2021 Sessions

11:00 to Noon Sessions

Reaching Beyond Algebra II, Exploring Non-Traditional Mathematics Topics - Volume 2  

Tamar Avineri and Ashley Loftis

In this active learning session, we will focus on topics that may appear in courses beyond Algebra II, such as graph theory, number theory and logic.  We will spend the majority of our time working collaboratively on relevant tasks pertaining to these topics, and participants will walk away with resources they can implement in their classrooms.  These topics can be found in the North Carolina Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science course, which launched this year, but participants outside of North Carolina are also very much encouraged to attend.  (Most of the topics covered in this session will be different from those covered in our TCM session and/or Summer Workshop last year.) 




Meeting in _11am-Noon Reaching Beyond Alg II_-20210227_110232-Meeting Recording.mp4

Drones, Electric Trucks, Vaping, and Water Bottle Bans Get Math Students Modeling

Kathleen Snook with Michelle Montgomery

Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) and Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP) each organize annual math modeling contests for high school students and undergraduate students. In this session, we’ll take apart recent contest problems, discuss motivation, and share a collection of open access resources that offer teachers and coaches the opportunity to painlessly bring math modeling and computational thinking into their schools. Despite the emphasis standards place on mathematical modeling, authentic mathematical problem-solving opportunities are seldom seen in class. Math modeling contests have little to no entrance barriers, and give students a chance to discover that they can apply curricular mathematics to investigate real world problems. We will address several different contests – two at the high school level and two at the undergraduate level – what each is, what sorts of problems are posed, and how to participate meaningfully as a district, school or teacher-coach. We’ll highlight solution approaches from a variety of mathematical perspectives noting that modeling problems offer many entry points and many levels of solution techniques. We’ll also share resources with participants. Speakers will include representatives from SIAM and COMAP who have extensive experience writing and assessing work on open ended and data driven problems. 


Meeting in _11am-Noon Drones, Etc_-20210227_110235-Meeting Recording.mp4

Compiling and Displaying Student Inputs: A New Layer of Desmos 

Kevin Ji and Nick Koberstein

If you are using Desmos Activities in your classroom, you probably already know how powerful it can be for teaching, learning and reviewing content! This session will introduce you to the Computational Layer, focusing on a new and useful resource, the Aggregate function! Learn how to take student inputs and compile them into a list for easy visualization and discussion. We’ll look at different ways of displaying class data for students to see on their own screens including class scatterplots and distributions. We’ll demonstrate some activities that use this function, consider ways to improve activities you are already using, and brainstorm new ways to implement this powerful tool to create engaging and effective activities. Aggregation can be used in a range of content from Algebra to Calculus and Statistics. Experience with the Computation Layer is helpful, but not required! Bring any ideas for activities you’ve been dreaming of that involve quickly collecting and visualizing data: we hope you’ll leave this session ready to build those ideas into your own collection of activities! 




Meeting in _11am-Noon A New Layer of Desmos_-20210227_110024-Meeting Recording.mp4

Creating Student Research Experiences in Mathematics 

Todd Lee


All teachers want students to find our mathematical questions interesting. One step in the right direction is to convince students to take ownership of a question. When students take ownership and display agency towards an open question, this is the start of student-driven research. In this session, we will focus on ways of creating student research experiences that are not part of larger mathematics research programs. As an example, we will explore the structure of the past few iterations of the NCSSM summer research program for mathematics, along with a sample of students’ research questions and experiences.








Meeting in _11am-Noon Creating Student Research Exp in Math_-20210227_110358-Meeting Recording.mp4

Zeroing In: What students really need before Calculus  

Barb Sink

Students need a stronger foundation with algebra skills to be successful in calculus. Participants will engage in a discussion about how to better prepare students in earlier maths so that calculus becomes more assessable and encourages mathematical study beyond high school.  



