If you missed my AMATYC session on Incorporating Mathematical Mindsets, here is a recording of a Pearson Webinar that I did back in October. Mindsets Webinar (Recorded) I will include the link shortly on my Mindsets web page too (Mindsets Web Page) . You can also find links to relevant books, videos, a mindset assessment, and PowerPoint files there.
Full implementation of AB705 begins in Fall 2019 in California. At my school (College of the Sequoias) developmental math courses like prealgebra and elementary/intermediate algebra will no longer be offered. Students will begin in a transfer-level class: intro statistics, college algebra, or math for teachers. Some, depending on their high school GPA, will also take a 1 or 2 unit corequisite support class. The support class is supposed to cover prerequisite topics on a “just in time” basis. What I…
My short-term elementary algebra class is drawing to a close. For the midterm I tried a new exam strategy that I really liked. I teach a 2-hour block that meets 4 days a week. On a Tuesday students spent the first hour working on problems from Chapters 1 and 2, and we went over the solutions during the second hour. On the next day we repeated the pattern for Chapters 3 & 4. On the Thursday students were given instant…
With the implementation of AB705 coming in Fall 2019, I am currently teaching elementary algebra for the last time. I am using a flipped classroom approach, and I am really proud of how hard my students are working. (I’ll blog more about that in the near future.) This is a short-term class, and the plan was to teach new material for three weeks, then devote the fourth week to the midterm exam. I was going to review on Tuesday and…
Hi! Remember me??? I traded in some of my overload units to take the spring semester off, and it ended up being a very busy time. I was wrapping up the videos and supplements for my newest textbook (a STEM focused intermediate algebra text) and the second edition of Interactive Statistics (which I work with Michael Sullivan on). Last week I started teaching a summer Intro Stats class, and I have begun to turn my attention to preparing for next…
Had a great time sharing my experiences with helping students to develop a growth mindset today. If you are looking for a quick entry to the subject, check out the following videos. Carol Dweck on Mindsets YouTube video – Dweck Jo Boaler on Math Mindsets YouTube video – Boaler I’ll be sharing more on Mindsets in the upcoming week.
Unfortunately, many of today’s students view mathematics as a non-creative field. They’ve been told that there is only one way to solve a problem. Rather than search for solutions, they have become conditioned to waiting on their instructor to tell them what to do and how to do it. First, students need to dispel that myth that there is only one way to solve a problem. This week I was introducing the general addition formula for finding the probability of…
One of the most frequent questions I get about MyLab homework and quizzes is “How many problems do you put in an assignment?” My most frequent answer … It Depends. When I first started my homework assignments had somewhere between 15 and 20 questions. My chapter quizzes, which became semi-chapter quizzes, also had between 15 and 20 questions. As I have aged, I apparently have become a minimalist! I have drastically cut down the length of my assignments, and I…
Last Spring I flipped my elementary algebra class. For each section I used a cycle of three assignments in MyMathLab to make it all work. FLIP Assignment This was a media assignment that incorporated concept videos, example videos, and homework exercises. Students completed these assignments before class. Reflect Quiz This was a 5-question quiz, focused on the problem types I felt were the most important in that section. The first attempt loaded a personalized homework, and students could take the…
One of my goals is to be an agile teacher. I also want that for my students. Often students arrive in my class preferring to work with one method that works for every problem of a certain type. I want them to flexible and use the most efficient solution depending on the particular problem. Case in point – quadratic equations. Students who have seen this material before want to use only the quadratic formula, as they know it can be…