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Stacy Musgrave Teaching Portfolio
January 2013
Contents
Nomination Letter ……………………………………………………………………………… i-‐ii
Teaching Philosophy…………………………………………………………………..………. 1
Courses Taught…………………………………………………………………………………… 2
Teaching Materials and Student Work………………………………………………… 3-‐6
Innovative Project………………………………………………………………………………. 7
Training and Professional Development……………………………………………… 8-‐9
Teaching Evaluations………………………………………………………………………….. 10-‐12
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February 1, 2013 To Whom it may Concern:
Please allow me to nominate the portfolio of Stacy Musgrave for certification. Last year Stacy was nominated by the Department of Mathematics to receive the Outstanding TA Award, which she won. Stacy’s excellent teaching skills and rapport with students continues unabated, but she has added a number of activities which set her apart from other, notable teachers in this department. These activities have enabled other graduate students as well as temporary faculty to improve their teaching. In addition, Stacy Musgrave is involved in research into the learning of mathematics, which broadens the impact of all mathematics educators. All of these accomplishments are clearly outlined in her teaching portfolio.
Stacy began teaching her first course, Math 1113 Precalculus, in Fall 2010 under my supervision as course coordinator. She also participated in my departmental seminar Math 9005 offered to graduate students teaching for the first time. As course coordinator, I gather aggregate mean/median scores for Math 1113 tests, which are tested uniformly online. From the onset, Stacy’s students performed on the course-wide computerized testing well above the course aggregate mean score, and this continued through the terms Fall 2011 and Fall 2012. Related data shows that 91% of Stacy’s students who continued on to calculus (with some other teacher) earned a C or better compared to the 71% department average. This demonstrates her ability to model thinking habits that engender success in mathematics. Her course evaluations are also well above her graduate student teacher peers and the overall department average for both courses.
The course evaluations submitted by students note that Stacy Musgrave encourages students to develop multiple approaches to thinking their way through a problem, and that she is available to them when they need her (a) in class (b) via email (c) in office meetings. In fact, Stacy’s emphasis on thinking one’s way through a problem rather than memorizing techniques is what distinguishes her teaching, and the students noticed. Here are a few student remarks: “I loved everything about her. She made us think individually and when we were struggling she was there to answer any questions or we were given extra time to ask a neighbor.” “She was just really good at explaining concepts. She was also patient with those who didn’t understand a concept.” “Stacey was definitely the best math teacher I have ever had. I have always struggled with math, but watching her explain the problems, receiving her helpful handouts, and being able to express my own opinion within the classroom helped me advance in math a lot. If one way she explains a problem didn’t make sense to even one student, she would take the time to explain it in a new way for a better understanding, which I have never even seen a math teacher do before.” Students repeatedly mention her infectious enthusiasm for mathematics. They also note that Stacy demanded a lot of student effort and focus to learn mathematics, and that this effort actually worked. “This class is absolutely challenging, but the best thing about it is you can see direct results from the effort you put i[n]. The material is tricky and her tests really aim to see if you are actually fluent in understanding the material, not just reiterating problems and formulas. Stacy gave us all the tools necessary to excel in this class.”
A recent national study of what makes students persist in their mathematical studies notes that “progressive” teaching has a marked impact. Such teaching includes activities that encourage student ownership of learning, such as group work and student feedback. As you can see from Stacy’s portfolio, this describes her teaching philosophy. The student evaluations show that they really value this approach.
In addition to helping her own students succeed in mathematics, Stacy also helps others to fulfill their potential as teachers. Ms. Musgrave has done that by sharing her expertise with other graduate student teachers and especially by transforming the sharing of teaching materials within the mathematics department.
