Salt Lake City proceedings

On-Line Proceedings of the Twenty-Ninth Annual Conference of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges

AMATYC 2003

Salt Lake City

The titles listed below represent the contributed papers of the Electronic Proceedings of the Twenty-Ninth Annual AMATYC Conference held on November 13-16, 2003 in Salt Lake City. For each paper, the reader will find the title and presenter(s) with materials or links provided by the presenter.

Proceedings from other conferences

Developing Competence and Confidence
Tom Bassarear, Keene State College
Charles Dietz, College of Southern Maryland
Learn ways to use the problem-solving unit, found in most mathematics for elementary teachers classes, to develop competence with the NCTM Process Standards. The speakers will discuss the selection of appropriate problems and the use of alternative assessment.
Who Is More Bored with Algorithms, You or the Students? Laura Bracken, Lewis-Clark State College
Develomental students often have seen many algebraic procedures in previos classes but have misunderstandings, do not execute the procedures well, and have difficulty identifying their mistakes. Unfortunately, they also often "tune out" when the concept is retaught. Effective strategies for re-teaching these important procedures will be discussed.
Reteaching Algorithm | Investigation: The Order of Operation
Rekindling Geometry, Barbara Brown
Has Euclidean Geometry become an unwanted or forgotten part of your developmental mathematics curriculum? The AMATYC Standards encourage us to "engage in exploratory activities that will lead students to form conjectures and test them..." This session will explore hands-on ideas that can be used to rekindle geometry.
AMATYC present pdf 2003 overheads.pdf | AMATYC present pdf handout2003.pdf
The Retake, Pass, Fail Grading System, Connie L. Buller, Metropolitan CC-Omaha, NE
The retake, pass, fail grading system with a required 80-percent on each unit exam for develomental mathematics courses has proven very successful. Learn how a partnership with the college's support services makes it possible.
Story Problems Are Boring - or Are They?
Suggestions for teaching story problems using humor, visual cues, English, and emotional ties will be modeled, as well as ways to involve the student.
The Dynamic College Classroom, Douglas Butler, Oundle School, Peterborough, UK
The speaker brings from the United Kingdom a rich combination of humour and well-researched lesson plans that breathe new life into calculus, trigonometry, vectors and statistics, using a mix of sources: using Office tools, web-based JAVA and dynamic software
Uses and Misuses of R2 and r in Curve Fitting, John Climent, Cecil CC
Algebra and statistics both use R2 and r to fit leasr squares curves to date sets. How should one use these measures, what are they measuring and where do they come from? Bring your TI-83 and investigate these questions. Handouts provided.
Defining College-level Math for the 21st Century
The two- and four-year colleges in Maryland have cooperated in defining attibutes and outcomes for all entry-level, college-level, math courses, along with a common prerequisite ans skills assessment cut-scores. Share our documents, thoughts, experiences and accomplishments in this endeavor and bring us your thoughts.
Cut-Scores Established by the Community Colleges in Maryland
Sample Course: Finite Mathematics, Daniel Symancyk, Anne Arundel CC
The Bridge Goals
Intermediate Algebra
Sample of College Level Math Attributes in a Liberal Arts Mathimatics Course, Bernadette Sandruck, Chris Mirbaha, Tracy Lesham
General Education Mathimatics Requirement in Maryland
Sample of College Level Math Attributes in Statistics, John Climent, Cecil CC
An Intermediate Algebra Course That's Serios about Applications, Zoltan Fisher, Minneapolis Community and Technology College
A new course with strong emphasis on applications of intermediate algebra, especially on current uses of function models, will be presented. The relationship between data, graph, and functions is one important theme. Another is translating from English into mathematics, solving, and then stating the results in English.
Music and Math-PartI, Steve Gadbois, Memphis, Tennessee
How does each musical interval correspond to a specific number, which determines whether the interval sounds "pleasant" or "dissonant"? Why does math naturally-yet necessarily imperfectly-divide the octave into 12 parts? What single simple mathematical equation governs vibrating strings, vibrating air columns, and vibrating membranes? This session consists of lecture and demonstration with limited audience participation. Attendance at both sessions is recomended but not required.
Foundation/ Developmental Mathematic Committee Network and Sharing Session, Judy Giffin, Rod Null, James A. Rhodes State College
