Week 1: Introduction and Overview (9/11)
Week 2: Getting to Know You (9/18)
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Prepare and give a 2-3-minute talk that begins with the phrase, "You wouldn't know it by looking at me, but...." You will not use slides, props, or the whiteboard for this talk. Your goal is a give a clear and compelling talk with a solid beginning, middle, and end.
Week 3: Aha! Moments (9/25)
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Prepare and give a 2-3-minute talk about a personal "Aha!" moment in mathematics. To prepare you for future talks in Math Forum, you must use Beamer slides for this talk, but please use no more than six slides. (See the home page for specific instructions on naming and submitting your PDFs.) Your goal is to give a solidly structured talk that seamlessly incorporates slides.
Weeks 4-5: Connections (10/2-10/9)
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Prepare and give a 4-5 minute talk that highlights a specific connection between mathematics and another academic discipline represented here at HMC. Note: You will start submitting written evaluations of your classmates this week.
Week 6: Mechanics Discussion (10/16)
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(1) Find a TED talk that you think is particularly clear and compelling. (2) Share the link to the talk with your teammates and then watch the talks they share with you. (3) Then meet as a team and for each talk make a list of 3-5 specific reasons why the three of you think the talk might seen by others as being clear and compelling. (4) Finally, one of you should email me the links to each talk and the 9-15 reasons you've generated as a group by Monday evening at 11:00 PM.
Weeks 7-8: Impact on Society (10/30-11/6)
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Prepare and give a 4-5 minute talk that demonstrates that, as an HMC student, you have a "clear understanding of the impact of [your] work on society."
Week 9: Talking about Technical Talks
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Come to class with a tentative title, outline, and take-home message
for your upcoming "technical" talk.
Weeks 10-13: 10-minute Mathematics Talks (11/20-12/11)
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Prepare and give an 8-10 minute "technical" mathematics talk. Your main goal for this assignment is to give a clear and compelling talk, and to answer questions from your classmates after your talk with confidence and poise.
By the Wednesday before each Tuesday on which you are giving your 10-minute talk, you should prepare an abstract for your talk, and you should schedule a 30 minute appointment with me. During this appointment, we'll discuss your recent talks and the goals you have for your final talk in Math Forum.
Week 14: Reflection Essay (Final Exam Week)
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Write a 750-1000 word reflective essay about your growth as a speaker in Math Forum. Successful essays will incorporate specific examples of lessons learned, together with accompanying allusions to your own talks as evidence. Readers of your essay should easily be able to sense the extent to which you have been engaged in Math Forum.
Please note that the audience for your essay is primarily your instructor, but every member of the mathematics faculty should be able to read (and enjoy) your essay. Finally, to submit your essay, please upload a PDF copy of your essay to your drop box, and please name your file lastname-essay.pdf. Your essay is due by 5:00 PM on Friday, Dec. 21.