Incorporating Non-Euclidean Geometry Into Your GeT Course: Sparking Students’ Imaginations and Building Their Understanding of Geometric Concepts

Completed
Friday, March 14th, 2025
11:00AM  PT
12:00PM MT
1:00PM CT
2:00PM ET
PRESENTED BY: Nathaniel Miller, Tabitha Mingus, Stephen Szydlik


The GeT Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) assert that non-Euclidean geometry is an essential component of a GeT course. We recognize that GeT instructors may have different levels of knowledge of and experience with non-Euclidean geometry, and that the subject can be daunting. In this seminar, we discuss concrete ways for instructors to incorporate non-Euclidean geometry into their GeT courses. We focus on three different non-Euclidean geometries: taxicab, hyperbolic, and spherical geometry, each offering both different affordances and potential pitfalls. We offer ways to get started with non-Euclidean models for instructors who haven’t used them at all in the past, including stand-alone activities that could be included in an existing course without requiring significant changes in the overall course structure. However, non-Euclidean models also support the other SLOs in multiple ways, and we argue that infusing them throughout a GeT course supports a deeper understanding of geometry. As time permits, we will also offer suggestions of ways that an instructor could move in that direction with deeper dives into these models.


Registration:
Registration is closed
Duration:
60 minutes
Format:
Online seminar via Zoom web meeting software with questions and discussion. Detailed instructions for joining the seminar will be emailed to registered participants.

Presenter(s):
Nathaniel Miller
I am the leader of the working group that wrote the SLOs.
Tabitha Mingus
I am an alumna of the University of Northern Colorado and have been at Western Michigan University since 1998.  My research interests are in the acquisition of mathematical proof and how to improve undergraduate mathematics learning through the use of active pedagogy.
Stephen Szydlik
I am a faculty member in the mathematics department at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

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