First, I have used Stacy Musgrave to assist me in observation of new teachers during Fall 2012. She was conscientious and provided excellent, formative feedback. The department will use her to lead GRSC 7770, which discusses how to teach collegiate mathematics effectively, in Fall 2013. Stacy Musgrave has also been very generous to share her
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innovations with her colleagues. She began in Math 9005—you could count on her to bring her ideas to our twice weekly discussions. First, she started using index card “how do you feel” minute-quiz assessments at the end of her classes. This was an opportunity for students to let her know whether or not they felt comfortable with the big idea of the day. She reported to the 9005 class how it worked. Then, “I made up a game to investigate anti-differentiation”. Stacy was careful to share the games and activities she created. This happened even when she had already completed Math 9005—this fall she was a guest in my current seminar to share her “concept-map” assignment to help students build their own content summary for test review. These helped her to be selected for the Future Faculty Program at UGA. But Stacy was frustrated that word-of-mouth was necessary for later students to access her materials. So she came up with a new solution: a Dropbox that is specific to the each of the courses taught by our graduate students. The Dropbox features folders to share syllabi, activities, and tests/quizzes. Stacy took it upon herself to create an organized folder system with a “how-to-use-this” document posted, and monitors admission to this site.
There are many reasons why this Dropbox idea is so helpful. Graduate students teaching for the first time are often at a loss as to what to do “besides lecture”. Suggestions for group activities can be very useful. Tests and quizzes written by graduate students and our temporary instructors who are teaching a particular class for the first time often stress too much computation, with few theoretical and spatial emphases. The graduate students don’t write the Math 1113 tests, but have some trouble coming up with a fair test in their Math 2200 classes. Having resources available gives new teachers some good ideas on how to write a well-rounded test. In addition, posted assessments helps these teachers gauge what is the appropriate difficulty level for UGA students, and creates more uniformity across sections. In fall 2012 we had an unusual number of firs-time teachers, including the temporary instructors and graduate students.
Everyone took great advantage of the Dropbox. In fact, faculty teaching other lower-level courses wanted the department to provide similar resource-sharing. As the coordinator of Math 1113 and 2200, I can see the quality of instruction (evidenced by test scores) and overall student satisfaction improving. Stacy Musgrave’s inspiration and efforts have really changed the paradigm in how we guide new teachers in mathematics. Her portfolio is a snapshot of a young, talented teacher who generously shares her innovations with others.
Sincerely,
Lisa Townsley, PhD UGA Math 1113 and 2200 Course Coordinator
Teaching Philosophy
Stacy Musgrave
My favorite part about doing mathematics is experiencing that “Aha!” moment when I realize the solution to a troublesome problem. When I teach, I make it my primary goal to share that experience with the student. I find this particular experience—that of success in spite of challenges—is critical to the educational process. As such, I believe my main function as a math educator is to foster an appreciation for mathematics while improving confidence and encouraging questioning.
As one who has always appreciated mathematics for its puzzle-‐like nature and abstraction, I challenge myself every semester to share the beauty of mathematics-‐for-‐the-‐sake-‐of-‐mathematics with my students. In my calculus class for non-‐technical majors, for example, I make sure to include proofs throughout the semester to expose students to the elegance of mathematical writing and logic. Students put down their pencils and we walk through the proofs together, evaluating the motivation for which assumptions are needed to begin, moving from one step to the next while drawing parallels to the way one would write an essay. As communication is emphasized in every class, I use such parallels to remind students that math is a subject that must be communicated like any other. While the style may vary, the goal of clear delivery remains the same.
No matter how elegant the proof may be, however, a student who lacks confidence in their abilities will immediately shy away from something as intense as a mathematical proof. Because of this, I strive to encourage students to identify their strengths and expand upon those to achieve success. Since everyone has different strengths, I treasure group work as a means of letting each student shine. By grouping students to collaborate on activities, warm-‐ups and the occasional quiz, I encourage students to contribute in their own ways—whether it is praising their organizational skills, thanking them for challenging a classmate’s strategy, encouraging their ability to think creatively or holistically about a problem, or suggesting they explain their process to a classmate. I likewise step aside during office hours and allow students to converse with each other about problems, only interjecting to steer students away from troublesome pathways and maintaining participation of all who are present. Identifying each student’s strengths and promoting them amongst peers allows each student to have positive experiences with mathematics in class or office hours, which is something I feel translates to increased contact with mathematics outside of class, and greater willingness to attempt novel mathematical challenges.
