Discussing:

• Steven G. Krantz, How to Teach Mathematics, Chapters 3-4

Attending:

• Daniel, Patrick, Kristen, Aleksandr, Deborah, Eva, Tian (and Sara K.)

Points:

• What else can this group do to move forward with better math teaching at KCC?
• STEM Vision Committee — team up with them
• Run a pilot somehow using new strategies to teach math, and then follow students to see how they do in chemistry, biology, etc.
• With the doing away of math requirements (algebra) for non-STEM majors, we are separating STEM and non-STEM tracks early and with little chance for switching tracks later in education or career without starting over from square one.
• Elementary Algebra M2 is now a multiple-choice test, with a calculator, and students do not have to pass the test to pass the class. As of next semester, students do not need to even pass this class to graduate.
• Given all of these things we can’t control, is there anything we can do? Would expanding the Math Workshop help? It would help some students, but probably not a majority.
• Some research claims remediation never solves the problem — ongoing support will always be needed.
• What other things can we do? Give more practice — students do know some math, but need practice & feedback.
• Physical sciences uses ALEKS (others: MathXL, WebWork.)
• One observation: Even with ALEKS homework 25% of grade, some students still don’t do it. Others find online homework helpful.
• Another strategy is to spend some time on definitions, so that the words in word problems are understood.
• Ask students to draw what the instructions say (show them an example; in chemistry, physics, biology).
• CHE 12 “all about logs”, but only prerequisite is MAT 9; logs covered briefly in MAT 14.
• Many students are trained to be passive learners, so much so that many consider preparing for class & doing the exercises ahead of time on their own as cheating.
• How has this FIG affected your teaching practice? For most, understanding what math is needed for science courses, vs. what math is taught in prerequisites, has been revelatory and helpful.