Talking Math Over The Thanksgiving Dinner Table

William Farmer (Presenter) and Michael Huber

United States Military Academy

This presentation will describe an assignment that gets students involved in discussing mathematics. The first step in creating any assignment was to determine the goals. This assignment had several goals: 1) determine the capability of each student to discuss a semi-complex mathematical concept; 2) to get each student more engaged in conceptual understanding instead of procedural skill; 3) motivate students to become a subject matter expert because they will have to explain the concept to one of their family members; and finally 4) open the doors of communication about education and classes between the student and his or her family.

The assignment had three parts. First each student had to write a one-to-two page essay describing in layman’s terms a specific mathematical concept such as the gradient vector or the Lagrange multiplier, coupled with at least one real-world application of the concept. Each student then sent his or her essay to a family member for their review, comment, and grade. Finally, each student had to await the grade and respond to specific questions from his or her family members. Throughout the process, students had to courtesy copy me, so I could monitor their progress and be available for correspondence.

The assignment had several very interesting unexpected results. Many family members communicated to me how overjoyed they were to finally be involved in their child’s education. Many mothers and fathers contacted me personally to thank me and offer their future assistance and to impart on me how impressed they were with their child and his or her mathematical prowess. These comments were usually expressed to the students also which increased motivation for learning and pride in their work. Furthermore, the assignment raised students’ appreciation for mathematics and the difficulty of trying to explain a semi-difficult concept in layman’s vocabulary. Finally, the assignment resulted in the overall desire of most students to not only learn a procedure but to understand a concept. For some, this assignment was the first time they had to be a subject matter expert. They had to know “WHY” the concept worked and “HOW” the concept worked since their reputation with their family members was on the line. In some essence they became the teacher and their family was their audience. The results support the cliché that ‘You don’t really know a topic until you teach it’.