1999 University of New Hampshire at Manchester Manchester, NH

NEMATYC'99 was held at the University of New Hampshire at Manchester, Manchester, New Hampshire, on Friday and Saturday, April 9 and 10, 1999. This was the 25th Anniversary Meeting. Vice president and program chair was Roberta Kieronski.

Executive Committee - 1998 - 1999

Past President	Kath Soderbom, Massasoit Community College
President	Ted Panitz, Cape Cod Community College
Vice President	Roberta Kieronski, University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Treasurer	Lois Martin, Massasoit Community College
Newsletter Editor	Judy Carter, North Shore Community College
Secretary	Rick Butterworth, Massasoit Community College
Membership Coordinator	Mark Duston, Johnso & Wales University and Suellen Robinson, North Shore Community College
At-Large Member	Alec Ingraham, New Hampshire College
At-Large Member	Maureen Woolhouse, Middlesex Community College

Program Committee 1999

• Roberta Kieronski, University of New Hampshire at Manchester

Program 

1. Showcase of Active Learning Activities
   Evelyn Giusti, Johnson and Wales University
   Many students have been conditioned to copy what the teacher has written on the board with no thought or reflection. Others simply have been conditioned to fail (some learning disabled students believe that they are physically incapable of learning basic mathematics). The presenter will unveil a showcase of different in-class activities that will engage students in active learning and give them a sense of accomplishment through class involvement. A packet of materials will be distributed.
2. New Math - Revisited
   John Jacobs, Massachusetts Bay Community College
   NSF funded five projects dealing with "integrated math" at the high school level. SIMMS. CORE PLUS, ARISE, IMP, and CONNECTIONS all integrate the previously (somewhat) disconnected four years of high school mathematics curricula into a more continuous thread. Some topics were de-emphasized while others added. Most call their courses of study simply Math 1, Math 11, Math III and Math IV. They replace the Algebra I which students formerly took in 9th grade to be revisited after a hiatus of Geometry the following year. A lot has been lost, a lot has been gained. The five projects, while similar, are all different. An overview of each will be presented. They will be contrasted with the STANDARDS (upon which all are based) and the Massachusetts FRAMEWORKS. Some handouts and more material on disk (in DOS text and Microsoft Word formats).
3. Linking Mathematics and Science Through Technology
   Jane Brandt and Ellen Bryan, UNHM and St. Paul's School
   The TI-83 calculator and CBL (Calculator Based Laboratory) will be used to collect and analyze data. Classroom activities will be presented and participants will have an opportunity to use. a CBL. Calculators will be provided.
4. Remembrance of Math Past
   Robert Yawin, Springfield Technical Community College
   This presentation has diverse topics that include using crossed lines and Russian Peasant techniques for multiplication; solving absolute value problems using graphing techniques, shortcuts for factoring quadratic equations when the coefficient of x-square is greater than one; and an introduction to the prismoidal formula for finding volumes of regular solids. If time permits, there will be a discussion of two square-root algorithms and their geometric interpretations.
5. Laboratory Investigations for Freshman Mathematics
   Richard Goller, Dwight Horan, Wentworth Institute of Technology
   Challenge your precalculus students with in-depth analysis of real-world experiments created by an interdisciplinary team of faculty. Participants in this workshop will engage in such hands-on activities as the simulation of the buckling of steel columns and computer-aided manufacturing processes, and use them to stimulate students' learning of mathematics.
6. Hands On Math
   Bruce Gordon, New Hampshire Technical College at Claremont
   Pictures and equations in books appear contrived and irrelevant, but if students can make measurements on a "real" object, they can verify the efficacy of the theory. For example: a microwave antenna is a real parabola or a model of a human arm produces a linear relationship between forces. The use of some equipment and subsequent analysis of the resulting data will be demonstrated. Audience participation may be required.

Dinner Speaker: Dr. David Burton, University of New Hampshire - "The Emergence of American Mathematics"

