LEGACYLEGACY

Carol S. SchumacherCarol S. SchumacherKenyon CollegeKenyon CollegeSchumacherC@kenyon.eduSchumacherC@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