Changing Math Teaching: Dan Meyer's TedxTalk

My buddy Jeremy Carter has introduced me recently to Ted Talks, and I'm hooked. One of the best things about them is that they're time-limited. You know you're going to get good content in an engaging way without wasting you time. Here, Dan Meyer does a really nice job of talking about how math teaching is changing in America.

Country Music & Civil Rights

I love this video. I've started using it in my Methods of Teaching I class to help new teachers think about how much the world has changed, but how little our teaching methods have changed. The video moves me, especially when I think about the changes I've seen in my life.

My favorite part is what's pictured below, when Brad is playing quietly on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. I went to first grade in a segregated school in Greenville, Mississippi. Now, I live in a city that's a symbol of the strides forward we've made in civil rights. Sometimes, I get down about all that's happening in the world around me. This video reminds me that things really do change and that we really should "never, never, never give in".

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Plagiarism

Plagiarism makes me angry. It's rampant at the university, and it's just wrong. Here's my newly written plagiarism policy that will begin appearing on my syllabi:

Plagiarism certainly occurs when a student uses someone else’s exact words without quotation marks and a full citation or when a student paraphrases extensively without citation. These are not the only instances of plagiarism. When in doubt, students bear the responsibility to inquire whether their use of information from another source constitutes plagiarism. Though technically not plagiarism, teachers risk the appearance of plagiarism when they present another educator's lesson ideas as their own without giving credit.

Student Presence Resources

View my Prezi here and find the handouts from my presentation in the Zip file at my Mac public folder.