material? Also are there any examples of schools that have ...
8 votes
0 answers
419 views

The importance of note taking in mathematics

I'm asking this question right now due to the fact that a lower back problem has made it very difficult for me to do much but lie down for large sections of the day when it flares up, and the fact ...
8 votes
0 answers
585 views

Can Compare and Contrast be used in Mathematics Teaching and Research?

I happen to be a fan of the "theme and variations" approach to problem solving. In certain cases, a certain question had drawn enough to attention to generate dozens of solutions. Ways to Prove the ...
8 votes
0 answers
121 views

3-D printing of formulas encoded in LaTex for the visually impaired?

There is software available on the Net for 3-D printing of math expressions encoded in LaTex. What such technology is available off-the-shelf for the visually impaired to learn mathematics? And, ...
8 votes
0 answers
213 views

Effective use of Maple T.A

I am considering using Maple T.A. as a tool for formative assessment (and possibly at some stage, summative assessment) for courses such as calculus and linear algebra. What are your experiences and ...
7 votes
0 answers
53 views

Effectiveness of audio / video feedback

Hattie & Timperley (2007) mention a meta-analysis about video or audio feedback with a mean effective size of .64 (Table 2 on page 84). They state that this analysis was part of the meta-analysis ...
6 votes
0 answers
75 views

Potential topics for a university level mathematical thinking module

Social science training typically involves statistics as equivalent to "quantitative methods", particularly statistical modelling but also some material about data quality and exploratory ...
6 votes
0 answers
220 views

Tablet whiteboard app w e-pencil

(I've generalized the original question as @BrendanW.Sullivan suggests.) I would appreciate recommendations for a whiteboard app for a tablet using an e-pencil. For me: an iPad, using an Apple pencil....
6 votes
0 answers
181 views

Mathematical undergraduate education in Syria

I'd like to learn some things about undergraduate mathematical education in Syria EDIT: In particular I'm interested in students 15-16 years old. What are the main differences from the European ...
6 votes
0 answers
89 views

Long-form, multi-step, skills-integrating applied mathematics problems in calculus I, II, III

When recently teaching Calculus II to college students, I instructed my students to read and be ready to work through the first 8 or so questions of James Walsh's climate modeling differential ...
6 votes
0 answers
191 views

Learning math historically

What is meant by learning math historically (NOT learning math history only, but learning math with a historical development perspective)? I've seen some sources that to learn a math topic X, you need ...
6 votes
0 answers
163 views

How was this maths educational video made?

I would like to make math videos in the manner of this YouTube video. The specific features which I like in this video are: the interactive freestyle drawing (see the beginning of the video) the way ...
6 votes
0 answers
183 views

Catalog of undergraduate's misconceptions / problems while proving

Selden & Selden (2011) listed 41 difficulties their students had in an experimental proving course into 9 categories. Unfortunately I haven't found similar work. Thus, my question is: Is there ...
6 votes
0 answers
330 views

Importance of "Calculus->Analysis Transition Books"?

E.S.E. advisers, I am a college sophomore with a major in mathematics and an aspiring mathematician in the fields of computation theory and cryptography. I am always curious about the importance of "...
6 votes
0 answers
315 views

Links between mathematical folklore and educational success

I would like to ask if, in the research field of mathematical education, some work has been done to investigate the relationship between 1) and 2): mathematical education and student motivation the ...
6 votes
0 answers
177 views

Undergraduate maths research

I am looking for: an undergraduate research program in mathematics/theoretical physics offered online (e.g. via skype or something) given by a good institution which can be followed while attending ...
5 votes
0 answers
176 views

Comparison of texbook for "how to write proofs"

I posted this question in the math stackexchange https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/4681694/comparison-of-textbooks-on-how-to-write-proofs and one person suggested that I cross-post it here. I'...
5 votes
0 answers
130 views

Is it possible to learn some basic mathematics using an app?

I am interested in developing an app for students that are starting a grade career involving mathematics. It is a real problem that they start with almost no knowgladge of basic mathematics and there ...
5 votes
0 answers
206 views

Montessori mathematics for HS/college students

My children attend a Montessori school (as did I when I was a child), and I have visited several other Montessori schools and spoken with their teachers. Numerous times I've had Montessori teachers ...
5 votes
0 answers
162 views

What do you think, is teaching on an actual board more efficient than using an online board?

I am a sophomore math undergraduate and so far all of my university courses have been online due to the pandemic. I am really curious what you guys think about the efficiency of teaching mathematics ...
5 votes
0 answers
100 views

Objectives for group work in undergraduate pure maths

Whether we are preparing undergraduates for research in industry or academia effective collaboration is an important higher skill. I think there are two aspects to this in mathematics - thinking ...
5 votes
0 answers
172 views

Intuition: 5 regular polyhedra, 6 regular 4-polytopes, and then 3 regular d-polytopes

I have struggled to offer an intuitive explanation (to U.S. college students) why the number of regular polytopes in dimension $d$ is: $d=2$, number: $\infty$. $d=3$, number: $5$, the five Platonic ...
5 votes
0 answers
114 views

the role of context in mathematical discussions of units and measurement in web design

Knowing that pedagogy for each age group is different, I will say right off the bat I am talking about working adults. I am noticing more and more, that despite people's phobias about math, they are ...
4 votes
0 answers
176 views

Is it better to teach category theory in the background of type theory than set theory?

I have been going over some applied instances of category theory in Programming, and also by a book by conceptual Mathematics by Lawvrere, and I think an issue of applying category theory to real life,...
4 votes
0 answers
105 views

Studies on the effects of using online platforms in teaching mathematics on students' beliefs about mathematics

Are you aware of any research examining the impact of utilizing online platforms in teaching mathematics, on students' beliefs about mathematics? To give you an example of the kind of beliefs that I ...
4 votes
0 answers
62 views

Looking for papers with teaching-oriented style

I am looking for papers that have the similar style to Hervé Lehning's 1989 The American Mathematical Monthly article "From Experimentation to Proof" (PDF link via lehning.eu). It's like ...
4 votes
0 answers
279 views

How must the "ungrading" idea be adapted to work in a math class?

