Abstracts - Working Groups

Working Group: Infinity and Limits in Undergraduate Mathematical Learning

Organizers:

Rob Ely, University of Idaho

Timothy Boester, Wright State University

Room: Salem

Abstract:

This second meeting of this group seeks to continue our work from last time, by developing research goals and plans about the undergraduate learning of infinite processes (including series and sequences), infinite sets, limits of real-valued functions, and other domains that significantly incorporate limits and infinity. While existing research has substantially charted out misconceptions and obstacles to infinity and limits, there is still great need for further understanding of the functioning of student knowledge of limits and infinity in context, the development of instructional goals and curricular implications, and the building of these ideas into learning trajectories. With these needs in mind, last year we organized our research goals along four general themes: (a) the interaction of function and limit, (b) how limits manifest themselves throughout the calculus curriculum, (c) formalization of limit, and (d) mathematizing the “...” Although we plan to pursue these themes, we welcome presentations of any kind about the learning of limits and infinity. This includes presentations about research that is only in the planning stages; the group will include ample time for presentations and the ensuing discussion, analysis, and planning of participants’ research. We welcome anyone wishing to present, even briefly, to contact the working group organizers so they can set aside time in the schedule. One primary goal of the group is to launch and continue collaborative studies and publications based on the vision of all participants.

Working Group: Research on Community College Mathematics

Organizers:

Ann Sitomer, Portland Community College (asitomer@pcc.edu);

April Ström, Scottsdale Community College (april.strom@sccmail.maricopa.edu);

Mark Yannotta, Clackamas Community College (marky@clackamas.edu);

Vilma Mesa, University of Michigan (vmesa@umich.edu).

Room: Portland

Abstract

We seek to bring together researchers interested in investigating questions of mathematics teaching and learning at community colleges. This is a key area that is emerging as an important player in the scholarship of post-secondary education. The main goal of the working group is to set a research agenda for concerted efforts to understand issues of mathematics teaching and learning that are particularly significant when focused on issues unique to community colleges. The working group is intended for active scholars in undergraduate mathematics education, new researchers who are interested in investigating teaching and learning in this context, and researcher- practitioners (i.e., community college faculty who have earned, or are in the process of earning, a doctoral degree) who see research in context and teaching at community college as their primary focus. We plan to engage in three types of activities: (1) presentation of salient issues related to teaching and learning at community colleges from diverse areas of scholarship (e.g., mathematics education—both K-12 and undergraduate, higher education, sociology); (2) discussion of ongoing research on specific areas that are fundamental for community colleges (e.g., transition to four year institutions, teaching of vocational students, adult literacy, affect, rationality of teaching in this setting, learning to teach); (3) guided discussion with the goal to establish a research agenda for this work. We anticipate the discussion outcomes to generate a report for the RUME Proceedings, a report for the research subcommittee of the American Mathematical Association of Two- Year Colleges, and a paper for a major journal, outlining this agenda. Taken together these activities will allow us to advance the following goals: (1) outlining a research agenda for community college mathematics; (2) identifying specific research domains and sub-domains so that community college research will become more integrated within the mathematics education research community; (3) increase the visibility of research being conducted at two-year colleges, which will allow us to better identify those researchers who are conducting this research and increase collaborations and partnerships between two- and four-year institutions; (4) outreach to other research domains that have also been engaged in understanding the phenomenon of community college instruction in mathematics, to inform our work and to infuse theirs with insights that come from studying classroom practices, attending to the work that is close to those who are directly responsible for success, namely the instructors, teachers, and designers of curricula.

Working Group: Research About Novice Teachers of College Mathematics

Organizers:

Jason K. Belnap, The University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh

Jessica Deshler, West Virginia University

Natasha Speer, University of Maine

Teri Jo Murphy, Northern Kentucky University

Room: Medford

Abstract

The primary purpose of this working group is to provide a community for ed- ucational researchers who are interested in the practices and development of novice teachers of college mathematics. The training or professional develop- ment of graduate students and beginning faculty as teachers has become an increasingly visible topic in the mathematics community over the past two decades. This group provides opportunities for people who conduct research in this area to discuss their work, receive constructive feedback on their ideas, and network with other researchers. We will use our meeting time as an opportunity for participants in the group to present their research and discuss it with other participants. The research can be at any stage of de- velopment (e.g., formulating research questions, designing data collection, conducting analysis, reporting, etc.) You do not need to present anything in order to participate anyone who wishes to take part in the discussions is welcome to attend.

Questions or comments to the website should be directed to Jason Dolor.

Last Updated February 18, 2011