Questioning is one desirable outcome of increased confidence. I make a point of explicitly thanking students for asking questions. Time is set aside time at the beginning of every class for questions and discussion. We typically move into the day’s topic, which I frequently supplement with extra materials (handouts, activities, quizzes, group work). This increases participation and yields the desired effect of having a classroom of active learners. Student questions offer insight into misconceptions students may have, provide a gauge for effectiveness of content delivery, and help determine the most productive use of class time. It is imperative that my students can ask questions through various means. While in-‐class questions are encouraged, I also regularly pass out index cards on which students are asked to write down something they learned during lecture as well as a question. I use these note cards to help plan the next day’s lecture, making sure to address questions and use the ensuing discussion to lead into the next lesson. I also distribute surveys during the semester to elicit feedback for the course, as well as to remind students to question—material presentation, content, instructional choices. All questions are welcome as they pertain to improving the student learning experience.
As the questions I am curious about tend to be educational in nature (e.g. how do students think about graphing and mathematical conventions), I am excited that my teaching experiences are following suit. I am looking forward to teaching courses for future teachers throughout this year. I am eager for the challenge of exploring geometry concepts with pre-‐service middle grades teachers in a way that challenges them to question their beliefs and focus on clear communication. Likewise, I look forward to mentoring fellow graduate students in GRSC 7770 to help prepare them for teaching duties. Taking on these new challenges keeps me excited about what I am teaching and helps me maintain the awareness with my presentation of material and assumptions about student thinking. I enjoy how much I learn from my students, and this give-‐and-‐take relationship keeps me saying “Aha!”, even in the classroom.
Courses Taught
Stacy Musgrave
Precalculus (MATH 1113): Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012 Enrollment: 35-‐42 students; mostly freshman, variety of majors Course content: study of functions (linear, quadratic, exponential, logarithmic, trigonometric) and their
graphs, modeling and applications Technology: Use TI-‐83 calculators and online homework, quizzes and testing via WebAssign Teaching Responsibilities: As the primary instructor for this course, I designed lesson plans, handouts, in-‐class quizzes and homework assignments supplementary to the standardized online homework. I delivered lectures, coordinated group work and organized test review sessions.
Analytic Geometry and Calculus (MATH 2200): Spring 2011, Spring 2012 Enrollment: 35-‐40 students; non-‐STEM majors Course content: study of concept and calculation of derivative of algebraic, exponential, logarithmic and
trigonometric functions, modeling, extreme value problems, curve sketching, antiderivatives and elementary differential equations, applications with an emphasis on basic business concepts
Technology: Use TI-‐83 calculators and online homework via WebAssign Teaching Responsibilities: I was responsible for most aspects of this course, including the development of lectures, tasks, quizzes, test reviews, exams, and the grading of said assignments. I modified online homework assignments (completed through WebAssign) to suit the emphasis of my lesson plans. I created games and activities to encourage student involvement and learning.
Geometry for Elementary School Teachers (MATH 5030): Spring 2013 Enrollment: 25 students; pre-‐service teachers Course Content: Visualization, basic geometric concepts and objects in two-‐dimensions (angles, circles,
polygons, constructions with straightedge and compass), basic concepts of measurement, area of two-‐dimensional shapes, solids and their volume and surface area, geometry of motion and change
Technology: Geometer’s Sketchpad and CMS via eLearningCommons Special Training: A full semester of observing a similar course during prior semester; a weekly meeting
with the Mathematicians Educating Future Teachers program creator, Dr. Sybilla Beckmann, during the semester of instruction
Teaching Responsibilities: As the lead instructor for this course, I am developing the course schedule, materials, activities, quizzes and tests. Since the ability to communicate is crucial for pre-‐service teachers, I will incorporate online journal writing and discussion boards into this course. Sample writing assignments include describing one’s mathematical autobiography (in hopes of highlighting the importance of teacher attitudes towards the content) and providing descriptions for how to handle student misconceptions.
