Tues, May 1 Review paper 3 mathematics
Tues, April 24 Dean presentation concluded,
Smith and Farley presentations.
Thur, April 26 Dr. Jill Richie and Dr. Sarah talk to us
about gender issues in mathematics. Then go to the computer lab to
work on the final projects.
Thur, April 19 Hrabowski and Dean presentations, and
Dr. Jill Richie talks to us a bit about statistics, and Dr.
Kirstin Fleming talks to us a bit about gender issues in her life.
Tues, April 10 Tapia, Schattschneider and Taylor presentations
Thur, April 12 Graham and Gordon presentations
Tues April 3 Review of gender/racial issues,
what kind of a mathematician each person is/was, and the mathemaics
for paper 2
Thur April 5 - Meet in 203 WebCT test 2, place final worksheets
onto Dr. Sarah's computer, and work on paper 3.
Tues March 27 Presentations on Stephens and Stubblefield
Tues March 29 Presentations on Taussky-Todd and Wilkins
Tues March 20 Presentations on Blackwell, Browne and
Hopper.
Thur March 22 Presentations on Ladyzhenskaya, Robinson, and
Schafer.
Tues Mar 6 Finish up Gender and multicultural
issues in test performance via
Stereotype Threat and Women's Math Performance, by Spencer, Steele
and Quinn, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 35, 4-28 (1999),
and When White Men Can't Do Math: Necessary and Sufficient Factors in
Stereotype Threat, by Aronson, Lustina, Good, Keough, Steele and
Brown,
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 35, 29-46 (1999).
Discuss
MAD Statistics, women in math issues.
Homework Bring bookstore books to class on Thur,
work on paper 2, choose mathematician for paper 3,
WebCT test retakes.
Thur Mar 8 Finish up women in math issues.
Each student picks a chapter to skim through in the class textbooks
and summarize for the class:
Perspectives on Multiculturalism and Gender Equity (Changing the Faces of
Mathematics)
by Walter G. Secada (Editor),
Multicultural and Gender Equity in the
Mathematics Classroom: The Gift of
Diversity (1997 Yearbook)
Edited by
Janet Trentacosta, and
Changing the Faces of Mathematics:
Perspectives on African Americans
Edited by Marilyn Strutchens, Martin L.
Johnson, and William F. Tate
Tues 2/27 Gender and multicultural issues in test
performance.
I showed the students Shepard and Metzler's 1971
paper on Mental Rotation of Three-Simensional Objects in February 19
issue of Science and told them that it is known that gender differences
exist on MRT tests.
After going over the pairs of rotated objects,
I discussed how the test is given and
gave the students sample MRT test questions
from the 1978 Vandenberg and Ruse article on Mental Rotations:
A group test of three-dimensional spatial visualizations in
Perceptual and Motor Skills, 47, p. 599-604.
I asked students to take this MRT test
by putting their name and gender on the reverse side, and
then gave 1 minute for them to do both questions.
I then separately
gave them an unlimited amount of time to do both questions.
We discussed the results.
We discussed the 1990 study
(Sex differences in visual-spatial ability: The role of performance
factors, Goldstein, Haldane and Mitchell, Memory and Cognition, 1990
, 18 (5) 546-550)
showing that ratio
scores showed less of a gender difference on the MRT, and
that untimed MRT exams also showed less of a gender difference. We then
talked about a 1993 study
(Performance factors and gender-related differences in spatial ability:
Another assessment, Stumpf, Memory and Cognition, 1993, 21 (6) 828-836)
analyzing data from 15 different visual-spatial
tests. They were able to duplicate the MRT results, but found that
increased time / ratios did not reduce gender differences in the other
14 tests.
We then discussed what reactions they had to my statement that
there are gender differences on this test.
Skim parts of How Negative
Expectancies and Attitudes Undermine Females' Math Confidence and
Performance: A Review of the Literature by Gutbezahl,
students read
FairTest Examiner articles on
Stereotypes Lower Test Scores and
SAT-Math Gender Bias: Causes and Consequences,
NSF Stereotype Vulnerability: Effects on Test Performance,
NYU Stereotype Vulnerability,
Claude Steele has Scores to Settle.
Homework for Thur Student for Test 1 and work on paper 2.
