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You can promote discourse and stimulate student thinking through effective questioning. This, in turn, develops the habits of mind suggested by the Standards for Mathematical Practice. Here is a list of questions from the Professional Standards in Teaching Mathematics, grouped into categories that reflect the mathematical practices.

This directed case study examines differences between the exponential and logistic growth models in biology and how they are applied to solve real life problems. The narrative follows a student returning to the United States as he tries to assess his possible exposure to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). To better understand his risk, James needs to get up to speed on a variety of topics including the difference between infection, transmission, virulence, etc., and how these topics can be mathematically modeled not only in relation to MERS, but also with respect to Ebola and influenza. This case was designed for use in the second semester of a biocalculus course or a course involving ordinary differential equations, which are appropriate for second year undergraduate students majoring in biology, pre-med, and bio-mathematics. These students typically have completed a semester of calculus and one year of general biology. The case provides an opportunity for students to develop their understanding of differential equations and increase their appreciation of mathematics as it applies to solving a problem of biology.

A Participation Quiz /Group Feedback is a strategy to help establish or reinforce norms for group work in a cooperative environment. While students work together in their group on a math task, the teacher takes public notes-on a document camera, white board, chart paper, or overhead projector-about the quality of their group work (social moves) and the quality of their mathematical discussions (math moves). The teacher can take notes on how students work together, their use of classroom norms, or the specific language they use to communicate their mathematical ideas.

University of Washington Institute for Science and Mathematics Education has created partnerships to envision, cultivate, and study equity-focused educational models and practices in areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). We do this work across the K-12 grade span and across formal and informal learning environments. We believe that all young people should be able to decide their own futures. Their opportunity to learn in STEM fields plays a critical role in their opportunity to do so now and in the future. We develop innovative projects that seek to deliver on this goal and closely study them to develop knowledge about how to broaden participation in STEM. The Institute is strongly affiliated with the Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE) Center.

In this lesson, students explore the fundamental mathematical concepts underlying the spread of contagious diseases. Using a simple exponential model, students compare and contrast the effects of different transmission rates on a population and develop an understanding of the nature and characteristics of exponential growth. Students can then compare their projections with actual Ebola data from West Africa, to create context for analyzing the strengths and limitations of this simplified model.

NSDL is the nation's online portal for education and research on learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The National Science Digital Library has a wealth of high quality digital resources to teach almost any topic in K-12 math and science. NSDL has constructed the following collections of "resource packs" for teaching to particular K12 subject areas, drawing resources from NSDL Pathways and other NSDL projects, and gathering these topical resource sets into a single location. (Author: Laura Moin) Atomic Structures Energy Evolution Mathematics Water Quality

Look no further! This page is a gold mine for teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The grade level science and math buttons will take you to the best of lessons done by area teachers in ScienceWise courses as their requirement for graduate credit. The "Other Resources" button leads to links for national websites, each with numerous, vetted lesson plans, classified by topic and grade level.

In a paper this week in Science, Vogelstein and Cristian Tomasetti, who joined the biostatistics department at Hopkins in 2013, put forth a mathematical formula to explain the genesis of cancer. Here's how it works: Take the number of cells in an organ, identify what percentage of them are long-lived stem cells, and determine how many times the stem cells divide. With every division, there's a risk of a cancer-causing mutation in a daughter cell. Thus, Tomasetti and Vogelstein reasoned, the tissues that host the greatest number of stem cell divisions are those most vulnerable to cancer. When Tomasetti crunched the numbers and compared them with actual cancer statistics, he concluded that this theory explained two-thirds of all cancers.

For centuries, women have studied and made groundbreaking discoveries in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. Encourage your girls and boys to appreciate the contributions of women scientists. With our seven ideas, learn about some outstanding women from the history of STEM innovation and inspire your kids' scientific explorations - indoors and outdoors.

It may seem counter-intuitive at first but letting mosquitoes grow up and breed may be part of the solution to tackling the devastating impact of malaria. Researchers have used mathematical modeling to examine why conventional insecticides used against the insects that transmit the disease responsible for millions of deaths a year, can quickly become ineffective in areas of intensive use. Their answers may lead to unprecedented advances in malaria control.

Mathematician-turned biologist Dr. Corina Tarnita describes the importance of termite mounds in a savanna ecosystem. Termite mounds are biological hotspots that concentrate nutrients and water in semi-arid savanna ecosystems. When viewed from above, the mounds form a strikingly regular polka-dot pattern. Dr. Corina Tarnita uses mathematical modeling to explain the regularity of the pattern, how it arises, and how the mounds enhance the stability of the ecosystem.

