Cornell Mathematics Outreach

Saturday Workshops for Teachers

Math 508 - Teaching Secondary Mathematics

406 Malott Hall

May 10, 2008

9:00-2:30

 

8:45-9:00         Welcome (juice and bagels provided)

9:00-10:15       Why Fibonacci?

                                    Presenter: Dave Bock, Cornell Math Department

We all love to show our students that the Fibonacci numbers occur frequently in nature. True, that's really cool, but did you ever wonder why? That insight combines elements of human perception, evolution, and the most irrational number.

10:30-11:45     My Top Ten Teachable Moments

                                    Presenter: Dan Kennedy, The Baylor School

My 35 years of teaching experience have given me many teachable moments, and I'll show you my favorites. Some of them were as educational for me as they were for my students, so I hope they will be educational for you as well. They should certainly prove to be interesting.

11:45-12:00     Introducing...

                                    Presenter: ?????

By May 10 my successor in this position will have been hired. You'll have a chance to meet him/her, and to register your ideas about how to maintain and improve these Saturday workshops.

12:00-12:30     Lunch (pizza provided)

12:30-2:15       The Challenges and Opportunities of Assessment and Grading

                        Part I: Good News / Bad News

                                    Presenter: Dave Bock, Cornell Math Department

Ever ask yourself: Is my grading system "fair"? What am I really testing? Is "teaching to the test" an inherently Bad Thing? And what's with that Regents scoring and grade conversion system? Let's talk...

Part II: What I Learned About Assessment from the AP Program

                                    Presenter: Dan Kennedy, The Baylor School

My four years as chair of the AP Calculus Test Development Committee taught me many things, but they really changed the way I looked at assessment. Perhaps I can give you some new insights as well.

2:15-2:30         Some Closing Thoughts

                                    Presenter: Dave Bock, (soon-to-be-EX) Cornell Math Department

 

SIGN UP by Wed May 7 at dave.bock@cornell.edu, or call 255-5529