Meeting in _11am-Noon Zeroing In_-20210227_110202-Meeting Recording.mp4

2:00pm to 3:00pm Sessions

Apportionment: Thinking About Equity in a Census Year

Floyd Bullard and Veronica Vazquez

In this session we will present an investigation for students where they learn about different techniques for congressional apportionment and what repercussions these could have on the make-up of the US congress and–potentially–the electoral college. The discussion will include Hamilton's method and the surprising results of 1882 and 1901. We will conclude with the Huntington-Hill method and the potential changes that may occur based on 2020 census data. 



Meeting in _2pm-3pm Apportionment_-20210227_140059-Meeting Recording.mp4

Trends in A.P. Calculus and How They Affect Pre-Calculus 

Ken Collins

A.P. Calculus continues to evolve. What is the focus of these recent changes?  What impact does this have on how we teach Pre-Calculus?  We will discuss the mathematical practices of A.P. Calculus and share some specific classroom-ready examples to use in Pre-Calculus. 



Meeting in _2pm-3pm Trends in AP Calculus_-20210227_140252-Meeting Recording.mp4

Incorporating Spreadsheets into Math Class 

Bowman Dickson

This session will talk about how one teacher has integrated spreadsheets into his curriculum at a few different levels. Learn a tangible idea for all of the core courses: Geometry – finding the “perimeter” of a circle. Algebra 2 – modeling situations that involve probability. Precalculus – modeling with exponential functions. Calculus - computational differential equations. 



Meeting in _2pm-3pm Incorporating Spreadsheets into Math Class_-20210227_140124-Meeting Recording.mp4

Introducing Parametric Equations 

Ryan Pietropaolo and Amber Smith

We will discuss two/three problems that we have found to be helpful in introducing Parametric Equations.  These problems have traditionally been used in Precalculus but can easily be manipulated to benefit students in BC Calculus. 



Meeting in _2pm-3pm Introducing Parametric Equations_-20210227_135631-Meeting Recording.mp4

3:00pm to 4:00pm Sessions

Pooled Testing: Maximizing Coverage while Minimizing Resources

Christine Belledin and Dan Teague

This fall, Duke University instituted an aggressive testing program of asymptomatic students on campus for COVID-19 using a pooling process to minimize the use of reagents and the time for and expense of testing.  This timely and relevant optimization process can be investigated by Precalculus and Calculus students.  Christine Belledin will present a student-developed Precalculus approach via graphs and data analysis, while Dan Teague will present an approach using a sequence of classic optimization problems solvable by standard techniques of calculus. 




Meeting in _3pm-4pm Pooled Testing_-20210227_150004-Meeting Recording.mp4

Student Designed Calculus Projects  

Laura Berdine

Learn how students can develop their own Dan Meyer three-act lesson to demonstrate key learnings in Calculus. Through productive struggle, each group develops their idea, determines information needed to solve the problem, and presents their lesson to the class. In the true spirit of modeling, initial failed attempts and redesigns are a part of the process. I will share a project outline, sample projects, and grading rubrics. 



Meeting now-20210227_150107-Meeting Recording.mp4

Statistics with Python 

Mahmoud Harding and Philip Rash


Participants will complete an activity that uses Python to help them investigate the likelihood of a historical event. 



Meeting in _3pm-4pm Statistics with Python_-20210227_150020-Meeting Recording.mp4

Championing Equity: Meaningful Ways to Increase Inclusivity and Access in Mathematics Education 

Tracie McLemore Salinas 

Recent events related to health, technology access, and racial justice have highlighted the ongoing issues of equity and access that permeate education.  While mathematics education benefits from numerous champions of mathematics learning for all, there is much work to be done in making equity the rule and not the exception.   In this talk, I’ll share what it looks like to take a critical lens to mathematics and STEM outreach, materials, and professional development and how to grow a community of practice that develops shared lenses and perspectives related to inclusion.  




Meeting in _3pm-4pm Championing Equity_-20210227_150040-Meeting Recording.mp4