Mathematics
Mathematics is a rich and varied subject, full of interesting and important applications to everyday life and distinguished by creativity and beauty at its higher levels.
At Johnson State College, we go beyond the numbers and formulas to give mathematics students greater context for what they learn. We also examine the relationships between mathematics and other disciplines, such as history, philosophy and music. Small upper-level courses focus on class participation rather than lectures and challenge students to think creatively.
Graduates of the mathematics program develop critical-thinking and analytical skills. Mathematics majors often go on to graduate school or careers in related fields such as finance or engineering. Many students earning teacher licensure (grades 7-12) in mathematics later work in Vermont public schools.
New Approaches and Challenges
The mathematics department introduced a new course for the spring 2006 semester: Senior Project in Mathematics. Now a requirement for the major, this capstone project allows students to explore in depth a particular area of interest within mathematics.
Sherry Dawson '06, who is now pursuing her master's in education at JSC, was one of two students to take this course in its inaugural semester. She focused on topology, a branch of mathematics that is an extension of geometry.
Sherry learned about this abstruse topic through independent study and regular meetings with her advisor, Professor Glenn Sproul. At the end of the semester, she gave a presentation on topology to mathematics faculty and interested students.
"Topology is abstract and hard to explain, so I used visuals to describe what I was talking about," she says. "I illustrated examples on poster boards and went step by step through my main points. I thought this was the best way to communicate what I had learned — much better than writing a long paper would have been."
Sherry credits the experience with improving her self-motivational skills and ability to learn on her own. She also believes it will make her a better teacher at the middle or secondary level.
"Dealing with such an abstract topic challenged me to take new approaches to solving problems," Sherry says. "This will help me in reaching out to students with different learning styles. No matter what the subject is, I'll be able to think about it in a different way."
Student Profile
Cassandra Kivela
Cassandra plans to teach middle school math...