Thur 3/1
Go over the results of the MRT timed and untimed tests -
On the timed test (2 questions in 1 minute),
on a score of 0,1 or 2,
7/14 women received 0 and the other 7/14 received 1.
Hence the average was .5.
2/4 men received 0 and the other 2/4 received 2. Hence the average was
1.
On the untimed test, 5/14 women received 2, 6/14 received 1 and 3/14
received 0. Hence the average was 1.14 (with a gain in average of .64
-128% gain). 2/4 men received 2 and 2/4 men received 1.
Hence the average was 1.5 (with a gain in average of .5 - 50% gain)
WebCT test on paper 1, and work on paper 2.
HomeworkWork on paper 2, and start thinking about a mathematician
for paper3
Tues 2/20 Finish up dihedral group ideas.
Review Noetherian Ring ideas again, and have groups look at
why
F={continuous functions mapping the closed interval from 0 to 1 to
the real numbers} is a ring.
Each group looks at a different ring property and then presents it
to the rest of the class. Then Dr. Sarah talks about why this is
not a Noetherian ring.Homework Review paper 1 ideas and mathematics,
finish up paper 1, work on paper 2.
Thur 2/22 Review and discuss paper 1 in terms of
comparing and contrasting
influences that led the people to mathematics
educational opportunity and support from family/society
(with a comparison to readings from Tues 1/9)
gender/multicultural issues
mathematics
Tues 2/13 Student presentations on
Kovalevsky and Woodard.
part of presentation on Kovalevsky,
part of presentation on Woodard. Dr. Sarah reviews
difference between Euler, Lagrange, and Kovalevsky's cases,
and differential equations and partial differential equations.
Dr. Sarah reviews ideas related to the Jordan curve theorem and
the snowflake example. Then she reviews double false position
from Banneker's math, reviews the method of using a secant line to
approximate a curve, and shows how the double false position equation
is really the secant method in disguise.Homework for Thur
Continue working on paper 1 (due Tues, with worksheet due next thur),
work on worksheets,
work on ordering references for paper 2 (prelim list of refs due Fri),
and continue to think about Muhammed's magic square problem
left over from Thur 2/8.
Thur 2/15 Student presentations on
Noether and Cox. Dr. Sarah goes over mathematics,
and class looks at compositions of rotations and reflections left
over from Muhammed.
Homework Look at
animation of reflection about a verticle axis,
animation of rotation by Pi about a point,
see Tuesdays hw.
Tues 2/6 Student presentations on Muhammed,
Fuller and Agnesi.
Part of presentation on Agnesi.
Dr. Sarah then highlights some of the ideas and
mathematics.Homework for Thur Do worksheets and
give suggestions for improvement and
positive comments. If you haven't already chosen your mathematician
for paper 2, make sure you do so before Fri.
Thur 2/8 Student presentations on
Banneker and Germain. Dr. Sarah goes over ideas and mathematics.
Homework for Tues Continue working on paper1, choose mathematician
for paper2 and start getting/ordering references,
do worksheets and give suggestions for improvement,
Related to Muhammed:
using my definition of group
generated by two elements, try to figure out what the group
acting on the x-y plan is
that is
generated
by reflection about the x-axis, and by rotation of 90 degrees.
Related to Banneker Figure out what the term is
that is
used in double false position.
Related to Germain Review her mathematics.
Tues 1/30 Hypatia concluded.
Discuss student and math historian
Edith Prentice Mendez' suggestions for improvement of the worksheet
(see Thur 1/25).
Discuss which suggestions where followed, which were not, and why.
Go over
Dr. Sarah's final version of
the Hypatia worksheet,
Microsoft Word 98 version
and solutions to the worksheet.
Homework Bring a disk with your paper work
(paper, presentation, worksheet) on it to lab
(can be PC formatted) - make sure that you have this saved elsewhere
in case the disk dies.
Thur 2/1 Meet in 203. Go over
checklists for the
paper, (read some examples of good paper intros),
presentation (which will be videotaped) and
worksheet.
Look at paper 2
(extra credit for the first person to find which mathematician
was at Appalachian State Univ), and then hand back paper 1 drafts
(I skimmed the drafts and gave my impressions and suggestions for
improvement, but it is your responsibility to find additional ways
to improve the paper.)
and work on paper 1.
Tues 1/23Hypatia continued.
