Brian Sharp and Valerie Long of the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences published "McCain's Messages: Matrices and Mathematical Practices" in the Ohio Journal of School Mathematics and hosted a Twitter chat about the rticle at #octmchat.
In summer 2019, Sharp and Long taught a lesson to middle school students in the inaugural Serafini Middle School Math Camp. The article focused on what happened when 22 middle school students were introduced to the structure of matrices as they learned about how John McCain and other prisoners of the Vietnam War used tools to communicate. The article was published in the spring 2020 issue of .
Recently, Sharp and Long hosted a Twitter chat called #octmchat based on the article. They engaged K-12 teachers in a discussion of lessons learned about creativity, connections, and constructing viable arguments.
Brian Sharp received his PhD in mathematics education from the University of Virginia. He is currently the co-coordinator for the Secondary Mathematics Education program at IUP. Sharp teaches undergraduate mathematics courses, undergraduate mathematics education courses, and graduate mathematics education courses and supervises student teachers.
Valerie Long received her PhD in mathematics education from Ohio University. She is currently the coordinator for the Masters of Education in Mathematics Education program at IUP. Long teaches undergraduate mathematics courses, undergraduate mathematics education courses, as well as graduate mathematics education courses.