This paper deals with the "problem" of student retention in higher education. But unlike most, this paper focuses not on the problem of retention "per se" but rather on how institutional leaders think about student retention, completion, and success--how the way they frame their concerns about retention can give rise to a different sort of…

The use of projectiles is a concept familiar to most students, whether it is a classic slingshot, bow and arrow, or even a spit wad through a straw. Perhaps the last thing a teacher wants is more projectiles in the classroom. However, the concept of projectiles is relevant to most students and may provide a means of bringing more authenticity into…

"Teaching mathematics from a sense-making perspective entails more than solving non-routine problems" (NCTM 2007, p. 85). When teachers want students to see mathematics as something that makes sense, they must furnish opportunities for them to solve problems in their own way and use structures that nurture their reasoning and sense making. The…

The purpose of this article is to present two very active applied modeling projects that were successfully implemented in a first semester calculus course at Hollins University. The first project uses a logistic equation to model the spread of a new disease such as swine flu. The second project is a human take on the popular article "Do Dogs Know…

As educators, the authors believe in guiding students towards the life skills, knowledge, and expertise they need to succeed in life and in the workforce of the 21st century. With that in mind, they have created a project in which students drive their own learning through creativity and collaborative work to develop an efficient product. Through…

Computation instruction continues to be one of the most important aspects of the mathematics curricula. Students who fail to understand and master the foundational components of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are likely to experience mathematics difficulties in both their school and post-school lives. A balanced instructional…

Trash is having a global impact not only on land, but at sea--making its way into the ocean and creating large islands of floating debris. One such island is The Great Pacific Trash Patch, which is located in the North Pacific and is made up of floating trash and debris that is spread out in an area as much as one and a half times the size of the…

How can a teacher use the practice of reflection to create rich mathematical learning environments that are engaging to students? In such environments, one can hear and see a seamless integration of Problem Solving, Reasoning and Proof, Communication, making mathematical Connections, and Representation (the NCTM Process Standards) through Number…

As the national educational organizations' standards evolve from students mastering discrete skills to demonstrating broad learning behaviors, often referred to as 21st century learning skills, pedagogy is slowly shifting from teacher- and textbook-centered dissemination of facts and information to student-centered construction of learning and…

Spurred on by explosive technological developments and unprecedented access to information, leaders in the fields of business, industry, and education are all calling for creative, innovative workers. In an atmosphere of high-stakes testing and global competitiveness, educators around the world are examining their teaching methods to determine…

In a seminal article published in 2006, Jeanette Wing described computational thinking (CT) as a way of "solving problems, designing systems, and understanding human behavior by drawing on the concepts fundamental to computer science." Wing's article gave rise to an often controversial discussion and debate among computer scientists,…

Student activities focused on discovering mathematics play an important role in the teaching and learning process. WebMathematics Interactive (WMI2) was developed to offer a fast and user-friendly on-line web interface to enhance the quality of both theoretical and applied mathematics courses. For the teacher, in the classroom, it provides…

We define a differential operator for analytic functions of fractional power. A class of analytic functions containing this operator is studied. Finally, we determine conditions under which the partial sums of the linear operator of bounded turning are also of bounded turning.

A square can be divided into two equal parts with any cut through the center. The first question that arises is, Would any cut through the center of a regular polygon divide it into two equal parts? If not, the second question is, What kind of lines through the center of the polygon would cut it into two halves? However, many objects are not…

We present a "base x height" approach to familiar results of Archimedes on the area of a parabolic sector. (Contains 1 figure.)