The JMM: What's Mathematics Education Got to Do with It?

by Dana Ernst and Angie Hodge

In just a few weeks, thousands of mathematicians and mathematics educators will descend on Baltimore for the 2014 Joint Mathematics Meetings. The JMM is a joint venture between the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America. Held each January, the JMM is the largest annual mathematics meeting in the world—attendance in 2013 was an incredible 6600! This year’s JMM takes place January 15-18 at the Baltimore Convention Center.

If you’ve attended the JMM before, you know how incredible of an experience it can be. If you’ve never been, we highly encourage you to attend. A quick glance at the conference program makes it clear that there is something for everyone. In fact, the number of opportunities is a bit overwhelming.

The handy JMM Personal Scheduler makes managing your time at the JMM much easier, but you still have to decide what talks and sessions you want to attend. Each year, there are numerous mathematics education and scholarship of teaching and learning related events to partake in (more than you could possibly attend)—and this year is no exception.

If you are having trouble deciding what talks to go to at the JMM and if you have an interest in math education, we are here to help. Below is just a sample of some of the offerings that caught our eye. Our list has a definite bias towards topics involving inquiry-based learning. The Legacy of R. L. Moore has compiled a similar list.

Wednesday January 15, 2014 

8:40am A Modified-Moore Method in Precalculus
Brad Bailey, University of North Georgia
Room 339, Baltimore Convention Center

9:40am The Sound of Mathematics: Pythagorean Music and Beyond

Randall E. Cone, Virginia Military Institute
Room 338, Baltimore Convention Center

10:00am Collaborative Assessments 

Brian Katz, Augustana College
Room 340, Baltimore Convention Center

3:00pm Using Inquiry-Based Learning in Courses for Prospective Elementary Teachers 

Stan Yoshinobu, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Room 347, Baltimore Convention Center

3:20pm Effective Thinking and Mathematics
Michael Starbird, University of Texas at Austin
Ballrooms I & II 4th Floor, Baltimore Convention Center

4:15pm Two sets of Moore-Method Analysis notes and two websites that support them
William T. Mahavier, Lamar University
Room 349, Baltimore Convention Center

4:55pm Gently Introducing IBL in Advanced Calculus 

Robert W. Vallin, Slippery Rock University
Room 349, Baltimore Convention Center

Thursday January 16, 2014 

9:00 – 11:50am MAA Invited Paper Session on Mathematics and Effective Thinking, I 

Edward Burger, Southwestern University;
J. Michael Pearson, MAA;
Stan Yoshinobu, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo;
Jodi Cotten, Westchester Community College, Valhalla, NY;
Sandra Laursen, University of Colorado Boulder;
David Bressoud, Macalester College
Room 307, Baltimore Convention Center

9:20am Developing Reinvention Materials in Ring Theory: Analysis of Student's Mathematical Activity 

John Paul Cook, University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma
Brian Katz, Augustana College
Milos Savic, University of Oklahoma
Room 341, Baltimore Convention Center

10:30am An IBL Approach to Advanced Calculus that Incorporates Proficiency 

Scott Beaver, Western Oregon University
Room 348, Baltimore Convention Center

10:40am Successes and Failures of Inquiry-Based Learning in an Introduction to Proofs Course 

Rachel Esselstein, California State Univ. Monterey Bay
Room 339, Baltimore Convention Center

10:40am Holistic, Diagnostic Grading Rubric for Student Presentations in an IBL Geometry Course

Nina Juliana White, University of Michigan

Room 340, Baltimore Convention Center

11:00am How Important is the Final Answer? Using Inquiry-Based Learning in an Introductory Proofs Course 

Susan Crook, Loras College
Room 339, Baltimore Convention Center

11:20am Using an Inquiry-Based Learning Approach in Introduction to Proofs and Advanced Calculus Course 

Jim Fulmer and Tom McMillan, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Room 339, Baltimore Convention Center

1:00 – 4:00pm MAA Invited Paper Session on Mathematics and Effective Thinking, II 

Paul Zorn, St. Olaf College;
Katherine Socha, Math for America;
Deborah J. Bergstrand, Swarthmore College;
Carol Schumacher, Kenyon College;
Francis Edward Su, Harvey Mudd College
Room 307, Baltimore Convention Center

Friday, January 17, 2014

8:45am An Inquiry-Based Approach to Teaching Parameterization 

Fabiana Cardetti, University of Connecticut;
Nicole DeMatteo, Providence College;
Jonathan Dollar, Emory University;
Gabriel Feinberg, Haverford College
Room 348, Baltimore Convention Center

1:00pm Group Work & Modified Moore Method in Flipping Calculus 1 

Karen Bliss, Quinnipiac University
Room 337, Baltimore Convention Center

2:40pm Flipping Intermediate Algebra 

Jacqueline A. Jensen-Vallin, Slippery Rock University
Room 337, Baltimore Convention Center

Saturday, January 18, 2014

1:45pm - 1:55pm Creating a Duel-Credit/Dual Enrollment "OnRamps" Precalculus Course to Enhance the College Readiness of High School and Community College Students
Mark Daniels, University of Texas at Austin
Room 347, Baltimore Convention Center

2:00pm How About a Free Set of IBL Calculus Notes that Covers all of Calculus I, II and III? 

William T. Mahavier, Lamar University
Room 340, Baltimore Convention Center

2:30pm Inquiry-Based Problem Solving Strategies through Interactive Approaches for Engaging Students in Mathematics
Padmanabhan Seshaiyer and Jennifer Suh, George Mason University
Room 314, Baltimore Convention Center

3:00pm Resources to Aid the Transition into an IBL Mathematics Course 

Gabriel Feinberg, Haverford College;
Lily An, Williams College;
Victoria Lewis, California State University Sacramento;
Fabiana Cardetti, University of Connecticut
Room 347, Baltimore Convention Center

3:15pm Inquiry-Based Learning and Hybrid Inquiry-Based Learning in College Geometry 

Ali S. Shaqlaih, University of North Texas at Dallas
Room 347, Baltimore Convention Center

In addition to the sessions listed above, we also encourage you to visit the Educational Advancement Foundation's booth. The EAF aims to strengthen mathematics education through fostering critical thinking and problem solving by ensuring all students have an inquiry-based learning (IBL) experience in mathematics. Why visit the EAF booth? Listen to a short podcast as Mike Breen (AMS Public Awareness Officer) speaks with Tina Straley (former MAA Executive Director), Stan Yoshinobu (California Poly, San Luis Obispo), and Michael Starbird (University of Texas at Austin).

If you are interested in undergraduate mathematics education, it’s likely because you care about students. It's not related to mathematics education, but we’d like to encourage you to go to the Undergraduate Poster Session, which takes place on Friday, January 17, 4:30-5:30pm. One of the best ways to support students at the JMM is by attending the poster session. We hope to see you there!