Project NExT: Day 3 Takeaways

From day 3 of Project NExT, I really want to remember the classroom Rites of Passage shared by Uri Treisman and Erica Winterer. They shared some techniques they’ve used to welcome new students into the mathematical community and to set up class norms.

One suggestion I loved is that they try to learn every student’s name before the first day of class. They use flashcards and the students’ university photos to study the names (and other info, like where they’re from). Can you imagine the look on a student’s face when you call on them by name on the first day of class? This technique makes students feel cared about and important, and lets them know they’ll be missed if they’re not in class. Caveat: if we’re going to bother learning names, let’s learn to pronounce them correctly. If we can learn to pronounce “Daenerys Targaryen,” we can learn to pronounce any name.

Another suggestion was to introduce students to their “mathematical geneology.” This means showing them the long line of mathematicians who have contributed to where we are now, and telling them, “You are next.” It’s important to show a diverse list of mathematicians, not just Europeans, but this isn’t hard to do. Let students know that what they’re learning is the culmination of thousands of years of work and that it’s not done yet. Someone has to take up the mantle and keep going, and we hope it will be them.

Yesterday I wrote about honoring hard work rather than natural ability. Treisman and Winterer touched on this with a third suggestion from their classes: have students research a recent MacArthur Fellow and learn about their work and history. Treisman himself is a MacArthur Fellow. What students generally find is that the MacArthur Fellows aren’t natural-born geniuses (despite the name “MacArthur Genius Grant”), but rather they’re people who work very hard on something they’re very passionate about. We need to dispel the myth that certain people are “geniuses” and everyone else need not bother; any of us can be successful in our fields through hard work and passion.

It’s worth noting that much of Treisman’s and Winterer’s presentation was actually video clips of their former students describing the class. These videos were made two years after the students finished the class. I was amazed at how much the students remembered and how fondly they spoke of the class. We should all hope to make such a strong positive impression on our students.

Some other tidbits I want to remember from day 3:

1. Classtime is precious, so use it all. I often spend a few minutes at the start of each class going over announcements and reminders, but these might be better saved for a Canvas announcement, or just written on the board. Let’s use those minutes for learning.
2. CalcPlot3D is an amazing app that helps with visualizing 3D shapes, curves, planes, etc. I can’t wait to use this in Calc 3 (or any other calc class) in the future.
3. In future Math Circle lessons, start each class with the Math Circle Pledge. The pledge basically says, “If I already know the answer, I will not spoil it for other people. Instead, I’ll try to find the answer in a new way.” Some students need this reminder every time.

I’m looking forward to learning even more this week!