Education Commons^™

Just In Time Mathematics Review For Accounting Students, Anneke Bart, Michael May S.J., Debbie Pike

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper describes the Just-in-Time Review developed for an undergraduate accounting course. The review materials cover five topics in algebra. Students take an online assessment, and online materials are made available to help students catch up in those areas where some review is recommended. This paper is a case study of the development and implementation of the Just-in-Time Review for an accounting course at Saint Louis University.

A Tale Of Four Departments: Interdisciplinary Faculty Learning Communities Informing Mathematics Education, Bryan D. Poole, Caroline Maher-Boulis, John Hearn, Jason Robinson, Patricia Mcclung, Amanda Jones

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

As a result of the Curriculum Foundations Project and the SUMMIT-P consortium, faculty from four different departments at Lee University created a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) with the goal of improving students’ attitudes toward undergraduate mathematics courses, including students’ perception of the utility of mathematics in their lives and the feelings of anxiety that they experience in these courses. The interdisciplinary collaborations resulted in introducing novel activities and manipulatives in various mathematics courses (Introduction to Statistics, Concepts of Mathematics I and II, and Algebra for Calculus). This paper first describes the efforts of creating the inter-departmental FLC. Second, it discusses …

Leveraging Interdisciplinary Expertise In Developing An Alternative Mathematics Pathway, Beverly Wood, Debra T. Bourdeau

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

How many instructors does it take for amazing course design? Or perhaps we should begin with “A mathematician, humanist, communication expert and statistician walk into a bar.” This unlikely team has co-developed a pair of courses, Learning to Reason I: Art and Quotient and Learning to Reason II: Commerce and Flux, that deeply investigate quantitative reasoning from multiple perspectives. Blending elements of rhetoric, logic, and history with mathematical computation, representation, and application breaks through the perceived barriers between the unyielding, obstinate world of mathematics and the ambiguous, equivocal world of the humanities. Developing the courses as an interdisciplinary team of …

An Examination Of Factors That Support Sustainable Cultural And Curricular Change In Stem Teaching And Learning, Erica Slate Young, Peaches Hash, Sarah Schott, Jack Bookman

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Using a mixed-methods design, this body of work from the SUMMIT-P consortium explores possible effective conditions for the sustainable reform of STEM teaching and learning at the collegiate level. A model of catalysts for successful and sustainable change is proposed, based on five years of data collection and observations. These catalysts include institutional support, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of faculty involved, measures of student success, institution size, prior faculty experience, faculty buy-in, and institutional culture. The discussion ends with a delve into the potential broader impacts of this work. For example, this model may help institutions better understand how to …

Using An Interdisciplinary Case Study To Incorporate Quantitative Reasoning In Social Work, Nursing, And Mathematics, Elizabeth Post, Mischelle Stone, Lauren Cavner Williams, Mary Beaudry

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Through the national consortium, SUMMIT-P, Ferris State University faculty collaborated to develop and scaffold mathematics and quantitative reasoning across disciplines to reduce math anxiety. Participants in this collaborative group included faculty from social work, nursing, and mathematics who developed a case study on a Hurricane Katrina scenario that necessitated calculating the need for emergency shelter, water, food, and medicine, and as a response to the potential for a Malaria outbreak. This particular case study allowed faculty to use the lens of social justice to teach mathematical concepts and provided an avenue for nursing and social work students to engage in …

Improving Student Knowledge Transfer Between Mathematics And Engineering Courses Through Structured Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: A Summit-P Initiative, Laura Ellwein Fix, Afroditi Filippas, Maila Brucal-Hallare, Rebecca Segal

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Student learning across STEM disciplines has been shown to increase with greater integration of applications in mathematics courses. One challenge of this effort is that identical constructs are often presented differently in the partner disciplines than in the mathematics courses. This leads to student confusion and an inability to transfer critical knowledge in their disciplinary courses, even for students who have mastered the mathematical paradigms. An interdisciplinary team at VCU consisting of mathematics and engineering faculty has worked to improve the knowledge transfer required for the integration of applications in the Differential Equations curriculum. This work is part of the …

Interdisciplinary Collaboration To Develop Meaningful Mathematical Experiences, Susan Ganter, Bill Haver

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This issue of the Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations (JMSCE) is the second special volume highlighting the impact of the consortium for Synergistic Undergraduate Mathematics via Multi-institutional Interdisciplinary Teaching Partnerships (SUMMIT-P). The development and goals of SUMMIT-P were outlined in the preface of the first special issue of JMSCE devoted to this project (Ganter & Haver, 2020). Full participation from partner discipline faculty is key to the success of redeveloping introductory mathematics courses in a way that incorporates the contextual needs of the other disciplines. As such, SUMMIT-P’s first task was to find ways to best engage colleagues …

