I often teach a course with the enigmatic title “Fundamentals of Mathematics I”, intended for liberal arts majors. This is usually the last encounter with math for students in non-scientific disciplines. The syllabus contains a decent amount of optional topics … Continue reading →

In a recent New York Times op-ed piece, Angelina Jolie revealed that she had a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of breast cancer.  She had a family history of cancer and tested positive for flaws in the BRCA 1 … Continue reading →

In 2010, two Harvard economists, Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff, circulated a paper demonstrating that GDP growth is negatively correlated to public debt (debt-to-GDP ratio to be more precisely).  Their paper was highly influential and has been used to support … Continue reading →

      As walking around inside the newly opened National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath), Professor Frank Wang (LaGuardia Community College) and I saw many, many kids, playing, chattering, taking pictures, laughing. In the small two-story museum located right in front of Madison Square … Continue reading →

A professional mathematician has, through exposure to many trials, become something like a desert creature, capable of supplying “meaning” metabolically by an internal gland rather than imbibing it from without. It can be difficult to diagnose “meaning deprivation” in our … Continue reading →

Since its birth on February 1, 2012, CUNYMath Blog has now reached the 50th post! My 2012 was the Year of Math. I had the pleasure of working with many CUNY math professors and other math-related people, who are so passionate … Continue reading →

A meeting prolonged, trains delayed, and I ended up being 30 minutes late to arrive at the meeting spot in Brooklyn Heights. Waiting for me was Professor Janet Liou-Mark, waving and all smiley… outside in the rain! Professor of Mathematics … Continue reading →

There is a concept I find very hopeful in contemporary mathematics education, the concept of Learning Trajectory (LT), whose simplest definition is derived from (Clements and Sarama, 2009): LT has a mathematical goal, a developmental progression, or a learning path to … Continue reading →