Brad Elliott

Math PhD, lecturer @UniversityofKy, interested in active learning, inclusion, and community outreach. I sometimes tweet about knitting, dogs. He/him 🏳️‍🌈

[Neil Renic @NC_Renic]

lecturers adding fresh memes to their teaching slides

[Brad Elliott @BradElliottMath]

@TheOtherBarbies @CmonMattTHINK I started the same way! Then realized the same is true for 31, 30, .... I'm still working on it, though. This is a good puzzle!

[Brad Elliott @BradElliottMath]

This week I'm not overwhelmed with work and seem to be handling my to-do list. But instead of feeling relieved, I've got this anxious feeling of "what am I forgetting?"

[Brad Elliott @BradElliottMath]

If you or someone you know is applying to the Teaching Postdoc position at the University of Kentucky, and you're interested in learning more about the position/school, I'd be happy to answer any questions! Here's the posting: https://t.co/mi3grnWS13

[Brad Elliott @BradElliottMath]

@TStojsavljevic I was wondering this just the other day. I hate telling my students “here’s a theorem but the proof involves math too deep for this course, so just trust me”

[Brad Elliott @BradElliottMath]

When I was on the job market out of grad school, I got a few offers for teaching post-doc positions, which I turned down. If I'd accepted them, I'd be back on the job market this fall. I cannot overstate how glad I am *not* to be hunting for jobs again.

[Brad Elliott @BradElliottMath]

@maaminian Haha I mean, I am starting to get the hang of it…

[Brad Elliott @BradElliottMath]

Teaching myself to write WeBWorK problems by looking at existing problems, breaking them, then trying to fix them. It's slow going, but I've just "authored" my first new problem! (re: copied existing code, changed 5% of it, and created a problem that still compiles)

[Brad Elliott @BradElliottMath]

@Thalesdisciple Overcooked is a great cooperative game. Mario Party (any of them) is fun for light-hearted group play, as are Heave Ho and Ultimate Chicken Horse.

My favorite individual game is Pokemon Snap, which requires no prior knowledge (or even interest) in Pokemon.

[Brad Elliott @BradElliottMath]

@CmonMattTHINK Gnarls Barkley

[Brad Elliott @BradElliottMath]

b) invest time in “selling” our students on why active learning is better for their learning process. Be explicit about this.

A class activity planned poorly or done with the wrong mindset by students is not a good use of time, and you might as well lecture

[Brad Elliott @BradElliottMath]

I love using active learning in my classes, but for many students (like this one), it seems less helpful than a well-done lecture. This is why we must
a) put a ton of planning into our activities to make them worthwhile, and …

[The GWB Dutch Vacation Fan Club @ingenvector]

@lukasecho @kevinbaker As a student, all I ever wanted was a dense, logically structured lecture that is no-nonsense and to the point. Something I can pull information from quickly. Attempts at interactivity that I experienced by contrast seemed inefficient and gimmicky, done for its own sake.

[Brad Elliott @BradElliottMath]

@probably_math This might count as "technical," but how to use LaTeX. I had to teach myself for my first-year courses, and it added an extra burden to my already have load.

It's a skill they'll all need to know for any kind of publishing, and likely for exam-writing too.

[Brad Elliott @BradElliottMath]

@because_math Perfect.

[Brad Elliott @BradElliottMath]

@LetsLearnCalc @CmonMattTHINK Yes, this is how I'd explain it to. Similar to why n^0 is 1. Start with n^1, n^2, n^3, then go backwards, dividing by n each time.

[Brad Elliott @BradElliottMath]

@Zoe_MM I would choose to interpret this as "does the student have a personal appearance" on a scale from "yes, definitely" to "no, not at all." All students get 10/10.

[Brad Elliott @BradElliottMath]

@xavier_climent @pelandintecno Uhh��

[Brad Elliott @BradElliottMath]

@profjoshlong Yes and yes! Mathematician here. Built a fence for my dog once, and used one of these to drive in the stakes. Have used it a few times since