Teaching Materials and Student Work
Stacy Musgrave
Making Connections I am constantly seeking for my students to make connections between concepts in class. In my Fall 2012 Pre-‐calculus course, I asked my students to create “Concept Maps” as a study tool for their second test.
DIRECTIONS PROVIDED TO STUDENTS: • The goal is for you to see/make the connections between all the things we have discussed so far and create the best
mindset for what’s to come. • I created my concept map using a very user-‐friendly website: http://www.text2mindmap.com. If you know of another
equally useful website for creating such study tools, please share the link on the discussion board on eLC. If you want to write lots of “math” or draw pictures, you may opt to draw it by hand.
• This is YOUR study tool, so make it relevant to you. You may choose to focus on one specific task (e.g. solving equations) and put examples of different scenarios related. You may instead choose to look at all the topics covered so far and try to see common themes for approaching them.
Sample Work with Feedback
Sharing: I presented this material to the first time TAs during the Fall 2012 semester in their MATH 9005 class. We discussed the goals of the assignment, what was effective and ways to improve. I shared student feedback that I gathered regarding the assignment in this discussion.
My feedback:
a and vertex will guide you to find range for quadratic!
My feedback: not just for polynomials!
These are very loosely connected…be careful you
know what each is for/where they come from!
Teaching Materials and Student Work
Stacy Musgrave
Student Ownership of Learning
One of my biggest goals as an educator is to foster a desire for learning in my classroom. One of my strategies to achieve this includes having students contribute their knowledge from their respective backgrounds.
When teaching a terminal calculus course, I ask my students to explore why they were required to learn calculus for their major and find an application of the mathematics they are learning within their field. Thanks to this activity, students contribute to conversations about pricing, revenue and profit functions.
Calculus concepts contributed to class discussions by students:
• indifference curve • elasticity of demand • consumption function • marginal propensity to consume/save
Another strategy for putting students in control of their learning is to gather student feedback regularly and adapt the course to student needs. I distribute note cards for students to record (1) something they learned and (2) questions they may have during a given lesson. Collecting this information allows me to see if the students are seeing the big picture, focusing on procedural or conceptual aspects of the material, and whether or not they are engaged. As I recognize some people are intimidated by asking questions in front of the whole class, this allows me to gather the questions and address them either by email or at the start of the next lesson.
Below you find some examples of questions and ideas recorded by my calculus students during a unit on graphing and optimization.
On this day, we explored how the first and second derivatives can
describe the shape of a graph. We discussed the graph of 𝑦 = !!! as an
example of a function with no critical points or points of inflection, but yet with different behaviors (increasing/decreasing and concave up/down) on different intervals that stem from heeding the domain.
After discussing optimization problems on both open and closed domains, a student posed this question. It made for a great opening conversation during the next class, allowing us to revisit ideas about limits and achieving function values.
Likewise, another student struggled with asymptotes. After introducing both vertical and horizontal asymptotes, a student asked this question. We revisited the topic the next class.
Student Idea: When there are no critical points or points of inflection, there can still be divisions in the domain.
Student Question: What do you do when the domain is open and closed? For example,
[0,3)?
Student Question: Why can there be unlimited vertical asymptotes, but only 2 horizontal?
Teaching Materials and Student Work
Stacy Musgrave
Providing Support and Increasing Interest
Positive feedback from students and colleagues is that I provide a lot of extra material for my students. This comes in the form of handouts, activities, games, daily or weekly quizzes, test reviews and the aforementioned notecards. Below is a sampling of some of the materials I share with my students (and as seen in the following section, my colleagues).
