STLCC Summer Institute Overview
Join us for a professional development opportunity centered on active learning
What will the STLCC Summer Institute on Active Learning cover, and how will it prepare participants for implementation?
The workshop will focus on approaches to implement active learning in mathematics high school and college courses. The notion of active learning is promoted by Laursen and Rasmussen (2019) and American Mathematical Association of Two-year Colleges (AMATYC) IMPACT's four pillars of PROWESS (PRoficiency, OWnership, Engagement, and Student Success).
We will explore the following active learning guiding principles from the NSF-Funded AMATYC Teaching for PROWESS project:
- Students' deep engagement in mathematical thinking (PRoficiency)
- Instructors' interest in and use of student thinking (OWnership)
- Student-to-student interaction (Engagement)
- Instructors' attention to equitable and inclusive practices (Student Success)
How to help students make sense of mathematical ideas and cultivate a mindset for productive mathematics learning is paramount in any mathematics course. As such, the workshops will involve
(1) experiencing active learning from a student perspective, then reflecting on the learning from an instructor's perspective using the OPAL: Observation Protocol for Active Learning framework (which leverages the research from Building Thinking Classrooms and other research),
(2) reflecting on lesson design and implementation so that participants can create their own lessons in the future focused on rich mathematical tasks,
(3) facilitating these tasks using meaningful mathematics discourse, paying particular attention to communication (teacher-to-student and student-to-student) and critiquing the reasoning of other students, and
(4) supporting all students with diverse backgrounds and mathematical preparation through equitable and inclusive teaching practices. Overall, this work will hinge on the works of:
- Building Thinking Classrooms, by Peter Liljedahl,
- The 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions, by Smith and Stein, and
- The Observation Protocol for Active Learning, by April Strom and Scott Adamson.
Since active learning by itself is not enough to improve instructional practice, the workshop will also explore with participants how to engage levers for change to modernize the mathematics curriculum: leadership, course coordination, ongoing professional development, and student support services.
Click here to register.
Dr. Scott Adamson is an award-winning mathematics professor who strives to help students develop mathematical reasoning and persistent problem solving as they work to make sense of big mathematical ideas. He structures the classroom environment so that students are afforded the opportunity to actively make sense of mathematics and he strives to develop enthusiastic learners in the classroom. Scott currently teaches students at Chandler-Gilbert Community College. Scott holds a B.S. and M.A.T. in Mathematics Education from Northern Arizona University and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction (emphasis on Mathematics Education) from Arizona State University. He tells his colleagues and himself that we need to stop teaching mathematics and start teaching students! Certainly, we will teach our students the beauty, wonder, and utility of mathematics, but we must realize that the positive relationships that we build with our students are most important! In 2017, Scott gave a keynote address at the opening session of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges which led to a TEDx Talk called "Is it 1957 or 2017?
Dr. April Ström (she/her) is a mathematics professor at Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Arizona, where she has taught for over 26 years. April's passion for engaging students in active learning in mathematics, developing their conceptual understanding and sense-making abilities, and elevating the joy of learning mathematics shines through in all her work. April's passion for teaching and love of mathematics is a perfect combination when working closely with mathematics teachers, leaders, and administrators at all levels. She is a 2023-24 recipient of The League for Innovation in the Community College League Excellence Award for her leadership and instruction in mathematics education. April's research background in mathematics education, coupled with her passion for teaching and learning, has prompted her to engage in various leadership roles in national organizations, such as the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), and the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC). April currently serves as the Principal Investigator for the NSF-funded Teaching for Prowess project, which is focused on Building Thinking Classrooms and active learning in the first two years of college mathematics. April also co-led the writing of the Classroom Practices chapter of the 2017 MAA Instructional Practices Guide and served on the steering committee for the 2018 AMATYC IMPACT guide, both of which aimed to elevate active learning in mathematics in higher education.
Dr. Kim Granger has been teaching for over 30 years and still loves it. She is currently a mathematics professor and department chair at the Wildwood Campus of St. Louis Community College. Before moving "back home" to Missouri, she taught in various public and private middle schools, colleges and universities in Hawaii and Southern California. Kim has recently participated in the NSF iFlip grant, seeking to increase the use of flipped teaching in college STEM classes, and is currently participating in the NSF-funded Teaching for Prowess grant. At STLCC she has served as Campus Governance Chair, Professional Development Coordinator and General Education Coordinator. Kim is the recipient of the Missouri Mathematical Association of Two-year Colleges Excellence Award 2023, the League for Innovation Excellence Award 2019, the Missouri Governor's Excellence in Teaching Award 2017, and the Midwest Region Association of Developmental Education Outstanding Developmental Educator Award 2012. When she's not busy with college affairs, she is mom to four teens who are all growing up way too fast. Her oldest son will graduate from STLCC the weekend of the Summer Institute with his A.A. degree in general transfer studies as well as Precision Machining Certification...and a few weeks later he will graduate from high school!
Aletta Speegle is a mathematics professor at the Meramec Campus of St. Louis Community College. She's originally from South Africa where she did her undergraduate studies at the University of Stellenbosch. She then moved to the United States to do her graduate studies at Texas A&M University in College Station Texas. After graduation both Aletta and her husband got jobs in St. Louis. They have two kids who are now both studying in Texas! Aletta is part of the TfP grant and is using active learning in all of her classes.
