Introduction
Hello! I teach Math 58, 60, 65, 95, 98 and I try to make things fun and interesting as well as educational. If something is boring, needlessly complicated, or pointless, why bother to learn it?
If you are thinking of registering for my class but have any concerns, feel free to email me; I would be happy to answer any questions. mailto:morgan.chase@pcc.edu
About my courses
My algebra courses (60, 65, 95) are taught with the flipped classroom model, which means that you will do some pre-work — watching some short videos or perhaps reading the textbook and then completing a short comprehension quiz — so that you have an understanding of the basics of the new topic before attending the class meeting. Then during class, we can build on that knowledge base. This 3-minute YouTube video is a good introduction to flipped classrooms: The Flipped Classroom Model.
Here is the course syllabus from a remote Math 95 course, and the course syllabus from an in-person Math 95 course, to give you a general idea of what to expect in Math 60/65/95; you’ll need to be logged into your PCC Google account to access them.
The math literacy sequence (58, 98) is intended to help you develop a growth mindset. If you believe that some people are “math people” and others aren’t, and there’s nothing you can do to change it, that is a fixed mindset. With a growth mindset, you are more likely to take on a new challenge because you see it as an opportunity to improve. Instead of saying “I can’t do this…” and giving up, you say “I can’t do this… yet!” and keep working. Here’s an excellent 3.5-minute YouTube video: Fixed Mindset Vs. Growth Mindset. Students will also work in small groups during our class meetings. If you take Math 58 or 98, please be mentally prepared to work with your classmates.
Here is the course syllabus from a remote Math 58 course, and the course syllabus from an in-person Math 98 course, to give you an idea of what to expect in Math 58/98; you’ll need to be logged into your PCC Google account to access it.
About me
I have been teaching part-time at PCC since 2011, usually at Cascade but occasionally at Southeast and Rock Creek campuses. I also teach at Clackamas CC. Before that, I taught high school and community college math in New Hampshire and Vermont for a number of years. I live in N/NE Portland and I have two adult children, both of whom have taken courses at PCC and one of whom is nonbinary.
I don’t have a hobby or major interest right now; I tend to get really involved in something and then get tired of it after a year or two. Past interests have included following the Portland Thorns, following the Portland Winterhawks, singing the US and Canadian national anthems at Hillsboro Hops games, doing hard crossword puzzles, learning Icelandic, learning Danish, and writing short stories. During my recent midlife crisis, I got a record player; my musical tastes include dinosaur Dad rock — Rush, Van Halen, Neil Young, Heart — and Dixieland jazz from the 1920s/1930s. My preferred genre of fiction is spy/detective novels set in 1930s/1940s Europe. What do I like that’s relatively new? The video game Pentiment, which is set in the 1520s, and the band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, who play modern dinosaur rock.
Other fun facts:
- When I was in my early 20’s and could still pass for a teenager, I worked for a major test-prep company and took the SAT multiple times as a spy so we could see what kinds of math topics and English vocabulary were appearing on the test.
- I was a one-day Jeopardy! champion in 2005, and my kids and I won a local Star Wars trivia competition a few years ago. I recently did online trivia with some friends of a friend, and when they asked me what I was good at, I said “Not music from the last 25 years. And not movies. But I’m good for anything else.”
- I wrote an OER textbook for a Technical Mathematics course (Math 50 at CCC) called — wait for it — Technical Mathematics. It ranks very highly for the number of cat photos included.