Join the Foundation/ Developmental Mathematic Committee in its 10th annual networking and sharing session. In an informal setting, discuss topics such as curricular change, cooperative/ collaborative learning, assessment and technology. Drop in at any time and attend part or all of the session.
Refocusing the Course Below Calculus,
Florence S. Gordon
Sheldon P. Gordon
AMATYC, MAA, and NCTM are collaborating on a national initiative to refocus the courses below calculus to better serve the majority of students. The panel will discuss this effort to encourage courses emphasizing conceptual understanding and realistic applications, not just developing traditional algebraic skills needed by only few
Visualization is a key to learning mathematics, Roseanne Hofmann, Montgomery County Community College, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422
Just in Time Algebra with Multimedia: Context Based, with Animation!
Walter R. Hunter, Montgomery County Community College, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422
Roseanne S. Hofmann, Montgomery County Community College, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422
Distance Learning and the Technology that Makes It Possible. Students in the Internet Classroom,
Judy Ann Jones, Madison Area Technical College, WI
Why do students enroll in an Internet math class? Who is successful? What do they say about their experience? Five years of experience have provided consistent results.
Math on the Web. Creating Interactive WebPages with MathML, Bob Mathews, Design Science, Inc.
MathML is the cutting-edge solution for interactive math in web pages. Message boards, graphing applets and assessment tools are just some of the many possible applications.
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Increase Student Participation in Online Intermediate Algebra, Jeff Morford
Here some questions and a point system that increased student participation in online Intermediate Algebra class
Managing the Mean Math Blues, Cheryl Ooten, Santa Ana College
Student behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs can create barriers to student success. Learn simple tools to re-frame negativity and to facilitate positive, proactive math classrooms that will maximaze student participation and learning. Math anxiety reduction, diverse learning styles, and test-taking will be addressed.
Liberal Arts Math For Survival: Internet and Classroom Formats,
Joseph Sukta, Moraine Valley Community College, 10900 S. 88th Avenue, Palos Hills, IL 60465
Participants will learn a problem solving approach to realistic problems. These problems involve car and home purchases, home renovation, personal finance saving strategies and statistics. Student projects incorporate these concepts.
Stimulating Critical Thinking in Calculus, Mark D. Turner, Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA 93403
This session will present some individual and group activities designed to encourage critical thinking among first-year calculus students. Participants will work within small groups to experience many activities first-hand. Handouts suitable for classroom use will be made available. Bring your graphing calculator.
What's Your Carrot? What's Your Carrot? (.pdf)
Barbara Wojciechiwsky, Johnson & Wales University
Kathleen Ebert, Alfred State College
Lenore Vest, Lower Colambia College, Longview, Washington
Faith Dillon, Sussex County Community College, Newton, NJ

Does the use of "carrots" to motivate student success help or hinder student responsibility? This panel presentation will offer some perspectives of math instructors from across the country about the pros and cons of strategies (or carrots) to motivate students to success in mathematics. Come share opinion and techniques.
What are my Carrots?, Faith Dillon, Sussex County Community College, Newton, NJ
Carrots for Vitamin A? Lenore Vest, Lower Colambia College, Longview, Washington
A Course Assessment Procedure that Enhances Retention, Kathleen Ebert, Alfred State College
The process of measuring a course's objectives through the use of projects helps students to be aware of which objectives they have or have not mastered before the exam. This procedure also reduces math and test anxienty in the majority of students.
One Approach to Motivating College Students, Barbara Wojciechiwsky, Johnson & Wales University
Multiple Presentations, Functions, Applications, and Modeling
AMATYC's standards document, Crossroads, supports the use of multiple representations, functions, applications, and modelingin the mathematic classroom. This session discusses why these topics are important for student learning, and how they affect the order in which topics need to be taught in algebra. Several class-room-tested examples are included.

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