Daily Quizzes
From my Fall 2011 Precalculus class
Students peer-‐graded daily quizzes in class. Daily quizzes were not particularly welcomed by all the students, but several students commented that they appreciated being held accountable for the material and felt better
prepared for the tests because of these quizzes.
Demonstrations
From my Fall 2012 Precalculus This an image taken from a computer screen showing an interactive model I created for comparing different means of measuring angles. The students were able to engage in the idea of angle as an amount of rotation
and explore the meaning of measuring such an entity by having an interactive tool.
Teaching Materials and Student Work
Stacy Musgrave
Test Reviews
From my Spring 2012 Calculus Class
I like to create test review sheets that are fill in the blank, so the students are required to go back through their notes or textbooks to recall the information. This image is from the Test 3 Review.
Games
From my Spring 2011 Calculus class
My students and I played a differentiation and anti-‐differentiation game. It was fun to see some student’s competitive edge come out during this activity. I made sure to share this with my fellow graduate TAs during
our weekly meetings, and again later during the summer school teaching training course.
Innovative Project
Stacy Musgrave
Dear MATH 1113 Dropbox Contributors,
I really appreciate your contributions to MATH 1113 Dropbox folder. That's a great
help! -‐Kate
Hi Stacy, This is a great idea! Thanks
for doing this. …
This could be a great resource for the math
department and it would be good to set it up in a way that it can keep going.
-‐Dr. Graham (email from Associate Head of Math Department)
Sharing Materials
I started a Dropbox folder for sharing course materials among all instructors of precalculus and calculus. The goal of this project was to reduce preparation time for new instructors and help the latter gauge the degree of difficulty expected in this department to maintain consistency across sections. Each folder has approximately 50 members who share it, both taking and contributing materials.
This project has been recognized by the department and we are devising plans to create a permanent, self-‐contained system that can be maintained past my graduation.
Course Folder Content § A First Day of Class Folder
1. Ice Breaker Ideas 2. Sample Syllabi 3. Course Schedules
§ Every testing unit has a folder for: 1. Activities 2. Handouts 3. Quizzes 4. Test Reviews 5. Tests
This program has been popular enough that faculty have been clamoring for
similar sites for other 2000 level courses at UGA.
-‐Dr. Lisa Townsley
Notice the many contributors to this folder for Unit 1 Handouts of Precalculus! è
Training and Professional Development
Stacy Musgrave
v Special Training • Mathematicians Educating Future Teachers (MEFT)
§ MEFT is designed to help prepare for teaching mathematics courses for prospective elementary or middle grades teachers. During this program, I attended a geometry course for prospective middle grades teachers to familiarize myself with the material. I am now using my notes and observations to teach a similar course this semester and meet weekly with the creator of the curriculum, Dr. Sybilla Beckmann.
• Certificate in Mathematics Education § This certificate is designed to expose future mathematics faculty to the discipline of Mathematics Education. A survey of courses covering technology, field experience and research are required. The courses I completed are: o Technology and Secondary School Mathematics (an exploration of using Geometer’s Sketchpad) o Problem Solving in Mathematics (a focus on problem solving using Geometer’s Sketchpad and Excel
to solve secondary-‐level mathematics problems) o Internship in Mathematics Education (attended data meetings focused on student test scores at
Clarke Middle School and contributed ideas for supporting student learning) o Practicum in Mathematics Education (observed college course on geometry for pre-‐service teachers) o Advanced Study of Mathematics Curriculum (a research-‐based course exploring mathematics
curriculum and learning) o Critical Issues in Mathematics Education (a research-‐based course evaluating the influence of
gender, ethnicity, socio-‐economic status and access to technology in the mathematics classroom) • Future Faculty Program participant
§ Mentorship program for 15 TAs from across the university who have been recognized for outstanding teaching. The program prepares participants for future faculty roles by providing opportunities for reflection and development.
