My CV
My Classes
My Office Hours
Current Projects
Mathematics
Teaching
Personal
Contact Me
Barry S. Spieler
Associate Professor of
Mathematics
Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham, Alabama
bspieler@bsc.edu
(205) 226-3025
My CV
Click here for the most recent version of my general CV, rev. 01/18/07.
My Courses
I am teaching the following courses in Spring 2007:
- MA250 Introduction to Mathematical Modeling. In MA250, we learn how to use mathematics and a spreadsheet program to model situations in which quantities change over time. We make use of a simple mathematical construct known as a "discrete dynamical system" to create spreadsheet-based simulations, allowing us to model and predict the behavior of these changing quantities. Unlike MA150, students come to MA250 with some calculus behind them, so that we can make use of some calculus ideas to strengthen our analysis of these models, This course satisfies the college's Skills Foundations requirement for general education.
- Section A-1Y, T/Th 8:00-9:20 in Olin 105
- MA310 Calculus III. We bring many of the familiar notions of calculus (derivatives, integrals, etc.) into the realm of functions that have more than one input variable. Multivariable calculus is rich in applicability and more interesting than its one-variable predecessor from Calculus I and II. We will make use of Maple software for computation and visualization, and we’ll follow the curriculum and viewpoint of the Calculus Consortium based at Harvard University (CCH).
- Section A, M/W/F 9:30-10:30 in Olin 105
- HON 235 The Secret Life of Music and Mathematics. An Honors Program seminar that I will co-teach with music professor David Smith. We will learn some basic notions of structure in music and in mathematics, and study the thought processes that practitioners of each discipline use to create their work. We’ll read some fascinating work by composers and mathematicians, and engage in some fun, interesting, and revealing projects connecting the two disciplines.
- Section A, M/W/F 2:00-3:00 in Hill 117 & Olin 105
This summer, I will teach two courses:
- MA231 Calculus I. This is a first course in (mainly differential) calculus, treating derivatives and applications, definite integrals and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, following the CCH curriculum.
- MA232 Calculus II. This second course in the calculus sequence treats selected methods and applications of integration, infinite series, and simple differential equations, following the point of view of the CCH.
In store for Fall 2007:
- I’ll be on sabbatical leave. :-) I
expect to be working on several projects, including some curriculum
development projects for the Mathematical Association of America as a
Visiting Mathematician in
My Office Hours
I enjoy talking with students, and am available in my office much of the time. Please drop by to see me, or call/email to make an appointment if you wish. I also have certain hours during which you can be sure to find me there. This spring those hours are:
- Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays 11:00-12:00
- Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:30-11:00
Some Current Projects
Here are a few of the things going on this term:
- New Geometry Course. Following mathematics major Kelly Bragan's Vail Fellowship project, I am continuing our work researching materials and ideas for a new intermediate/upper division geometry course. Preliminary plans are to focus on main ideas of metric and differential geometry. I plan to take an inquiry-based approach to this material, and hope to collaborate with my friend and colleague Cornelius Stallman on this project.
- Transition in transition. Cornelius Stallmann and
I are collaborating on a modified "Moore Method"
Transition course for mathematics majors--he at Augusta State University in Georgia and I
here at BSC. In Fall 2005, we taught this course as though we were
team-teaching at a single institution, co-planning the course in every
detail. Cornelius has been a terrific mentor to me in the
implementation of Inquiry-Based Learning techniques, of which I am
a big fan. We taught this course again in Fall 2006, and will
continue to develop this course and methodology. We are currently
working on an article about this work. This collaboration has been
supported by a grant from the Educational
Advancement Foundation of
- Advising Website. In Fall 2005, the Provost
asked me and my colleague Kent Andersen (in the English department) to
make some recommendations for putting together a website to serve the
needs of academic advisors and their advisees at the College. Following
that report, we were asked to continue the project into the design and
implementation stages, and we are completing that process now. We expect
the site to go live this spring. This work was supported in part by a
collaboration grant awarded by the Mellon Foundation to BSC and
- Inquiry-Based Learning. As is clear from the
information on my courses above, I am learning to teach using a
"modified Moore Method". A form of pedagogy known by the
umbrella term Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL), and based in part on the
practices of the renowned late mathematician R. L. Moore, this method
maximizes student involvement and student responsibility in learning
mathematics. In a nutshell, this method puts me in the role of planner,
provider of challenges, facilitator of discussion, and guide. I rarely
lecture in my IBL courses, having come to the conclusion
that students will learn a lot by working through carefully
planned, meaningful challenges, and nearly nothing by watching me.
Cornelius Stallmann at
My Mathematical Interests
Like many academic types in a liberal arts college environment, I have become more of a generalist, but here are some of my favorite mathematical things to think about:- Topology of cell complexes
- Geometry of metric spaces
- Generalized notions of curvature
- Geometric group theory
- Theory of voting
- Symmetry groups
- Mathematics and music
My Teaching Interests
I am always trying to change and grow as a teacher of mathematics. Some of my strongest interests in this regard are listed here:- Inquiry-Based Learning and variants of the Moore method
- Teaching modeling as a general education course
- Mentoring undergraduates in research
- Writing assignments in mathematics courses
- Connections with middle and secondary school mathematics teachers
- Linear algebra as a geometric subject
- Geometry as an algebraic subject
- Topology from algebraic and geometric points of view
- Geometry from differential and metric points of view
- Connections between mathematics and music
- Service-Learning
- Aligning teaching practices with core educational values
- Designing spaces conducive to productive mathematics classes
- Using "micro-teaching" techniques to facilitate self-knowledge and self-improvement for teaching faculty
My Personal Interests
You mean I am allowed to have a personal life? Woohoo! Meanwhile, here are some of my less personal personal interests:- Cooking & eating interesting food
- Baking bread
- Learning to play classical guitar
- Local bands
- Visiting art galleries
- Humanistic Judaism
- Great coffee
- ...and last but definitely not least... My two terrific boys :)
My Contact Information
Here's how to reach me....- In person:
Room Olin 109, Olin Mathematics/Computer Science Center, BSC - By mail:
Dept. of Mathematics, Birmingham-Southern College, 900 Arkadelphia Rd. Box 549032, Birmingham, AL 35254 - By email:
bspieler@bsc.edu - By phone:
(205) 226-3025 - By fax:
(205) 226-3079 - By telepathy:
Hmmm. You’re on your own here.
Revised 011807 by BSS