The Case of Implicit Differentiation: An Opportunity to Make Sense or Just Follow a Prescribed Technique? by Scott Adamson Modernizing-the-Mathematics-Curriculum-Part-2Download

by Scott Adamson, Chandler-Gilbert CC Background, Meanings, and Conversation Recommendations Introduction Try Googling “modernize curriculum in mathematics.” Many of the first page results are in the realm of modernizing mathematics to include topics that students will find relevant in our current culture such as modeling, data science, financial math, and statistics. The traditional geometry and algebra topics that have historically been the focus for high school and two-year college students are recommended to be integrated with the new topics to bring relevance and connections to the real-world. It seems that conversations around modernizing the mathematics curriculum can be categorized in two ways: what topics should be taught (or not taught) and what we want students to learn about these topics. As this blog is written primarily to an audience of two-year college faculty, we recognize the challenges that exist with any modernization, as curricular decisions are tied to institutionally defined student learning outcomes, departmental final exams, as well as articulation agreements with other institutions of higher learning. Therefore, the focus of this current discussion is on ideas of what should (and maybe shouldn’t) be taught and on how even common topics in the traditional algebra and calculus courses can be taught to promote…

For the Teaching for Prowess Summer Institute, Indian River State College (IRSC) sent four math faculty, a department chair and a student services staff member to Portland, Oregon. Excited to learn more about Building Thinking Classrooms, we started a book group with the attendees of the Summer Institute in Fall 2022 and then implemented vertical non-permanent surfaces (VNPS) in a small pilot of our College Algebra classes as well as one trigonometry class in Spring 2023. At first we started with Post-it Note removable whiteboard paper, but now we have outfitted six rooms with traditional whiteboards at three of our campuses.  Course-embedded learning assistants (CELAs) are central to our implementation of VNPS. CELAs are peer tutors who are present during the class session to help with the active learning activities. In Spring 2023, we incorporated about twenty minutes or so of active learning VNPS activities in visibly random groups.  At this point, most of our faculty are only using about a third to a half of the class time with the VNPS activities; however, we are still observing a noticeable change in the attendance level and engagement in the VNPS classes when compared to the traditional classroom experience. VNPS activities are also being…

David Tannor - KCC Principal Investigator For some time now I have been struggling to understand the meaning of teaching, moreso teaching mathematics. I am aware of past and contemporary explorations on thesubject yet, the critiqued levelled against what is often termed the traditional mode ofteaching, an approach that for a while was a norm in my practice, puzzled me. I mean atmy place of worship I sit at my usual spot to hear my minister lecture about truths ofscripture. I listen to the radio most days to catch up on daily news. In fact, like many, Isometimes default to YouTube instructional videos when I need some help with homerepairs. And, every now and then pause for a few minutes to have a go. Isn’t some formof learning taking place, while I sit, watch, and tune in?I agree that a framework for teaching in which the learner is primarily the object of thatwhich is to be learned from the teacher is concerning. It positions the instructor as anauthority and devalues the subjectiveness of the student in her own right. However, theusual alternative, which supports a view of teacher as facilitator of learning is equallyproblematic as I have come to perceive teaching in some…

Emily Whittington (right) Emily Whittington received the Faculty Professional Enrichment Recognition Award from Pima Community College in April. The award is for innovative and outstanding faculty activities that have positive impacts on students, the College and/or the community. The recognition is an award of $500 and the award includes a certificate describing the activity. Emily was nominated by a team of seven of her colleagues in Pima's Mathematics Department. These faculty nominated her for her work supporting full-time and adjunct faculty in developing their teaching skills. The nominating team specifically cited her support of the faculty using inquiry in teaching mathematics as the Principle Investigator for Pima Community College's TfP project.   Emily has led Pima Community College to develop Professional Learning Communities for faculty at the college that meet monthly to develop a catalog of field-tested lessons, further refined by these faculty participating in lesson study, to improve student outcomes and faculty implementation of active learning strategies. Emily was instrumental in Pima Community College's award of the grant. She initiated the process, organized the team, and oversaw the process of writing the grant. Once awarded, she has been instrumental in handling logistics, including attendance at numerous required visitations, training sessions, and required conferences, as…

