MathAMATYC Educator
A refereed publication of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges Editor: Pete Wildman, Spokane Falls CC
Production Manager: Jim Roznowski, Delta C Volume 1, Number 2, February, 2010 Issue
Earlier and Later Issues Special Issue: Mathematics Across the Community College Curriculum (MAC3) The Mathematics Across the Community College Curriculum Project (MAC3) is funded by The National Science Foundation (DUE - 0442439)
Editors for this MAC3 Special Issue: Jane Korey and Cinnamon Hillyard | |
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Math Across the Community College Curriculum (MAC3): A Successful Path to Quantitative Literacy Cinnamon Hillyard, University of Washington Bothell
Jane Korey
Deann Leoni, Edmonds CC
Rebecca Hartzler, Edmonds CC
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In recent years, mathematical and quantitative arguments have become prominent in the media as well as in politics, business, and science conversations. This has led to multiple calls for mathematics to be more accessible and meaningful to a wider range of the population (AMATYC, 2006; Cerrito, 1996; Cheney, 1989; Cohen, 1982; College Board, 1983; CUPM, 1982; CUPM, 1998; Madison and Steen, 2003; Moses, 2002; NCTM, 1989; NRC 1989; Paulos, 1988; Steen, 2001; Steen 2004a). These calls for action have included broadening students’ exposure to the breadth and applicability of mathematics in multiple interdisciplinary settings. As detailed by Madison and Steen (2008), this movement became known as the Quantitative Literacy (QL) movement. TOP
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Reading Your Way to Success in Mathematics: A Paired Course of Developmental Mathematics and Reading Honey Kirk, Palo Alto College
Diane Lerma, Palo Alto College
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In 2005 the Lumina Foundation awarded the Alamo Community College District (ACCD), including Palo Alto College, a grant to explore institutional effectiveness with a primary focus on serving student groups that traditionally have faced significant barriers to success. As a result of the award, ACCD staffed an umbrella initiative called "Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count” to help more students earn certificates or degrees that open the door to better jobs, continuing education, and more opportunities. TOP
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The Art of Math Una Kim, Portland CC
Angela Stabley, Portland CC
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In the movie A Beautiful Mind there is a scene where future Nobel prize winner John Nash is captivated by a fellow student’s tie. When asked about his behavior Nash quips, "There has to be a mathematical explanation for how bad that tie is.” (Grazer & Howard, 2000) In this light moment, director Ron Howard attempts to show us that the mind of a great mathematician works by making connections, and that those connections can be between areas as seemingly disparate as mathematics and design. Recent studies show that there is more than a grain of truth in this scene. TOP
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"Space on Earth:” a Learning Community Integrating English, Math, and Science Joanna Fortna, Northern Essex CC
Jim Sullivan, Northern Essex CC
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Imagine a mathematics instructor and English instructor sharing an office; scribbled equations litter one desk, snatches of poetry the other. Our learning community, "Space on Earth,” grew from conversations in just such an office where we bridged our own disciplinary gap and discovered a shared passion for helping students apply the concepts and skills of our disciplines to situations outside the classroom. Since we both agreed that students must be able to transfer and apply their knowledge of English and mathematics to other college courses— as well as to improving their lives as workers, citizens, family members, and independent life-long learners—we decided to start the process of transfer with our own courses. But how do you connect a composition course with an algebra course? TOP
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Teaching and Assessing Graphing using Active Learning Jenny McFarland, Edmonds CC
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As a college biology instructor, I often see graphs in lab reports that do not meet my expectations. I also observe that many college students do not always adequately differentiate between good and poor (or misleading) graphs. The activity described in this paper is the result of my work with students to improve their graphing literacy. The process has benefited from my involvement in Summer Institutes and projects designed to help faculty integrate Mathematics Across the Curriculum (MAC), engage students in active learning in biology courses and develop student self-assessment strategies. TOP
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Changing Embedded Student Attitudes within a Mathematical Setting Ruth Collins, Walden University
Darlene Winnington, Delaware Technical and CC
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Many students see mathematics as a required, but unpleasant subject. They perceive mathematics as isolated, having no relationship to life, no relationship to future career needs, and no connections to other college courses. Student attitudes and beliefs in mathematics quite often block the knowledge that we as instructors want them to obtain. Coming from a background of memorized algorithms and frustrating mathematics course experiences, students often bring an attitude of defeat with them to the first day of class. TOP
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The Evolution of a Learning Community for Elementary Education Majors Kathy Rogotzke, North Iowa Area CC
Craig Zoellner, North Iowa Area CC
Kacy Larson, North Iowa Area CC
Nancy Fallis, North Iowa Area CC
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Concerns about the quality of math and science education in the elementary grades often focus on the shortage of well qualified teachers at that level, a shortage that reflects both a lack of interest among prospective teachers in teaching mathematics and science (Committee on Science, 2007), and the need for solid preparation in mathematics for elementary education majors (Ma, 1999). Since elementary level teachers are responsible for teaching their students all subjects, they routinely integrate subjects and teach "across the curriculum.” But many elementary teachers slight their students’ math and science education because they are uncomfortable and unfamiliar with math and science topics, a shortcoming that can be lessened through inquiry-based science courses for pre-service teachers (Weld & Funk, 2005). TOP
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Recipe for Faculty Development Deann Leoni, Edmonds CC
Rebecca Hartzler, Edmonds CC
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We did not set out in 1999 to create a national curricular reform project. We started by wanting to make a local impact on our campus, and the project grew slowly and steadily to the current national MAC3 project coordinated by AMATYC. Over recent years we’ve been asked how MAC3 evolved. In this article we hope to share our experience as leaders of the MAC and MAC3 projects with others who may want to lead a similar faculty development project. TOP
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MAC3 Evaluation: Monitoring Process, Documenting Outcomes Jane Korey
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The role of evaluation is to determine whether a project achieves what it sets out to do. Using a strategy often referred to as "backwards planning” or "backwards research design,” the evaluation process operationalizes project goals and then, asking the question "What would success look like?” identifies measurable indices of success (Friedman, 2008). Project leaders Deann Leoni and Rebecca Hartzler state clearly what would constitute success for MAC3 in the first paragraph of the project web site, quoted above: students will deepen their understanding of mathematics; they will know how to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-life situations and they will understand the importance of math to their lives and careers. For the MAC3 evaluation, student outcomes are an important bottom line. TOP
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