Statistics For Nursing And Allied Health At Saint Louis University In The Spirit Of Summit-P, Kimberly S. Druschel, Mike May, Elizabeth Gockel Blessing

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper describes the renewal of a consumer-based elementary statistics course to benefit students in the nursing and allied health disciplines. While the goal of the course transformation was initially to update the pedagogy of the course and ensure students are able to make connections between the course material and their majors, that goal expanded to include the needs and objectives of the client disciplines. This expanded goal was accomplished by incorporating insights gained from a SUMMIT-P business school collaboration and was based on the Curriculum Foundations project recommendations. The paper addresses course projects, instructor development, faculty roles, and interactions …

Full Issue

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

An Exploration Of The Use Of Science Specialists And Elementary Students’ Science Achievement, Wesley Roach, Jillian L. Wendt

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to examine the effect of using science specialists in elementary schools on science achievement scores. The sample population consisted of 282 fifth grade students enrolled in Georgia public schools. The data for this study was collected from four public elementary schools’ end-of-year state assessments and analyzed as archival data. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to determine if there was a difference between science achievement scores in elementary schools that use science specialists compared to those that do not. Results indicate that no statistically significant difference exists between the science achievement scores …

Full Issue

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Connected At A Distance: Experiences And Efforts Within A Synchronous, Online Mathematics Specialist Program, Laura E. Bitto, Pamela E. Johnson, Beth Terry

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Online learning offers flexibility and convenience to students regardless of their proximity to a traditional campus. However, online programs can also feel isolating. Beth, a mathematics specialist candidate, completed a graduate program while living 7000 miles and seven time zones away from her instructor and peers. Through intentional planning by instructors, Beth found community by making personal connections, celebrating life experiences, and sharing a passion for mathematics education with her peers. Furthermore, Beth felt empowered to take academic risks and expose professional vulnerabilities in the learning community. The instructors within the program valued learning as a social construct and therefore …

Instructor Perspectives: Transitioning From Face-To-Face To An Online Or Hybrid Graduate Level Mathematics Education Course, Heather Nunnally, Toni P. Sorrell, Kristina C. Anthony

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

In this paper, the authors reflect on their transitions from teaching a face-to-face mathematics education course for teachers to teaching using an online or hybrid model. As three veteran educators at two different universities, we share lessons learned in constructing and implementing an online or hybrid learning environment. For us, learning to be flexible in how students completed assignments was important. Although we faced many challenges, we looked at the experience through a novice learner’s lens, and recognized that each of us grew from teaching these classes. We found that the instructors’ experiences in working with mathematics specialist candidates in …

Mathematical Representations In A Synchronous Online Mathematics Specialist Preparation Program, Theresa Wills, Deborah Crawford, Kate Roscioli, Shruti Sanghavi

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Universities are implementing more online courses (Yamagata-Lynch, 2014). However, instructors may feel a sense of trepidation in transitioning a mathematics class to a synchronous online platform because they do not want to compromise quality pedagogy (Herrington et al., 2001) for the convenience of an online environment (Wills, 2021). Some courses have successfully transitioned to a synchronous online environment while maintaining rich discussion and student collaboration (Baker & Hjalmarson, 2019); however, mathematics content courses include the additional challenge of incorporating problem solving with multiple representations. This paper focuses on how mathematical representations emerge in a synchronous online course for mathematics specialists.

Team Teaching For Discourse: Perspectives Of Instructors And A Student In An Online Probability And Statistics Course For Preparing Mathematics Specialists, V. Rani Satyam, Kristina C. Anthony, Madhumita Basu, Monica Swoyer

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Team teaching is a form of collaborative work where teachers plan lessons and/or teach together. We discuss the strengths of discourse in the planning stage for an intensive, team-taught, three-week probability and statistics course for mathematics specialists as a way to create and sustain a sense of community and show multiple perspectives in an online course. We delve into two cases of lessons––one about stem-and-leaf plots and another on averages––to describe the interactions of and reflections from three online instructors and a preparing mathematics specialist across the phases of planning, enactment, and the resulting student learning. The conversations about our …

Equity And Access: Empowering Change Agents, Kateri Thunder, Nely Ara-Is, Ashley Carter, Francisca Fowler, April Hawkins, Holly Tate

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

All learners must have access and opportunity to engage meaningfully in the highest levels of mathematics. Mathematics specialists are uniquely situated to contribute to the creation of access and equity for all learners by addressing three target areas with their mathematics teachers and administrators. In order to catalyze change, mathematics specialists need to be prepared to target three obstacles to access and equity: beliefs and expectations, curriculum and instruction, and intervention. This preparation can take place through leadership courses intentionally created to explore the role of change agent and provide practice in negotiating the role.

