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Articles

Articles

See also this list of Books useful for the preparation and development of mathemathics teaching assistants.
Two 2005 articles on using Case Studies with mathematics graduate students:

Other articles or presentations:

  • Eisenhart, M. (1995). The fax, the jazz player, and the self-story teller: How do people organize culture? /Anthropology & Education Quarterly/, 26(1), 3-26.
    • ABSTRACT: Theories of how culture effects socialization and the formation of persons have long been of interest to anthropologists of education. In most of these theories, individuals are defined, categorized, shaped, or determined by social practices that reflect cultural priorities. Until recently, few educational anthropologists have given serious consideration to conceptualizing how individual actively and inventively contribute to cultural continuity or change. Using data collected during an 18-month workplace ethnography, I suggest that one means by which individuals actively organize culture is through the “stories of self” that they express or enact when they join new social settings. These stories are conceived as devices that mediate changing forms of individual participation (i.e., learning) in context. As such, stories of self contribute to identity formation and affect culture.
    • NOTE: I’ve found this helpful because it addresses the first few days of a newcomers’ presence in a community. In thinking about TAs, this helps explain how TAs’ approaches to the department in the first days of the semester can influence their future social interactions.
  • Gutmann, T. (2000). Mathematics and Socio-cultural Behavior: A Case Study of the Enculturation of a New Mathematician. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH.
    • ABSTRACT: (mini version) This is an ethnographic study of a mathematics department and the enculturation of a new faculty member. Important components are the coping behaviors department members used to deal with the generally hostile environment for mathematicians, and the coping behaviors/learning processes and stages that the new faculty member went through as he adjusted to and decided how to address his new department.
  • Keynes, H. & Olson, A. (2001). Professional development for changing undergraduate mathematics instruction. In D. Holton (Ed.), The Teaching and Learning of Mathematics at the University Level: An ICMI Study, pp. 113-125. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
    • ABSTRACT: “This paper discusses a model for professional development used in a new reformed calculus sequence for science, engineering, and mathematics students created for the Institute of Technology, University of Minnesota. This model uses a team approach and different modes of mentoring to provide explicit and implicit professional development for all team members – senior faculty, graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants (TAs), and teaching specialists. We discuss why this model has been effective in having senior faculty use and support changes in pedagogy, including instructional teamwork and student-centred learning, students working cooperatively in small groups, and exploring mathematical ideas using appropriate technologies. We indicate how other members of the instructional team are also encouraged and mentored in using these approaches. A key feature is the development of materials on complex mathematics topics, which can be most effectively taught using these modern approaches. The future implications of this model, including expanded uses of these appraoches in more advanced mathematics coursework, are also addressed. Finally some directions for future research suggested by this model are discussed.” (p.113)
  • Keynes, H., Olson, A., O’Loughlin, D., & Shaw, D. (2000). Redesigning the calculus sequence at a research university: Faculty, professional development, and institutional issues. In S. Ganter (Ed.) Calculus Renewal: Issues for Undergraduate Mathematics Education in the Next Decade, pp. 103-120. New York: Plenum Publishers.
  • Legrand, M. (2001). On the training of French prospective university teachers. In D. Holton (Ed.), The Teaching and Learning of Mathematics at the University Level: An ICMI Study, pp. 519-528. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
  • Mason, J. (2001). Professionalism of teaching in higher education in the United Kingdom. In D. Holton (Ed.), The Teaching and Learning of Mathematics at the University Level: An ICMI Study, pp. 529-538. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
  • Murphy, T.J., & Wahl, K. (in press). Adapting a workshop calculus model to college algebra: Instructional challenges. American Mathematical Association for Two-Year Colleges Review.
  • Speer, N. M. (2001). Connecting Beliefs and Teaching Practices: A Study of Teaching Assistants in Reform Oriented Calculus Courses. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of California, Berkeley.
  • Bruce Reznick (1999) Chalking It Up: Advice to a New TA, University of Illinois

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