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THE
FIELDS INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES
20th
ANNIVERSARY
YEAR
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FIELDS
MATHED FORUM MEETING
Math outside the Classroom
April
27 , 2013
at 10 am- 2 pm
Fields Institute,
222 College Street, Toronto
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PROGRAM
10:00am - 10:10am Reports: OAME, OMCA, OCMA, CMESG, CMS, and other.
10:10am - 10:35am Jacqui Strachan (People for Education):
What Happens When Math Gets Home?
Biography: Jacqui is the mother of two boys. A former lawyer,
she has worked for People for Education for the past 12 years,
speaking to parent and education groups and providing telephone
and email support to parents across the province. As the Director
of Outreach and Parent Support, Jacqui develops multilingual tip
sheets for parents, coordinates a network of parents and community
agencies around the province, and runs workshops designed to engage
parents in their children's education.
Description: Jacqui Strachan will be talking about her personal
experiences with the math her boys brought home from school and
will also provide her perspective as a member of a parent advocacy
group. The presentation will comprise a short talk as well as
a Q and A opportunity, during which Forum members can ask questions
about mathematics in Ontario from "a parents' eye view."
10:35am - 11:35am Carol Carruthers (Seneca College): Learning
on a Continuum
Biography: Carol Carruthers is a professor of Mathematics and
a coordinator of the Applied Science and Technology Program at
Seneca College. She also coordinates the Foundation of Technical
Mathematics faculty, which spans three campuses, and leads the
School of Biological Sciences and Applied Chemistry Mathematics
team. In 2008, she received a Hewlett-Packard Higher Education
Technology for Teaching Grant and has since pursued the use of
technology to enhance learning in mathematics. In July 2013, she
will begin her studies in Cognition and Learning for the Joint
Ph.D. program through the University of Windsor.
Description: Eight years ago, this educator gave traditional
lectures, with students furiously copying notes and then individually
practising questions from the textbook in an effort to understand
concepts. Fast-forward to the present where students join a session
on tablet PCs; collaboratively listen, watch, and discuss concepts;
and with a digital pen, take notes that are saved to a virtual
binder available 24/7. The continuum evolves by using web-based
applets, WebQuests, portfolios, pre-class assignments, flipped
classroom, hybrid learning, and more. The development of this
methodology was largely based on student opinion and feedback.
The format for this session will include a short presentation
to illustrate this evolution, followed by the opportunity for
participants to discuss with a student panel how the students
believe this pedagogy has benefitted or hindered their learning.
Panelist - Shannon Carroll is a first semester Applied Science
& Technology Program (AST) student at Seneca College. Shannon
will transfer to the Chemical Laboratory Technician (CLT) Diploma
program in the fall and then may decide to transfer to the Biotechnology
Technologist program. Her career goals are to work in a medical
lab as well as to do research. In addition, she has been looking
into furthering her education with a Pathologists' Assistant focus.
Panelist - Ron Latchmansingh is a second semester AST student
who will finish in May 2013. Ron will then transfer to CLT, intending
to enroll in a joint program to get a university degree. Another
option he is considering is to go to university for a degree in
kinesiology. Either way, he will be on the right path toward a successful
career. Ron has won awards in football as Defensive Player of the
Year, and in High School, he won awards for perfect attendance and
was twice on the honor role.
Panelist - Nicole Samuel is currently enrolled in the Biotechnology
Technologist Research Program at Seneca College. She returned to
school full time this January after being in the workplace for a
few years. Nicole previously studied Business Administration Accounting
at George Brown College. She would like to continue studying science
and hopes to further her university education.
Panelist - Aleksandra (Sasha) Stavroff is in her second of
six semesters in the Biotechnology Technologist Research (BTR) program.
Sasha graduated from Maple High School in 2007 and completed her
AST Certificate on the President's Honour Role. In her first semester
of BTR, she has maintained her pursuit of excellence with a 4.0
GPA. She plans to continue her post-secondary education in Biodiversity
or in Microbiology and Genetics at the University of Guelph.
11:35am - 12:05pm Derrick Driscoll (Thames Valley District
School Board): CLARITY
Biography: Derrick Driscoll is a 20-year veteran high school
math teacher from London, Ontario. He has been using clicker devices
since 2000. Along the way, he developed an effective pedagogy
that led to significant performance gains at the MFM1P1 level.
Derrick became a National Instructor for Texas Instruments in
2002 and more recently, for e-Instruction. He has also been involved
in creating math textbooks for Ontario courses. Three rounds of
research over a 10-year period led to the development of CLARITY,
a software innovation that helped him create learning curves designed
to understand the strengths and weaknesses of his students.
Description: Derrick will discuss CLARITY, an innovative software
package that allows teachers to view the performance of every
student and make informed decisions about appropriate interventions.
Evidence based on the use of formative assessment in conjunction
with the data provided through the use of CLARITY indicated that
over the 2-year research period (2010-2012), EQAO performance
trends in certain strands and categories showed greater improvement
in these classes than in the general School District. A colleague
who adopted this approach also garnered similar student gains
over this period.
12:05pm - 1:00pm LUNCH BREAK
(Light refreshments provided)
1:00pm - 2:00pm Martin Fischer (Ontario Science Centre):
Mathematics Programs at the Ontario Science Centre
Biography: Martin has been an educator at the Ontario Science
Centre for 13 years and leads the physics demonstrations, the
innovation workshops, and the new school programs in mathematics.
He strives to create intriguing props and magical demos that ignite
the students' curiosity, leading them to experience the pleasure
of finding things out.
Description: Science Centres have made a name for themselves by
creating rich, hands-on experiences that encourage young and old
to experiment and explore the world. In 2011, the Ontario Science
Centre expanded its school offerings into the realm of mathematics
- using the same approach of wowing the students and sparking
curiosity. To date, the focus has been on probability and data
management through investigating catapults, bungee jumping, loaded
dice, and Galton Boards. The presenter would like to engage the
Fields audience in a discussion about other areas of mathematics
that could be explored and "work-shopped" in a similar
manner.
2:00pm Adjournment
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