Go over
Knorr's case that Hypatia worked on Archimedes, and go over the
proof of Archimedes dimension of the circle. Discuss
Dr. Sarah's worksheet (first draft) on Hypatia's possible work on
Archimedes dimension of the circle. Homework
Do
worksheet and give suggestions for improvement. Study for
WebCT quiz 2, and work on paper1.
Thur 1/25Meet in computer lab.
WebCT quiz 2 on Hypatia's
mathematics and Mentoring poster.
Collect Hypatia worksheet
(first draft) by Dr. Sarah.
Math Historian Edith Prentice Mendez' suggestions for
improvement of the worksheet
I think the "translated works" is misleading. To my knowledge, she worked
only in Greek, and the addition of
exercises is not authenticated.
Mary Ellen Waithe in "A History of Women Philosophers", vol 1,
came up with that. I think it would be more
accurate to say that Hypatia developed commentaries on older works,
probably of Ptolemy, Diophantus, and Apollonius. in place of Hypatia
>translated works, added exercises"
I'd give "Textual Studies" a citation and not give much credit to the Agnes
Scott site, though the author appears to have checked a number of sources.
I only skimmed this, but the stories are written by undergraduates and have
very mixed reliability.
In response to Dr. Sarah's query:
My understanding is that Wilbur found the sexigesimal computation that
he attributes to Hypatia in Ptolemy's book III, and then goes to other
sources (such as the medieval Arabic version of Dimension of the Circle)
and attributes them to Hypatia after seeing stylistic similarities.
Dr. Prentice Mendez wrote:
I think this is accurate--also based on the reputation Hypatia had for her
teaching and style, a reputation transmitted by extant letters by her
student Synesius.
Student suggestions for improvement:
typos and comments for clarity, more pictures,
more space to write,
more guided help on the proof,
material was over the student's head / too hard
Student positive comments: (which weren't asked for)
This worksheet was helpful in allowing me to apply what I learned in
class - it gave me a better understanding.
pictures were helpful, as was the start of the proof,
I liked the worksheet.
Go over
inserting pictures into Word documents, dropping files
into Dr. Sarah's computer, and working on web checklist points.
Discuss demographics in this class
(4 out of 18 male students, 1 out of 18 minority students (hispanic),
13/18 math-ed majors), and compared to national trend demographics in
mathematics.
Tues 1/16
Hypatia continued. Discuss errors in Osen's Women in Mathematics
entry on Hypatia,
Hypatia's work on Diophantus' Arithmetica,
begin
Hypatia's work on Apollonius' Conics,
discuss classroom worksheets on Hypatia
(Famous Problems and Their Mathematicians by Johnson, p. 41-42,
Multicultural Science and Math Connections by Lumpkin, p. 146-
149,
Math Equals by Perl, p. 9-26). Homework
For WebCT quiz 2 next Thur 25, read poster
on Mentoring on the bulletin board between 303b and 305,
and start reviewing Hypatia's mathematics.
Read Dr. Sarah's bulletin board posting on WebCT about
your mathematician, quiz 1 retakes, work on paper 1.
Thur 1/18 Assessment
Tues 1/9
Entrance survey,
fill out an index sheet,
Intro to Hypatia - an overview
of her life and work by reading
the entry on Hypatia from Grinstein's Women of Mathematics.
Hypatia's work on
Ptolemy's Almagest.
Homework - Readings on
History of Education of Women
Failing at Fairness, Through the Back Door by Sadker:
The History of Women's Education p. 15-41.
History of Education of African Americans
The Eduction of Blacks in the United States,
African Americans and the Pursuit of Education after the Civil War,
After the Civil War: Plessy v. Ferguson,
Early Civil Rights Struggles: School Integration in Universities,
Early Civil Rights Struggles: Brown v. Board of Education,
School Integration: Introduction,
Integration or Separation: A Strategy for Racial Equality,
by Roy L. Brooks - reviewed by Louis Andrews.
Thur 1/11 Meet in 203. Intro to
course via web pages,
WebCT
for
the first time only,
WebCT quiz1 on history of education readings from Tues 1/9
, assignment of
mathematician for paper 1, hand out folders with info for paper 1,
discussion of readings and
searching for women
and minority mathematicians on the web.
Homework for Tuesday Start working on paper 1.
Click here
in order to read through the instructions on paper1 and click on the
writing checklist link that you should use as a guideline.