R. L. (Robert Lee) Moore was born in Dallas, TX in 1882. He enrolled at the University of Texas (Austin) in 1898, shortly before his 16th birthday, and completed his bachelor's degree in three years. Following appointments as a lecturer at the University of Texas and as a high-school mathematics teacher, Moore attended graduate school at the University of Chicago. He was awarded his doctorate in 1905.

After earning his Ph.D. in the field of point-set topology (definition from MathWorld; see also topology), Moore taught mathematics at the University of Tennessee, Princeton, Northwestern, and the University of Pennsylvania before returning to the University of Texas in 1920. Moore spent the remainder of his career at the University of Texas and the rest of his life in Austin: he retired in 1969 and died in 1974. He was 91 years old.

Professor Moore believed very strongly that the only way to gain deep, powerful knowledge of mathematics was to work through and discover mathematical truths on one's own. Moore did not find lectures helpful: in a story related in several of the sources below, Moore attended a lecture where a newly-proved theorem was being presented; instead of following the lecturer, Moore worked out his own proof. At the end of the lecture, when he approached the presenter, it was discovered that he had reproduced that proof on his own. Moore's teaching style took its shape from this belief in self-sufficiency.

"Teaching in this style is not merely a negative matter of not lecturing..."
~ E. E. Moise

As one might expect, Moore did not lecture in his classes. Instead, he began a course by giving some definitions; from these, the rest of that course's body of knowledge would be built, as problems and proofs were assigned. Collaboration with classmates was strictly forbidden, as was reading of texts pertaining to the material. In fact, if a student had not yet completed the solution of a problem being presented in class, that student could excuse herself from class if she wished in order to avoid spoiling her work. Moore himself was available to assist students who needed help; otherwise, the students were completely on their own (and were on their honor to obey these restrictions). This method of teaching became known as the Moore Method or the Texas Method, after the University of Texas (Austin) where Moore taught and achieved his greatest prominence.

Creative teaching : heritage of R. L. Moore.
By D. Reginald Traylor, with William Banes and Madeline Jones. University of Houston, 1972.
Stacks QA29 .M66 T7

Part I of this book (pages 1-195) consists of an academic biography of R. L. Moore; it begins with his high-school days and progresses through his education and rise to prominence as a mathematician, ending with his forced retirement from the University of Texas. The second part lists Moore's published books and papers, as well as the names and publications of other mathematicians he influenced. Some detail in advanced mathematics is central to some portions of the narrative. Recommended for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students.

"How to teach a class by the Modified Moore Method."
By Donald R. Chalice. American Mathematical Monthly 102, no. 4 (1995), 317-321.
Stacks QA1 .A47 v.102 1995
Available online via JSTOR (for Emory students, faculty, and staff only).

Presents Chalice's take on the Modified Moore Method. Provides a road map for instructors wishing to try this teaching style and points out ways in which the instructor can provide the ever-important component of guidance and encouragement to her students.

I want to be a mathematician.
By Paul Halmos. Chapter: "How to teach", pp. 254-265. Springer-Verlag, 1985.
Stacks QA29.H19 A35 1985

In particular, the section of this chapter called "The Moore Method" is recommended (pp. 255-260). Apart from the "example of ugly notation" Halmos provides -- skip this bit if you don't understand it, by the way! -- this is a very readable and engaging description of Moore's teaching style. Halmos was personally acquainted with R. L. Moore and is an avid believer in and user of the Moore Method, but he did not study under Moore and had no academic connection with the University of Texas. Thus, in contrast to the bulk of sources I found, this commentary is not influenced by personal attachment.

"An interview with Mary Ellen Rudin."
By Donald J. Albers and Constance Reed. College Mathematics Journal 18, no. 2 (1988), 115-137.
Available online via JSTOR (for Emory students, faculty, and staff only).

In this interview, the mathematician Mary Ellen Rudin discusses (among other things) her experience at the University of Texas, where she was a student under Moore. She mentions some concepts in advanced mathematics; however, the reader should be able to skip the "heavy lifting" without missing too much. Rudin describes learning under the Moore Method and talks about her choice not to employ it in her own teaching.

"The Moore Method".
By F. Burton Jones. American Mathematical Monthly 84, no. 4 (1977), 273-278.
Storage QA1 .A47 v.84 1977
Available online via JSTOR (for Emory students, faculty, and staff only).

Describes the Moore Method from Jones' viewpoint as a student under Moore, and later as a professor using this teaching method in his own classes.

"Robert Lee Moore, 1882-1974."
By R. L. Wilder. Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society 82 (1976), no. 3, 417-427.
Storage QA1 .A52 Ser.2 V.82 1976

This obituary contains a detailed personal biography of Moore, a discussion of his mathematical work, and an extensive bibliography of his published work. The biographical portion contains some mention of concepts in advanced mathematics (topology in particular, of course) but interested undergraduates should still be able to skim it without too much trouble.

"Student-oriented teaching -- the Moore method."
By Lucille S. Whyburn. American Mathematical Monthly 77 (1970), 351-359.
Storage QA1 .A47 v.77 1970
Available online via JSTOR (for Emory students, faculty, and staff only).

Detailed description of the Moore Method, with comments and viewpoints from former students.

"The Greatest Math Teacher Ever."
By Keith Devlin. Devlin's Angle (5/99), MAA Online.
http://www.maa.org/devlin/devlin_5_99.html

"The Greatest Math Teacher Ever, Part 2."
By Keith Devlin. "Devlin's Angle" (6/99), MAA Online.
http://www.maa.org/devlin/devlin_6_99.html

The first of this pair of articles sketches Moore out as a person; I'm afraid its presence on this list will spoil the challenge, posed to the reader, to guess who he was! The second article fleshes out some more biographical details and discusses Moore's teaching style.

The Legacy of R. L. Moore Project.
The University of Texas (Austin).
http://www.discovery.utexas.edu/rlm/index.html

Part of the Discovery Learning Project <http://www.discovery.utexas.edu/>. Contains links to articles and writings about Moore, as well as full-page images of two letters he wrote and a copy of his notes for the MAA film Challenge in the Classroom.

"Robert L. Moore."
From the MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive.
http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Moore_Robert.html

Thorough but not overly long biography with plentiful links to background and peripheral material.

This library guide was compiled for Professor Bill Mahavier's Modified Moore Method classes in Fall 2004 and has been updated for Fall 2005. Please feel free to contact Laura, your Math and Computer Science librarian, with questions, comments, or requests for assistance:

Laura Kane McElfresh
Serials Cataloger, Math & Computer Science Librarian, & Dance Librarian
128 Woodruff Library

404-727-1613
lmcelfr@emory.edu