NWC math prof presents at conference

Dr. Kim Jongerius, mathematics professor and department chair at Northwestern College, recently presented at the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences (ACMS) conference in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada.

Jongerius’ presentation, “Pressure and Impulse in Student Learning: What I Learned from Teaching Physics,” summarized how her experience teaching a physics class at Northwestern provided her with a greater sense of empathy with the college student experience, and how that prompted her to reevaluate her teaching methods.

In the fall semester of 2014, a semester-long gap occurred between the departure of the college’s physics professor and the arrival of his replacement. During that time, Jongerius was tasked with teaching a calculus-based physics class.

“The 30-year gap between the physics courses I had taken and this course I was about to teach put me in an interesting position of learning alongside my students,” says Jongerius. Reading unfamiliar texts, trying to comprehend publisher-produced lecture slides and entering into review sessions without a sense of complete subject mastery provided Jongerius with a much clearer understanding of the learning struggles faced by college students and prompted her to make effective changes in the other courses she teaches.

“One thing I learned was that students are more likely to actually listen to me about what it takes to learn the material when they have a front-row seat to observe my learning,” says Jongerius. “In my math courses, students correctly assume that math was usually not hard for me to understand, so they tend to discount my advice on effective studying. In physics, my comments had a clear sense of immediacy since students were struggling with the same material.”

The biennial conference, held at Redeemer University College, was created to encourage Christians in the mathematical sciences to explore the relationship of their faith to their discipline. The conference also provides opportunities for interaction between professionals and to promote innovative and effective teaching techniques.

Jongerius joined Northwestern’s faculty in 1993, and in 2005 was the recipient of the college’s Teaching Excellence Award. In conjunction with a team of ACMS writers, Jongerius contributed to a book, “Mathematics Through the Eyes of Faith,” published by HarperOne in 2011.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and English from Northern Arizona University, Jongerius went on to earn master’s and doctoral degrees in mathematics from Colorado State University.