Group items tagged

“Model with mathematics. Mathematically proficient students can apply the mathematics they know to solve problems arising in everyday life, society, and the workplace.”

“Attend to precision. Mathematically proficient students try to communicate precisely to others. They try to use clear definitions in discussion with others and in their own reasoning.”

“Look for and make use of structure. Mathematically proficient students look closely to discern a pattern or structure,” and “Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning. Mathematically proficient students notice if calculations are repeated, and look both for general methods and shortcuts.”

Missing entirely from the practice standards is a discussion of how to pose problems, and, more generally, how to ask powerful questions. This is a telling oversight. Unlike in school, real problems are not served up on a platter, fully formed. The standards-writers overlooked the most basic fact of people with genuine math expertise: They find problems!

Is it too late to change this? I hope not. Solving our problem of poor mathematics education depends upon it.

In the past I have used Tutpop to register a whole class and track the progress they make with math through games played with each other as well as students from around the world! There are different levels, but it is aimed at elementary. I can’t remember who first told me about this site, but I like it.

I love xtramath.org. It is a free site that helps kids master their math facts. Initially, the student takes an assessment quiz of what they already have mastered as indicated by a response of 3 seconds or less. Each consecutive session is based on the outcome of the previous assessments. It takes about 5 minutes a day, provides corrective feedback, visuals for goal setting, and can be used for the whole class or set up at home by a parent.

Study Ladder. It has impressive literacy, science and math interactives, and teachers can set-up “classrooms” to keep track of student work. Plus, it’s free!

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Students spend more time on things they don't understand and less time on things they have already mastered.

Students get assistance when they encounter problems.

Students are required to do math.

Lord Kelvin once made the observation, “If you can measure that of which you speak and express it in numbers, you know something about your subject; but if you cannot measure it, your knowledge is of a very meager and unsatisfactory kind.” If he is correct, then our knowledge about how, and to what extent, the use of information technology in teaching and learning affects outcomes—both learning and cost—is meager indeed.

Hispanic students who were part of the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) historically had been unsuccessful in math courses. During the fall 2002 semester, however, students in the redesigned Intermediate Algebra course had an unprecedented 80 percent pass rate, compared to a prior 70 percent rate

SIX MODELS FOR COURSE REDESIGNSupplemental: Add to the current structure and/or change the contentReplacement: Blend face-to-face with online activitiesEmporium: Move all classes to a lab settingFully Online: Conduct all (or most) learning activities onlineBuffet: Mix and match according to student preferencesLinked Workshop: Replace developmental courses with just-in-time workshops http://www.theNCAT.org/PlanRes/R2R_ModCrsRed.htm

FIVE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESSFUL COURSE REDESIGNRedesign the whole course.Encourage active learning.Provide students with individualized assistance.Build in ongoing assessment and prompt (automated) feedback.Ensure sufficient time on task and monitor student progress. http://www.theNCAT.org/PlanRes/R2R_PrinCR.htm

At Alabama, the success rate (grades of C– or better) for African-American freshmen in the redesigned course was substantially higher than for white freshmen, despite the fact that the African-American students were less prepared when they entered the course (on a math placement exam, 20 percent of Caucasian freshmen scored less than 200, versus 41 percent of African Americans). In fall 2000, 71.4 percent of African-American freshmen were successful, versus 51.8 percent of Caucasian freshmen; in fall 2001, it was 70 percent versus 65.3 percent.

Students learn math by doing math, not by listening to someone talk about doing math.