Giving Professors Permission to Change Their Thinking

The need to change the teaching and learning of math is the subject of an article titled, “Giving Professors Permission to Change Their Thinking” by Cornell University’s David Henderson.  

Henderson asks the question of how to best change the teaching of mathematics in upper level math courses, so that it is more in line with the way mathematicians actually work.   He describes his own experiences with active and collaborative learning, the use of writing in upper level math courses, the use of assessment, and hands-on exploration with open ending and challenging problems in the teaching of math.

He suggests that using a more “human” definition of proof that communicates, convinces, and answers “why” will result in greater and more meaningful learning. Henderson points out, “that using this definition of proof has changed my teaching and changed the ways in which my students learn and desire to do proofs and thus changes the ways in which my students learn mathematics.”

Henderson concludes that math instructors should explore and try out different teaching strategies, realizing there are many successful strategies and that each person must find what works best for them. Individuals should be given the opportunity to explore and change slowly.  Changes also need to be supported by the institution, fellow instructors, changing views as to the nature of mathematics, new texts that model different approaches to content and pedagogy, and include workshops to experience these various approaches.

See http://www.math.cornell.edu/~dwh/papers/ICMI98/ICMI98.html