• Research apprenticeship with Dr. Kevin Moore in the Department of Mathematics Education § Beginning in the Spring of 2012, I have been exposed to math education research: the process of developing a pilot study, completing an IRB, interviewing students to collect data, analyzing data and reporting results at conferences and in papers. Our work focuses on student thinking about mathematical concepts and conventions. I presented some results at a national conference in January 2013.
• Math Department Pedagogy Courses § Summer 2010/Summer 2011: Before and after the first year of teaching, graduate TAs take a course designed to prepare them for teaching (i.e. create a syllabus, design a test, practice board-‐work, develop a teaching philosophy). Participation the summer after teaching is meant for reflection and sharing with those who are getting ready to teach for the first time
§ Fall 2010/Spring2011: During the first year of teaching, TAs attend a twice-‐weekly seminar (MATH 9005) to guide them through the experience (keeping pace with the material, handling difficult student scenarios, grading fairly, using technology)
Training and Professional Development
Stacy Musgrave
v Professional Activities • Guest Speaker
§ At Graduate Student Teaching Seminar on June 5, 2012 o Presentation on answering student questions and non-‐lecture activities for enhancing student
learning in the precalculus and calculus classroom § At TA training on September 25, 2012 o Discussion of concept map project I implemented in my precalculus class (motivation, effectiveness,
student response, and ways to improve). As an extension of the presentation, I discussed the importance of evaluating effectiveness of classroom activities.
§ At the UGA TA Orientation on August 9, 2012 o Co-‐leader for a special session designed for future TAs to learn about being instructor of record
• Department Service § Selected by the department to serve as the assistant to the professor who coordinates first-‐time graduate teaching assistants. Duties involved: observing TA classrooms, communicating observations and evaluations with professor and department, mentoring graduate TAs post-‐observations
• Mentorship § Peer mentor for other TA’s o Officially served in this capacity by visiting first-‐time TAs’ classrooms and providing feedback on my
observations during the 2012-‐2013 school year o Unofficially make myself available for discussing pedagogy and content with fellow TA’s (i.e. how to
handle difficult student scenarios, designing tests, gathering student feedback) • Research
§ Presented research at the RUME Special Session at the Joint Math Meetings in San Diego (January 10, 2013) related to mathematical conventions and student thinking o Title: “Conventions and Mathematical Meaning—An Exploration Through Functions and Inverses”
§ Publications and Presentations o Moore, K.C., Paoletti, T., Musgrave, S., Gammaro, J. Covariational reasoning and invariance among
coordinate systems. (submitted to Journal of Mathematical Behavior, presentation at Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education in February 2013)
o Moore, K.C., Paoletti, T., Musgrave, S., Gammaro, J. Students’ emerging understandings of the Polar Coordinate System. (presentation at Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education in February 2013, proceedings will be published post-‐conference)
v Awards • University Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award (2012)
§ Up to top 10% of TAs from across the university can be nominated for this award • Department Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award (2012)
§ Awarded to one or two TAs who demonstrate excellence in teaching within the Math Department • Graduate School Excellence in Teaching Award nominee (2013)
§ Each department can nominate one graduate TA who has already received the Outstanding TA award and has contributed to teaching at UGA beyond their own classroom
Teaching Evaluations
Stacy Musgrave
Student Evaluation Results
Answers are scored from 0 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree).
Evaluation Item Precalc
2010
Precalc
F 2011
Precalc
F 2012
Department Precalculus Averages
Calculus
S 2011
Calculus
S 2012
Department Calculus Averages
1. Preparedness 4.62 4.68 4.92 4.28 4.84 4.83 4.25
2. Effective use of class time 4.59 4.71 4.73 4.20 4.56 4.79 4.13
3. Responsiveness to questions in class
4.72 4.71 4.96 4.35 4.80 4.88 4.20
4. Availability for individual consultation
4.72 4.79 4.81 4.42 4.76 4.83 4.34
5. Feedback on coursework 4.69 4.68 4.81 4.14 4.80 4.83 4.09
6. Effectiveness in increasing interest
4.28 4.46 4.38 3.59 4.20 4.42 3.52
7. Overall rating of instructor 4.52 4.79 4.73 3.81 4.60 4.46 3.68
Student Feedback on Official Evaluations:
• I loved my instructor's methods of teaching. I never once felt confused while she was explaining a concept. There was never a problem that I came across on homework, quizzes, or tests that I didn't know how to apply tools she gave me in order to solve. If I could have her as my math instructor all throughout college I would probably minor in math!