After seeing no direct responses to this question, I'll instead be more direct myself. Ungrading is a buzzword being tossed about for assessing students' progress without focusing on quantitative ...
4 votes
0 answers
231 views

Is there a meeting place for fraction education stakeholders?

Is there a meeting place where all fraction education stakeholders (students, teachers, parents, researchers, fraction software developers) meet and collaborate? If not, do you have an advice on ...
4 votes
0 answers
466 views

Seeking Your Recommendation on Problem-Solving Books (preparing for Putnam)

E.S.E advisers, I am a college sophomore in US with a major in mathematics and an aspiring mathematician in the computation theory and cryptography. I apologize for this sudden interruption but I ...
4 votes
0 answers
188 views

What is the point of using half range Fourier series for standard functions?

If we have a standard function, like $f(x) = x$ or $g(x) = x^2$, defined between $0$ and $\pi$, then why should we be interested in extending this function to give a Fourier series that resembles this ...
3 votes
0 answers
93 views

How to make student work in think-pair-share?

I have been trying the think-pair-share technique in my undergraduate linear algebra class of about 30 students. Some students quite enjoy the experience. But I noticed that some other students simply ...
3 votes
0 answers
149 views

The propagation of the wave equation in even versus odd dimension

I am about to teach a second year undergraduate class on applied differential equation (first time) and, while I won't have time to go into the details, I wanted to show my students the difference ...
3 votes
0 answers
76 views

Formal linear combinations: motivating examples

I want to introduce formal linear combinations in an upper-level undergraduate combinatorics class. By this I mean expressions like $7 \operatorname{cat} + 5 \operatorname{dog} - \sqrt{2} \...
3 votes
0 answers
78 views

Is the annual system still in vogue anywhere in Europe, North America, Australia, or East Asia? And what about the 2-year B.A. / B.Sc. degree?

In Pakistan, we have until now had 2-year B.A./B.Sc. and 2-year M.A./M.Sc. university degrees after our 12th grade F.A./F.Sc. qualifications. Thus the former was a 14-year academic qualification, ...
3 votes
0 answers
185 views

How to promote more elegant and beautiful proofs by students?

Following the premise that mathematics is an art as well as a science, I want to encourage students to produce not only correct proofs but also to try to find a particular beautiful/elegant proof. ...
3 votes
0 answers
141 views

What accessibility is available to the blind and visually impaired students and teachers of mathematics?

I have a chronic visual handicap and am in need of adequate level of accessibility support while learning and teaching mathematics from and to the visually challenged as well as the sighted. I'm ...
2 votes
0 answers
106 views

Is there national grade distribution data for introductory service courses?

I am looking for US average national or state grade distribution data for courses that are typically considered as math service courses: precalculus, calculus 1,2,3, linear algebra, differential ...
2 votes
0 answers
131 views

"Tools" (literarily) for solving linear or quadratic equations

Since a few weeks, I teach as a tutor (not from that school) a support course in a German 9/10 class. I quickly noticed a horrible lack of basics. (Partly based on just different names - I had to ...
2 votes
0 answers
121 views

Is there any way of explaining the Cayley/Beltrami–Klein metric to undergrads?

How to explain the Cayley-Klein or sometimes called Beltrami–Klein metric concept to find the distance between two points in a hyperbolic space to an audience with no higher education than maybe a ...
2 votes
0 answers
160 views

Worldwide standard textbooks vs textbooks from one's home country vs lecture notes by various people - pros and cons

So far I've had three types of professors in my undergrad studies when it comes to choosing the main text for the course: Type A: these are the professors who pick some standard textbook(s) in English ...
2 votes
0 answers
95 views

Math websites/apps for high school students

I am undergraduate math student who is interested in being a high school math teacher. I have been given an assignment to present to my class (for a total of about 20 minutes) a teaching tool or a ...
2 votes
0 answers
116 views

Tactile Learning Activities in Mathematics

Julie Barnes, Jessica M. Libertini. Tactile Learning Activities in Mathematics: A Recipe Book for the Undergraduate Classroom. 2018. MAA Press. AMS Bookstore link. Can anyone comment / review ...
2 votes
0 answers
209 views

Introduction of the power set as a collection of *labels* or *names* for subsets

The way that naïve set theory is usually presented in undergraduate education is via very concrete examples of sets, often involving non-mathematical elements. When power sets are treated, having a ...
1 vote
0 answers
104 views

simpson paradox in classroom: reports?

he Simpson's Paradox is a statistical phenomenon in which a trend or relationship observed within a dataset disappears or reverses when the dataset is divided into smaller groups. It occurs when a ...
1 vote
0 answers
180 views

What to cover on a first ordinary differential equations module?

I will have to teach a first course in differential equations. What should I cover in this module? For example, in most books, have Laplace Transforms which is fine but I would not use LT to solve ...
1 vote
0 answers
135 views

Math curricula\programs or any experience using "The Road to Reality" as the\a primary textbook

Primarily a reference request, collaborator search-tips requests, and question-improvement request (including improveent by deletion and re-posting to more appropriate stack, meta, wiki, etc). Rank ...
1 vote
0 answers
124 views

Number theory in an introductory course on discrete dynamical systems

Benjamin Hutz, in Chapter 10 of his An Experimental Introduction to Number Theory, allows for the optional inclusion of discrete dynamical systems with a number-theoretic flavor in an undergraduate ...

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