American Mathematical Association of Anaheim Marriott 700 West Convention Way Two-Year Colleges Anaheim, CA 92802 Reservations: 877.622.3056 th *mention AMATYC conference* 39 Annual Conference Reservations Website: Anaheim, California https://resweb.passkey.com/ go/amatyc2013 October 31 – November 3, 2013 Keynote and Breakfast Speakers Sheila Tobias David Masunaga Opening Doors Author/Consultant Iolani School Victor Piercey It’s Only Days Until Through Ferris State University Mathematics Math Anxiety: The Last Word -Day! Hosted by Featured Speakers CMC3 South and Pat McKeague Jim Stigler MathTV.com UCLA the West Region Five Minutes to a More Teaching as a Lever for Change Satisfying Course in Developmental Mathematics Register online at www.amatyc.org Vision Statement Opening Doors Through Mathematics Core Values These are the Core Values that guide AMATYC’s internal and external interactions with each other and our community (in alphabetical order): Academic Excellence, Access, Collegiality, Innovation, Integrity, Professional Development, Teaching Excellence Mission Statement The American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) mission is to promote and increase awareness of the role of two-year colleges in mathematics education, and to: Ensure the preparation of mathematically and technologically literate citizens who are capable of making informed decisions, who have skills needed by business and industry, and who will continue to grow in their quantitative literacy; Lead the development and implementation of curricular, pedagogical, technological, and assessment stan- dards for two-year college mathematics education; Offer multiple opportunities for the preparation and continuing professional development of a competent and diverse mathematics faculty skilled in a variety of teaching modalities addressing different learning styles; Provide a forum that facilitates professional networking, communication, policy determination, and action among individuals, affiliates, and other professional organizations; and Communicate the perspectives of two-year college mathematics education to public, business, and profes- sional sectors. Adopted by the Board on April 12, 2010 American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges 39th Annual Conference Anaheim, CA KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Thursday Opening Session Sheila Tobias and Victor Piercey Math Anxiety: The Last Word Thursday, October 31, 3:00 pm Platinum Ballroom 5/6 Sheila Tobias introduced the concept of math anxiety and Victor Piercey has joined forces with Sheila Tobias to lead has made an art and a science of being an outsider to science the way for another generation of practitioners to help students and mathematics. Not formally trained in mathematics or with math anxiety. While incorporating Tobias’ clinical approach, science, she has found a way to get inside the heads of students Piercey takes the issue to the classroom where math anxiety who have difficulty relating to these subjects. She believes manifests itself as an impediment to learning. Together they offer that tests mainly measure performance, not ability, and that educators innovative ways to prevent or address anxiety using “failure at mathematics may be a failure of nerve, not a failure authentic real-world experiences as a vehicle to teach develop- of intellect.” A self-made expert in the field, her many books mental mathematics. Piercey is also interested in project-based on math and science anxiety and her many presentations to and experiential learning. This Fall he will begin a study on the students and educators have made her name, and the concept impact of these instructional modes on math anxiety, eventually of math anxiety, household words. She recently turned her examining their role in minority success. expertise to focus on the pre-algebra college students with her Piercey is Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Ferris latest book targeting that population and their instructors. State University in Big Rapids, MI, where he teaches a variety of Tobias has served as a consultant to the Alfred P. Sloan courses including Beginning Algebra, Contemporary Mathemat- Foundation on Professional Science Master’s (PSM) Degree ics, Precalculus, and Statistics for the Life Sciences. He is devel- Program and an academic liaison to the National PSM oping courses emphasizing quantitative reasoning with projects Association. She is supported by the Ford, Rockefeller, Research for business students. He is also studying student conceptions Corporation, and the Sloan Foundation, where her work has of variables and implications of computer-based developmental made her a sought-after consultant and speaker on college mathematics courses as well as working on an independent and university curricula, general education, post-baccalaureate study to model a zombie outbreak. alternatives, professional master’s in science and mathematics, His Ph.D. in Mathematics is from the University of Arizona and women’s studies. Educated in history and literature at where he was a graduate assistant from 2006 to 2012 and also Harvard/Radcliffe, Tobias earned a master’s in history and an was an adjunct faculty member at Central Arizona College. M. Phil. at Columbia University and eight honorary doctorates, He earned a J.D. in Law from Columbia University in 2000 and the most recent from Michigan State University and Worcester worked as an attorney for Weil, Goshal & Manges LLP in New Polytechnic Institute. York until 2002. His undergraduate degree from Michigan State University is in Interdisciplinary Humanities with concentration in History, Economics, and Russian. 1 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Saturday Awards Breakfast Session David Masunaga It’s Only Days Until -Day Saturday, November 2 Breakfast Served: 7:45-8:00 am (ticket required) Program: 8:30-10:00 am Platinum Ballroom 5/6 Although -Day is an international celebration held on March 14th (i.e. 3-14), this -fest will reveal some of the oddest facts about and will help you and your students celebrate -Day with new perspective year-round! What mysteries do origami, Vladimir Horowitz’s piano, and tennis cans have regarding ? What popular foods have amazing properties? Can simple square paper-folding exhibit profound aspects of circle geometry? The number occurs in many mathematical applications and has forever been an area of fascination. Come and learn about some of the most natural occurrences of geometry and some unusual and rarely discussed properties of . As students see the ubiquitous nature of geometry in symmetry, they will see it as a unifying concept throughout all of mathematics. Many humorous and off-beat occurrences of will be uncovered and provide teachers with a wide repertory of perspectives to renew interest in geometry for their students. Masunaga has numerous national awards for his work in mathematics and mathematics education and was the youngest person to be awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Education by then President Ronald Reagan in 1985. He fills his precious free time playing the oboe professionally and has played in Carnegie Hall twice, once soloing on the English horn. From 2009-2012, Masunaga served as a director of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. FEATURED SPEAKERS Pat McKeague Jim Stigler Five Minutes to a More Teaching as a Lever for Satisfying Course Change in Thursday, October 31, 1:50 pm Developmental Mathematics Friday, November 1, 9:10 am Do you feel as though you have too many topics to cover in your classes and Cross-cultural and psychological too little time? In this featured session, studies are examined to determine what Pat McKeague suggests you give yourself kinds of teaching strategies produce a five-minute break and see what can be learning with understanding. Can teaching techniques really accomplished. Invite your students to become community college make a difference in the challenges faced by the developmental instructors, share what brought you to mathematics, or provide a mathematics student? In this featured session Jim Stigler helps view of mathematics that unites culture and disciplines. us discover new concepts regarding teaching and develop ways After high school, McKeague attended San Fernando Valley to integrate current research techniques into the developmental State, now Cal State Northridge. In one of those turning points mathematics classroom. best appreciated from a distance, had he been accepted to dental Stigler is a professor of psychology at UCLA, Director of the school, his first career choice, his success story as a math teacher TIMSS video studies, and founder and CEO of LessonLab. He and author would not have happened. Due to the Vietnam War received his A.B. from Brown University in 1976, a Masters in and the fierce competition for graduate school deferments, his Education from the University of Pennsylvania in 1977, and dental school plans didn’t work out. He attended Brigham Young a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of University where he earned his master’s in mathematics in 1971, Michigan in 1982. Before moving to Los Angeles in 1991, Stigler completing a two year program in eleven months. served eight years on the faculty of the University of Chicago. In addition to his devotion to math and teaching, Pat has been He has received numerous awards for his research, including a involved with a variety of organizations in his local community: 4H, Guggenheim Fellowship in 1989 and the QuEST award from the the Literacy Council, Friends