• She was the best math teacher I have ever had before. She was well prepared for class and explained everything extremely clearly. She went at a good pace and made sure her students were following her. She made herself available for extra help in many ways and was very approachable when I felt I needed help. She has definitely helped me succeed in this course.
• I love Stacy’s enthusiasm for math. She clearly loves math and teaching it to others.
• She is always very prepared and enthusiastic. Great at teaching different methods and letting us pick which one we understand more. Always scheduled an extra review session outside her office hours before tests where we can go over problems we didn't understand and ask any other questions we have. You can tell she wants her students to succeed!
• She moved at a pace that was comfortable to everyone. Daily quizzes assured that everyone was on the same page and she also made herself available outside of class. In addition to office hours, she would schedule multiple review sessions before every test so we could go to her with questions. Great teacher, very nice!
• Her interest in mathematics is very enlightening-‐-‐always excited to explain something to class! Easy to understand, although many topics were pretty confusing, but overall I understood the material better than my expectations. The tests are really hard, but fair. Office hours definitely help!
Teaching Evaluations
Stacy Musgrave
As shown above, my students tend to comment on how enthusiastic and approachable I am. They appreciate the clarity of my explanations and my availability for extra help.
Letters Sent By Former Students:
Throughout my early years in school I enjoyed and exceeded in nearly every subject, with the one exception being math. For as long as I can remember I have struggled with math, requiring me to give it greater time and attention than my other studies. I can remember as a fourth grader having to stay after class to receive additional help in understanding the mathematical topics that I had been taught that day, all the while knowing that my friends had already arrived home and were enjoying their afternoon playing with one another. This trend continued throughout my middle and high school career, as well as through my first three college math courses until I took the Pre-‐Calculus course offered at the University of Georgia.
I was required to take the course because at the time I was an intended business major, and Calculus was a requirement for Terry College of Business. Although I dreaded the course from the minute I signed up for classes I had no idea that it would change my perspective on the subject of mathematics. My Pre-‐Calculus teacher was a grad student named Stacy Musgrave, and she taught math in a way in which I had never experienced. For the first time I began to fully understand the concepts and truly learned the material, instead of halfway understanding it hoping to get partial credit tests. Ms. Musgrave opened my eyes to a whole new world of mathematics that I did not know existed, and gave me the confidence I needed to succeed in mathematics. The following semester I changed my major to Mathematics and Mathematics Education and enrolled in my first college Calculus class. I felt confident entering into class that semester because I knew I could understand and learn mathematical concepts, however that semester I continuously struggled through Calculus despite my enormous efforts to prove to myself that I could succeed. It became more and more clear to me that math was simply a subject in which I relied heavily on the instructor and their form of instruction in order to succeed. I have found throughout my educational career that I learn most from a teacher who is not only enthusiastic but understands mathematical material enough to answer my questions of why and how mathematical phenomena occurs. Unlike many students I am excited to learn and truly love school, which is why I want to be a teacher, and I learn most from those who are equally as excited towards the subject they teach. Throughout the entire semester Ms. Musgrave maintained her love for math, and for her students, making math fun for the first time in my life. It was because of her enthusiasm that I wanted to pursue a career as a math teacher, hoping to reach my students in the same way. I learned the most in her class during times when we were able to work together in small groups to practice concepts that had just been taught, because this allowed me the opportunity to seek additional help and clarification during class time if needed. ~Megan Monroe (excerpt from mathematical autobiography of a student from Fall 2010)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is with such great honor that I have the opportunity to speak extremely highly of Ms. Stacy Musgrave and her