American school systems tend to put-off studying the sciences in-depth until high school. Only recently has this practice come under long-overdue scrutiny. Over 65 percent of scientists reported that their interest in science began before their middle school years, according to the International Journal of Science Education. In order to have curious, scientifically literate students who can bring innovation to a technologically based economy, it is essential that they have a strong foundation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, with classes in these subjects beginning in the elementary grades. Perhaps the solution lies in a connected curriculum.

CASES Online is a collection of investigative lessons, or "cases," for K-12 and undergraduate science education. Using principles of Problem-Based Learning and Investigative Case-Based Learning (and related student-centered pedagogies), our cases are designed to engage students in exploring the science behind real-world problems. Our cases address a variety of learning objectives across the sciences and mathematics. Although our K-12 cases were designed for use in Georgia and meet our state education standards, we have also included the relevant National Science Education Standards. CASES Online is designed to be used by K-12 and undergraduate science educators. By searching our collection, educators can find cases appropriate to their grade levels, subjects, and topics of interest. In order to download case materials for use in the classroom, educators must first register. While there is no charge to register, download, or use these cases -- we request that all users follow the guidelines outlined under our Terms of Use. Educators are also encouraged to submit cases of their own to our collection. To learn how best to use CASES Online, explore the User Guide; otherwise, begin to transform your classroom by searching for cases.

This case study presents the story of Phil, an undergraduate majoring in biology, whose Russian cousin Dimitri has contracted tuberculosis (TB) from inmates at the prison where he works.  Phil learns that his cousin's failure to complete his antibiotic regimen likely contributed to the evolution of antibiotic-resistant TB in his body.  Phil consults with his friend Stacy, and together they try to understand Dimitri's condition by applying what they are learning in their genetics lab experiment about the role of random mutation in bacterial evolution (including the development of antibiotic resistance) through Luria- Delbrück fluctuation analysis. The same analysis includes calculation of the mutation rate, which Phil realizes is sufficient to cause MRSA and other antibiotic-resistant infections. This case study was originally developed for concurrent use in freshman/sophomore-level genetics, elementary statistics, and precalculus. However, it is also very appropriate for courses in introductory biology, evolutionary biology, and biostatistics. The teaching notes discuss various ways to run the case depending on the mathematics and biology background of students.

Although rabies still causes thousands of deaths globally every year, it has essentially been eradicated from most industrialized countries. Part of the success story is due to an unusual project undertaken by the Swiss prompted by a series of large outbreaks in the 1970s: the large-scale vaccination of wild foxes to stop the epidemic. In this directed case study, students use an easily accessible MS Excel-based model to understand key epidemiological parameters of rabies outbreaks in wild foxes. The simple model allows students also to predict what proportion of foxes needs to be vaccinated to eradicate the virus from the population. The case fits into both ecological and microbiological (epidemiological) courses and offers opportunities to explore zoonotic diseases and "One Health" questions. The mathematical basis of the differential equations in the models is explained, although prior knowledge of calculus is not essential. A key learning outcome is the critical understanding of both the power and limitations of simple epidemiological models. This case was written for an online course but could also be used as a face-to-face activity if students have access to computers in class.

The Hardy-Weinberg equation is a relatively simple mathematical equation that describes a very important principle of population genetics: the amount of genetic variation in a population will remain the same from generation to generation unless there are factors driving the frequencies of certain alleles (genetic variants) to change.

This activity guides the analysis of a published scientific figure from a study that modeled the impact of an infectious fungal disease on a bat population. In 2006, a disease called white-nose syndrome (WNS) began wiping out bat populations in North America. Because many of these bats eat insect pests, the spread of WNS may devastate ecosystems and increase pest control costs. In this study, scientists mathematically modeled the effects of WNS to estimate extinction probabilities for the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) population in the northeastern United States. This figure shows these probabilities projected for five annual rates of population decline. Each projection is simulated up to 100 years after WNS emerged in the population. The "Educator Materials" document includes a captioned figure, background information, graph interpretation, and discussion questions. The "Student Handout" includes a captioned figure and background information.

North Carolina Science Now brings science out of the lab and into the classroom.  This collection of 5-7 minute videos includes related links and discussion questions for teachers and students.

Take a look at our list of materials that we offer through our FREE Technology Loan Program! This list includes the $10,000 worth of Vernier equipment we obtained through a grant in 2011! If you do not see what you are looking for, call us. We may be able to help you find what you need.