The Role Of A Mathematics Content-Focused Coaching Project In Preparing Mathematics Specialist Candidates To Coach, Toni P. Sorrell, Jamey Lovin

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon the mathematics content-focused coaching (MCFC) process from the perspective of coaches in their work with teachers, specifically, the effective strategies and techniques used by the mathematics coaches as they work with teachers and focus on mathematics and student learning. We discuss the MCFC project, assigned in many mathematics specialist preparation program leadership classes, in detail. Then we discuss the reflection the participants submitted in a course in which this project was assigned at two different universities and the ways in which these submissions can be used as a reflective activity and …

Online Education: Transferring Personal Experiences To Professional Development, Tracy J. Proffitt, Erica R. Miller, Elicia M. Fleshman

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

In this paper, we discuss how one candidate’s experience as she participated an online mathematics specialist program bolstered her confidence and ability to provide online professional development for her teachers. We include personal accounts by the mathematics specialist program instructors, the mathematics specialist candidate, and an elementary school teacher to illustrate how the experience of completing online graduate courses led to the candidate providing online learning opportunities for teachers. In particular, we highlight the importance of building relationships and using high-quality mathematical tasks in both the online preparation program and the online professional development. This case study provides evidence that …

Virtual Mentorship Of Teacher Leaders: The Ripple Effect, Joan Kernan, Joy Denoon, Eric Roberts, Tammy Sanford

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Abstract

In this paper, the authors reflect on the first completely online mathematics specialist preparation and mentoring program. Candidates across Virginia successfully completed this program and are now serving as teacher leaders, interventionists, department leaders, instructional coaches, mentors, and program specialists. They are impacting mathematics instruction across the state at all levels. As two mathematics specialists serving as mentors and two candidates, we share our thoughts and ideas as we continue to learn from our mentorship process. The goal is to provide continuous professional development as candidates share problems, successes, research, and best practices to improve mathematics teaching and learning. …

Providing Job Embedded Professional Learning For Mathematics Specialists, Ian T. Shenk, Vickie L. Inge, Candace J. Standley, Allison C. Depiro

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

We know that if professional learning opportunities are to be meaningful and create long-lasting and systemic change, they must be ongoing and job-embedded. One of the most beneficial aspects of having mathematics specialists in schools is that they can provide job-embedded professional learning directly to teachers. Perhaps due to the strong impact mathematics specialists have on teaching and learning, we may overlook the need to provide professional learning to support the growth of mathematics specialists themselves. Just as we provide coaching to teachers to affect their professional growth, we must identify similar opportunities to affect the growth of mathematics specialists. …

A Relationship Built To Impact Instruction: Developing And Sustaining Productive Partnerships Between Mathematics Specialists And Principals, Nathan D. Potter, Hannah Adera Rooney, Melody Locher, Debra Kinsey

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

How does the mathematics specialist provide a profound and lasting impact on instruction? We believe that a productive partnership between the principal and specialist, which we will call the principal-specialist relationship, is at the crux of the matter. When the principal-specialist relationship is built upon a foundation of a shared vision, clear roles, communication, and trust, both the teachers and students in the school benefit. We will explore the impact of the principal-specialist relationship on teacher success during the era of distance learning as necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to explore how these ideas come alive in the …

An Examination Of Middle School Students’ Attitudes Toward Science, Michelle L. Schpakow, Jillian L. Wendt, Kelly Paynter

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

For more than 40 years, researchers have been studying the persistent underrepresentation of women in science. Today, the gender gap has narrowed in some, but not all, disciplines of science. To better understand the impetus of this continuing problem, the attitudes of middle school students toward science were examined using a causal-comparative design based on biological sex across four attitude constructs: attitudes toward school science, desire to become a scientist, value of science to society, and perceptions of scientists. A sample of 450 sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade science students located in suburban, central New Jersey responded to Likert-type items on …

A Case Of Misalignment Of Reasoning, Affect, And Performance In The Transition-To-Proof, V. Rani Satyam

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Learning how to prove is known to be difficult for undergraduate students. Understanding students’ growth in the multiple arenas that make up proving is crucial for supporting them. Across four interviews over a semester, I examine one student who showed growth in his reasoning but whose proofs were still incorrect, yet he showed high levels of positive affect including confidence throughout. Investigating this single-subject case serves as an example of the interplay between development and performance. The question of whether we can say this student is a better prover than before––fundamentally, how to weigh reasoning versus affect versus performance––motivates the …