by Joe Bauer, STL CC Last spring, I was invited to participate in Teaching for Prowess, and my group from St. Louis Community College attended the Summer Institute in August. Of course, I was excited for the trip, but if I am to be entirely honest, I was skeptical about the goal of the conference. I have been around long enough to have seen several other proposals of systemic change to mathematics education, and I have even seen them implemented and fail. If I am going to make a dramatic change in the classroom, I expect it to be purposeful and evidence based, and during the Summer Institute, I learned that this is precisely what TfP is. I became interested. The conference was designed to teach the core principals of the active learning in techniques detailed in Peter Liljedahl’s book Building Thinking Classrooms. As we discussed the different topics, the active learning strategies were modeled to us—the best ways to form groups, how groups are to display the work, the role of the teacher, etc. About halfway through the conference, my skepticism began to fade, and I thought there might be something to this. Then during one session, the speaker said, “Just try…

Connecticut State Community College (CT State) has been selected as a Phase 2 participant in the National Science Foundation’s Teaching for Prowess grant.  Math faculty from the Manchester, Capital, Northwestern CT, and Quinebaug Valley campuses of CT State have formed an IMPACT Team that will be collaborating with leaders from the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC), Oregon State University, and the Phase 1 community colleges, Chandler-Gilbert CC and Clackamas CC, as well as five other Phase 2 community colleges.  The goal of the grant is to increase the success of STEM students in their math courses through the implementation of active learning pedagogy. CT State’s IMPACT Team consists of math faculty Debora Rimkus (PI), Myrta Groeneveld (co-PI), Andre Freeman, and Crystal Wiggins, with support from Forrest Helvie from the Office of Teaching and Learning, and David Nielsen and Patrick Keller from Institutional Research.  Myrta Groeneveld (co-PI), Andre Freeman and Debora Rimkus (PI) To meet the grant’s objective, The IMPACT Team has chosen to implement Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) comprised of math faculty who are teaching College Algebra courses.  A new cohort of the PLC will be formed each semester of the 3-year grant.  PLC participants will receive training in the four…

Hi TfP’ers,  Randolph CC hosted Professional Development Day for the full-time instructors at the beginning of the semester. We had the opportunity to conduct a brief seminar titled “Building Thinking Classrooms” to our non-mathematics colleagues. The sessions were very well received. At the end of the day, we got public recognition from our colleagues for how much they liked our message.     In the allotted time we randomly assigned attendees to groups as they walked in the door. They were given a task, then they shared their results. This physical demonstration was followed by a review of the teaching practices found in Peter Liljedahl’s book, Building Thinking Classrooms.      Multiple colleagues have approached us to let us know that they want to start to try some of the teaching practices we discussed.  The TfP team here at RCC thought you might be interested.  Have a great day!      Carrie Lineberry Ritter, PhD (She, Her, Hers) Professor of Mathematics and Statistics Ellen Adams, Carrie Ritter, and Fred Watts

The Summer Institute for the Phase 1 and Phase 2 College Teams was held August 11-14, 2022 in Portland, Oregon. Highlight videos from each day were created by our (awesome) historian Julie Phelps. https://youtu.be/mWI90YSzxqs Thursday Game Night https://youtu.be/GwE7UOmMjjc Friday Setting the Stage - Part 1 https://youtu.be/pgekUqdNn0U Friday Setting the Stage - Part 2 https://youtu.be/9Rqm09hAViU Friday Setting the Stage - Part 3 https://youtu.be/sSxacsXXSWQ Saturday Tools & Strategies - Part 1 https://youtu.be/NPBDr2_HwGc Saturday Tools & Strategies - Part 2 https://youtu.be/lenWEeJI04w Sunday Department Institutional Transformation

Despite all that happened in 2020, the math department at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City, OR had one of its most collaborative and productive academic years. We can thank AMATYC, NSF, and the Teaching for PROWESS leadership for providing these opportunities and partnering with us to develop and carry out a plan for instructional improvement in our STEM pathway. Back in early 2020, we found out about an opportunity to be a Phase I college in an AMATYC project focused on improving teaching through active learning. Our department had spent the past several years on improvements to our Statistics Pathway, as well as on implementing multiple-measures placement. Both of these projects helped students tremendously – our STATS pathway became more student-centered and infused with growth mindset and active learning.  Our placement office began placing students an average of 2 levels higher than the placement test had before, and those students succeeded at the same or higher rates. During all of this, we knew that our next area that needed improvement was our STEM pathway – in particular the four classes from College Algebra through Calculus II. From the beginning, we knew our participation in TfP would give us an opportunity to work…