Math 371 Technology for STEM Educators

     Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines struggle as making strenuous or violent efforts in the face of difficulties or opposition. This doesn’t sound like something that would happen much in a classroom. I mean, violence is definitely not something I’d wish to see in a classroom. However, the reality is that struggle is an integral part of being a student.      For the sake of clarity, I should tell you, that the type of struggle that I’m referring to is productive struggle. The difference here is that productive struggle is where a student is actively engaging with a problem to push their understanding. Rather than facing a difficult situation and turning towards frustration and stagnation, which is how I’d describe unproductive struggle. Productive struggle is what can allow a student to take steps toward growth and understanding. This is because it builds resiliency, deepens understanding, and encourages a growth mindset.       Undo...

There is always question and conversation among math teachers on the subject of homework . Do you assign homework daily? Practice makes perfect, right? How many homework questions should I assign? Again, practice makes perfect, right? Do you grade homework by completion or correct answers? As an educator, you desire your students to get the correct answer, right? But what about the learning process? How do I handle the issue of students cheating on homework ?    Recently in my Math 371 Technology for STEM Educators course, we discussed platforms on which students often cheat on homework, such as P hotomath , S ymbolab , Mathway , and several other AI math solvers. We noticed after doing some research that there are tons of math solver apps or websites that are available to use, and that those platforms are being used by students in the classroom. Math solver software is especially used on assigned homework. This poses the question, i f students are cheating on their hom...

Many teachers are inspired to become educators because of experiences they had in the classroom as a student. This is not the case for all teachers or prospective teachers, and it is not the case for me. To be clear, throughout my education, I have had many wonderful teachers who have both inspired and supported me. However, my high school chemistry teacher did not inspire me to become a chemistry teacher. During my first trimester of high school chemistry, at the end of 2019, I distinctly remember a class period in which the entire class was asleep, except me and a few other students, who likely wished they were asleep. Even the teacher seemed bored. He was lecturing on something I don’t remember, but I do remember the response from the class: boredom. Even with innovative instructional techniques and high pressure for improvement in every facet of education, teachers can contribute to this problem without realizing it. It can be easy to have the same structure for each class, and s...