7. Some Mathematical Aspects of Music
   Sol Neeman, Johnson and Wales University
   This talk will present some of the inter-relations between mathematics and art in general and more specific, some. mathematical aspect in the western music. A brief description of the mathematical basis of the acoustics of musical instruments, the diatonic and chromatic scales, tonal and atonal music, and some ideas regarding mechanical composition will be provided. Also included will be a discussion with the audience on how to combine topics from the arts in mathematics courses.
8. Odds and Ends for Trigonometry
   Pat McKeague, Cuesta College and California Poly State University
   This talk contains a mixture of applications for trigonometry. For applications, we have the spiral of roots, the human cannonball, and the first Ferris wheel. We will see how these applications can enhance the teaching of trigonometry, and how group projects, the internet, and technology can be used to polish these applications.
9. Slide Rule
   Peter Letson, Greenfield Community College
   Participants will construct functioning slide rules using logarithms base 2 and use these for multiplication and division, squaring, and the extraction of roots. The exercise is useful for classes working on laws of exponents or logarithms.
10. Using a Home Page in a Basic Math Course
    Robert O'Connell, Massachusetts Bay Community College
    As teaching tools, homepages are an effective way to communicate with students. Homepages can improve test scores, help compensate for absences and help with student retention. Students who might withdraw due to personal problems could complete the course using your homepage.
11. Teaching Mathematics Via Internet
    Zee Haddad, Springfield Technical Community College
    Have you ever considered designing a course to be taught via Internet? The advantages and disadvantages of teaching on the Internet, the problems facing the students and faculty of Distance Education with possible solutions, and the different software packages that are required to design such courses will be discussed. Also, a demonstration of one such course will be given.
12. Using Visual Art and Creative Writing in Mathematics Education
    John Jacobs, Valerie Jayne, Marjorie Levenson, Massachusetts Bay Community College
    This 90-minute, two-part workshop is designed to extend the possibilities of art/humanities/mathematics interdisciplinary work in undergraduate mathematics education. This workshop is made up of two interdisciplinary mathematics units prepared for Mass Bay courses. The workshop presentations include didactic and hands-on activities designed to enhance each unit's central math concept. The first presentation brings together algebraic groups and the famous Rose Window. The second presentation joins creative writing, physics, and mathematics in solving a murder mystery.
13. How Do You Involve Your Student in Learning Mathematics?
    Ted Panitz, Cape Cod Community College
    How you involve your students in the process of learning math will be the focus of a discussion among workshop participants. Come and share with us your favorite class process or activity which works well at stimulating student involvement in the learning process. Share class materials and experiences about what works and doesn't work in areas of cooperative learning, team or group projects, interactive lectures, reform math or other innovative approaches which you have tried in your math and/or developmental classes.
14. Bayesian Analysis of Plausible Reasoning
    Dr. Eike Satake, Dr. Phil Amato, Emerson College
    This talk discusses a Bayesian assessment of the credibility of the testing hypothesis based on circumstantial evidence, i.e. how the Bayesian method with the beta distribution measures the strength of a conjecture and update pre-test subjective belief as new data emerge. The topic is appropriate for intermediate / advanced statistics courses.
15. Enrich You Students' Math Environment - Join the AMATYC Student Mathematics League
    Lois Martin, Massasoit Community College
    The best schools provide extracurricular enrichment opportunities for their students. One way to do this is to participate in the AMATYC Student Mathematics League. The presenter will explain the guidelines for participation in the SW and offer some insight on what benefits can be realized by you and your students.
16. Internet Resources for Developmental Math
    Dr. Joyce Oster, Thomas Pandolfini, Johnson and Wales University
    Are you and your Developmental Math students bored with traditional presentations and exercises on such topics as fractions, decimals, and percents? In today's classroom, the Internet can provide a wealth of sites, many interactive, that pique students' interest and promote mathematical awareness. Several Internet sites will be explored and a packet of sample web pages and addresses will be shared.
17. Using Manipulatives In A Lab Setting For Students Enrolled In Mathematics For Elementary And Early Childhood Education
    Fides Ushe, Springfield College
    Much of elementary school mathematics is devoted to the study of numbers. This includes the basic structure of the base ten numeration system as well as the various algorithms developed to do operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Most students enrolled in a mathematics course for elementary and early childhood education already know these skills and can perform them automatically. Therefore, most often they lack the knowledge of how to get these ideas across to a beginning learner. It is easier for most children to learn when they can build their understanding of mathematics from the concrete, through pictorial to the abstract. Manipulatives provide a wonderful tool to model the concrete situation. Through seeing and touching the objects children can enhance their understanding of mathematical ideas. The laboratory component of this course introduces pre-services teachers to various manipulatives that can be used to introduce mathematical ideas.
18. The Many Faces of the Mediated Learning Classroom: One Class - Three Levels
    Maureen O'Grady, Suffolk Community College
    The use of multimedia technology has transformed the teaching- learning process for students and instructors in Basic Skills, Elementary and Intermediate Algebra at Suffolk Community College. This presentation will provide insight into this transformation from both a faculty and student perspective. Implications for the future will also be discussed. <top>

Exhibitors

Election of Officers

The following officers were elected.

President	Roberta Kieronski	University of New Hampshire - Manchester
Vice Presidents	Bernice Bowdoin Susan Hoy	Bristol Community College
Secretary	Dick Butterworth	Massasoit Community College
Treasurer	Lois Martin	Massasoit Community College

Treasurer's Report

4/9/99

Respectfully submitted,

Lois A. Martin Treasurer

Registration List

Additional NEMATYC members

CUNNINGHAM, CHRISTINE	Mount Allison University
DECHENE, LUCY	Fitchburg State
GREENLEAF, YVONNE	River College
INGRAHAM, ALEC	New Hampshire College
KELLY, LINDA AMARAL	Massasoit Community College
LATINA, MICHAEL	Community College Of Rhode Island
MAGNA, GERALD	Bristol Community College
MCDONALD, JAMES	Springfield Technical Community College