LEGACYLEGACY
Carol S. SchumacherCarol S. SchumacherKenyon CollegeKenyon [email protected]@kenyon.edu
R. L. Moore and Associates
H.S. WallH. J. Ettlinger
R. L. Moore
R. L. Moore and Associates
CarolSchumacher
John Neuberger
Robert Eslinger
H.S. WallH. J. Ettlinger
Legacy
something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past—Merriam Webster
The Moore Plan
Moore’s Objective: To train students to do research in pure mathematics.
Moore’s Primary Tactic: Hand-picking his students: finding and developing (creative) mathematical talent and enthusiasm, often where it was not before known to exist
Moore was very tenacious: Once he set his sites on a student, that student’s fate was pretty much sealed.
Features of Moore’s Method
1. Selection of students capable of coping with the type of material to be studied.
2. Controlling size of group: 4-8 students.3. Injection of the proper amount of
intuitive material, as an aid in the construction of proofs.
4. Insistence, by the students themselves, on rigorous proof and extreme clarity.
5. Encouragement, even promotion, of competition among the students.
R. L. Wilder
From an address:quoted in R. L. Moore, Mathematician and Teacher by John Parker, pgs. 216-217.
Moore’s Rules and Mores
• Students prove theorems; present their proofs in class
• No textbooks for the course; no outside sources consulted
• No external help; no discussion of problems outside of class
• Students criticize weaknesses or inaccuracies in presented proofs
• There was no attempt to cater to the “average” student. “The pace was set by the most talented.” (R.L. Wilder)
No books, no lecturesno outside sources, just you . . .
There is a lot of misunderstanding
“That’s interesting. I just don’t see how it’s teaching.”
---An award-winning Physics Professor from CalTech
Explaining what I do
Modified Moore Methods
“Only one person has ever taught by
The Moore Method and that person is R. L. Moore.”
Core of the Moore Method
“I think that the substance of [Moore’s] successful teaching was largely his interest in the development of ideas, intellectual ideas, mathematical ideas, on
the part of his students.”
R. D. Anderson
Basic Assumptions
1. My main job as a teacher is to work towards the goal of making my students independent of me.
Ideally, this means that I must. . . 2. Elevate my students from recipients to
creators of knowledge. 3. Virtually all students can do mathematics, if
given the time they need to wrestle with mathematical ideas.
Ways and Means
Give students the time to discover, present, and debate mathematics ; let them recognize the power of their minds.
Us
Our student
s!
10,000 hours
Ways and Means
Have students responsible for moving the class forward by having them tackle mathematics that is both significant and central.
Ways and Means
Carefully match problems and material to students; make challenges vary widely in difficulty so that all students can both succeed and be stretched mathematically.
Features of Moore’s Method
1. Selection of students capable of coping with the type of material to be studied.
2. Controlling size of group: 4-8 students.3. Injection of the proper amount of
intuitive material, as an aid in the construction of proofs.
4. Insistence, by the students themselves, on rigorous proof and extreme clarity.
5. Encouragement, even promotion, of competition among the students.
R. L. Wilder
From an address:quoted in R. L. Moore, Mathematician and Teacher by John Parker, pgs. 216-217.
Features of Moore’s Method
1. Selection of students capable of coping with the type of material to be studied.
2. Controlling size of group: 4-8 students.3.3. Injection of the proper amount of Injection of the proper amount of
intuitive material, as an aid in the intuitive material, as an aid in the construction of proofs.construction of proofs.
4. Insistence, by the students themselves, on rigorous proof and extreme clarity.
5. Encouragement, even promotion, of competition among the students.
R. L. Wilder
From an address:quoted in R. L. Moore, Mathematician and Teacher by John Parker, pgs. 216-217.
Features of Moore’s Method
1. Selection of students capable of coping with the type of material to be studied.
2. Controlling size of group: 4-8 students.3.3. Injection of the proper amount of Injection of the proper amount of
intuitive material, as an aid in the intuitive material, as an aid in the construction of proofs.construction of proofs.
4.4. Insistence, by the students themselves, Insistence, by the students themselves, on rigorous proof and extreme clarity.on rigorous proof and extreme clarity.
5.5. Encouragement, even promotion, of Encouragement, even promotion, of competition among the students.competition among the students.
R. L. Wilder
From an address:quoted in R. L. Moore, Mathematician and Teacher by John Parker, pgs. 216-217.
A Different Shaped Fence
“What Moore did when he had a group of people in class was to go through a kind of group learning exercise with Moore, the teacher, in control. I know that Moore did not believe in cooperative learning. . . but I think many of Moore’s teaching techniques can be done formally using cooperative learning . . . as an alternative [to] the highly competitive [environment that] he generated in class.”
R. D. Anderson
From an interview:quoted in R. L. Moore, Mathematician and Teacher by John Parker, pgs. 216-217.
Why teach using the Moore Method?Who is it for?
Paul R. Halmos
Mathematicians!
H. J. Ettlinger H.S. WallR. L. Moore
50 Ph.D. students2750 Descendants
66 Ph.D. students
370 Descendants27 Ph.D. students
398 Descendants
Moore was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, as were three of his students—R.H. Bing, G.T. Whyburn, and R. L. Wilder.
Service to the Profession
President of AMS1937-1938
R. H. Bing 1977-1978
R.L. Wilder 1955-1956
G.T. Whyburn 1953-1954
Presidents of the MAA
R.D. Anderson 1981-1982
Lida K. Barrett 1989-1990
R. H. Bing 1963-1964
R.L. Wilder 1965-1966
E.E. Moise 1967-1968
G. S. Young 1969-1970
And there’s more…
• (Vice President of AMS) x 2• Associate Secretary and then Secretary of the AMS
for 17 years.• Treasurer of the AMS• (Distinguished service award from MAA) x 3• Several editors and associate editors of major
journals of the AMS• Lester R. Ford Award• Chauvenet Prize• Numerous Department chairs, some for many years.
Legacy
(15th Century)--A body of persons sent on a mission.---Oxford English Dictionary
Ben Fitzpatrick
Albert Lewis
Harry Lucas
Ron Douglas
John Neuberger
Ted Mahavier
Lee and Bill Mahavier
Jean Mahavier
Ted Mahavier
Lee and Bill Mahavier
Jean MahavierJudy Kennedy
Ed Parker
Bob Eslinger
Mike Starbird Ted Odell
Ed Burger
Teena Carroll Judy Holdener
Marie Snipes Eric Kahn
Gavin Larose
Judith Covington Ron Taylor Jackie Jensen
Stan Yoshinobu