Online Versus In-Person Mathematics Instruction: A Comparison Of Two Instructional Models, Chelsea J. Fisher, Catherine Henney, Patrick Marcolini, Allison Yoder

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Our paper explores the differences between online and traditional, in-person teaching and learning modalities, looking specifically at courses preparing teachers to be mathematics teacher leaders. In the context of current research on the teaching and learning of mathematics in an online setting, we share our own experiences. We describe the preparation for and teaching of online mathematics, focusing on establishing norms and the use of technology. The changing teaching and learning opportunities of the 21st century require discussion of these vital issues. We include stories of interactions between candidates and teachers and among groups of candidates in mathematics courses, detailing …

Learning To Anticipate In An Online Class: Perspectives Of An Instructor And A Mathematics Specialist Candidate, Kristina C. Anthony, Melody O'Quinn

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper will highlight two perspectives, a course instructor and a mathematics specialist candidate working together in an online course, on the practice of anticipating how a learner will approach a task or assignment. The candidate shares her experiences in developing an understanding of what it means to anticipate student responses and implement mathematical practice in the classroom. She also shares how learning to anticipate has impacted her teaching. The instructor reflects on her experiences (or lack thereof) in anticipating how students would engage in the online environment. From the instructor and the candidate perspectives, learning to anticipate helped to …

Developing Equity-Centered Leadership Knowledge And Skills Via Lesson Study In An Online Mathematics Specialist Program, Courtney K. Baker, Spencer Jamieson, Adrienne Paul, Scarlett Kibler, Alyson Eaglen, Tammy Kraft

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper highlights how coursework within a synchronous online mathematics specialist program enhanced candidates’ leadership knowledge and provided structures that addressed issues of equity and access. A focus on one online assignment grounded in Lesson Study played a pivotal role in developing equity-centered leadership and instructional practices. Program instructors and recent alumni illuminate how designing, implementing, and reflecting on the Lesson Study experience served as a cornerstone for advancing their mathematics instruction in the following ways: (a) as instructors designing an online leadership course, (b) as learners within an online environment, and (c) as educators within their K–8 school settings. …

Transitioning A Mathematics Specialist Preparation Program Into An Interactive Online Program: Insights From The Developer And Candidate Perspectives, Aimee J. Ellington, Allison Yoder

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper will describe how the Virginia Commonwealth University mathematics specialist preparation program transitioned from a face-to-face format to a fully online format. We will describe the technology and instructional methods that are used for course meetings, activities, and assignments. We will describe the development and implementation of a mathematics activity from instructors designing the activity, participants completing the activity, and instructors providing feedback on the activity. One mathematics activity will be shared that demonstrates the process of the program model that includes independent work, small group work, and in-class discussions. We will describe one participant’s experience as she developed …

Mathematics Teacher Leadership Preparation, Mentorship, And Service: Communities Of Practice Through Online Modalities, Courtney K. Baker, Aimee J. Ellington, William Haver

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This article is a preface to a special issue of the Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations which features articles that describe (a) online components of mathematics specialist preparation and mentoring programs, (b) the mentoring and support of teachers preparing to serve as mathematics teacher leaders, and (c) the subsequent service of mathematics specialists in leadership roles. This preface describes the context within which the described online activities took place, provides a common glossary of terms that will be used consistently across all the articles, and briefly introduces each of the fourteen papers that constitute the special issue.

The Need For Interdisciplinary Collaborations, Susan Ganter, Bill Haver

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The challenge faced by developers of collegiate mathematics curricula is to determine—and then provide—the mathematical experiences that are true to the spirit of mathematics yet also relevant to students’ futures in other fields. The Curriculum Foundations Project (CF) of MAA/CRAFTY was designed to gather input from partner disciplines through a series of 22 two- to three-day workshops. Each workshop resulted in a report directed to the mathematics community, summarizing the workshop’s recommendations and conclusions. One message from the partner disciplines appeared again and again: introductory collegiate mathematics courses should focus on giving students an understanding of fundamental mathematical topics while …

Using A Faculty Learning Community To Promote Interdisciplinary Course Reform, Rhonda Bishop, Victor Piercey, Mischelle Stone

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

As part of a multi-institution, National Science Foundation (NSF) grant-funded project, Ferris State University (FSU) joins a national effort to reform mathematics curricula. Researchers from FSU developed and facilitated a faculty learning community (FLC) as one strategy to redesign the traditional approach to the quantitative reasoning skill development of students in the departments of mathematics, nursing, social work, and the College of Business. Over the course of one academic year, the FLC provided an interdisciplinary faculty connection to develop pedagogical approaches that integrated cross-curricular concepts and context from each discipline. The FLC not only produced uniquely designed, learning-centered approaches to …