On March 25th, at 4:00 p.m., there will be a session of ISEP Webinars, organized by Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP).

This webinar, presented by Marcelo Zannin, has the theme “Beyond Autopilot: Breaking Harmful Habits in Higher Ed Math Classrooms”.

To access the webinar, please click here.

Abstract

Researchers have identified several study habits among engineering students that often undermine their academic performance. In this session, the speaker will share their experience in transforming these behaviors, to help students achieve better results in Mathematics. We will discuss deliberate changes to how technology is used, prioritizing approaches that counter cognitive passivity and encourage students to move away from comfortable but ineffective routines.

Drawing on a series of informal case studies, the speaker highlights one of the strategies from Peter Liljedahl’s Building Thinking Classrooms model: the use of vertical non-permanent surfaces, such as whiteboards, where students, organized into random, temporary groups, work standing up, to collaboratively solve mathematical problems.

Throughout this process, Marcelo Zannin also identified benefits arising from deconstructing some of his own long-held pedagogical beliefs.

Short Bio

Marcelo Zannin is a Professor at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil, where he teaches mathematics for Engineering undergraduates. He is also a member of the National Professional Master's Program in Physics Teaching.

Marcelo earned his Ph.D. at Swansea University (UK) and his Master’s at Politecnico di Torino (Italy) with a background in Optical Telecommunication. His current research focuses on mathematics teaching and learning.

For over a decade, he has led an outreach project where undergraduates prepare underprivileged high schoolers for university entrance exams.