phenomenal teaching skills. I am a sophomore Business Management major. I was therefore required to take Pre-Calculus and Calculus. I am not a natural mathematician, so it definitely takes a really good Math Teacher to help me understand Math. I took Pre-Calculus with her the first semester of my Freshman year. I felt so confident after taking her class. She explained the concepts in such a way that I could thoroughly apply them to different mathematical scenarios. She ONLY wanted the best for us, and because of her wonderful and compassionate spirit, it pushed us all not only to want the best grade for ourselves but also to make her proud! I loved her class and teaching styles so much that I fought the following semester to get into her Calculus class. Again, totally enjoyable. I can truly say that she is the BEST Math teacher I have ever had and I recommend her to everyone. It was just so supremely surprising how I understood mathematical concepts. It was unreal! I believe that Stacy would be the perfect candidate for this prestigious teaching award, because not only is she a prestigious teacher, she made me realize that I too am prestigious, and I can conquer and academic fear I may have. ~Cierra Thompson (student during 2011-2012 academic year)
Teaching Evaluations
Stacy Musgrave
The image below is an email from a student at the end of her year-‐long adventure through precalculus and calculus:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My name is Trevor Lamas. I had Ms. Musgrave for both pre-calculus and calculus. Ms. Musgrave was a
phenomenal professor. I even took a 9:00 AM class when I had over an hour commute. You can imagine how much I must have thought of her to wake up at 6:30 AM to be able to make her class. On a more serious note, the thing that sets Ms. Musgrave apart is her excitement and accessibility. At 9:00 AM when most college students are tired, it is very nice to have a professor be excited about the material he/she is teaching. Ms. Musgrave does this with ease. A student can tell the moment Ms. Musgrave walks in the door that she will do everything she can to grab our attention, teach the material, and answer as many questions as time will allow.
My next point is how accessible she is. Ms. Musgrave encourages students to come to her office hours. Some students will. Some students won’t. I did. She does her best to come in on her own time, which I think is amazing. A lot of professors will not do that. As long as you send her an email she will do her best to meet you. I would say 99% of the time she probably does. Ms. Musgrave sat there for as long as she could and helped me learn the material. She never quits being a teacher. She never gets impatient and always is there to help you get the answer. The way she helps is great as well. She does not just come out and give you the answer, but she gives hints and tries to jog the memory so the student figures it out for him/herself. It requires students to think critically and get the answer on their own. It is a great way to help a student make the material “stick.”
Another great attribute of Ms. Musgrave is the amount of material she gives out. She gives out many different review sheets and extra problems. If you take the time to do these things then I will promise you that you will do well on the test and the material will stick with you. Don’t get me wrong. These review sheets and extra problems are usually very challenging, but again as long as you attempt it first she’ll help you.
I recently graduated, so I have had a lot of professors. Ms. Musgrave is one of my favorite teachers, and that says a lot. Before her I hated math. After taking her I enjoyed the challenging subject. Ms. Musgrave is great, and I am a better graduate because of her. ~Trevor Lamas (student from 2010-2011 academic year)
Peer and Faculty Feedback:
…I have compiled overall testing means/medians for Math 1113 and compiled these scores for the graduate student teachers. Stacy consistently beats the means/medians by a margin comparable to our seasoned instructors. …Stacy used creative classroom activities for Math 1113 and 2200 to help students own the learning process.
…She always shared her ideas with her colleagues
-‐Dr. Lisa Townsley (UGA Math 1113 and 2200 Course Coordinator) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
…You clearly have a good rapport with your students. They didn't seem bashful about asking questions, and you had ample pauses after working out problems so that they could speak up if necessary.
–Hans (Fellow graduate student) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She puts a lot of thought into explaining mathematics concepts to her own students and I feel that hearing about her ideas and methods helped me to grow as a teacher throughout the semester.
-‐-‐Lauren (Fellow graduate student TA)
