[MATHEDCC] homework

Laura Bracken (bracken@LCSC.EDU)
Mon, 28 Sep 1998 10:38:33 -0700

This has been an interesting discussion. It brings to mind a post to this
list made some time ago by Jay Malmstrom who talked about the difference
between high school and college. He posted 5 points that he makes to
students on the differences. Pertinent to this discussion was #5: "Most of
the learning will go on outside of class as you engage the course material
through a review of your notes, your text, and working assigned problems."
Steven Zucker of Johns Hopkins addresses some of the same issues in the AMS
notices ("Teaching at the University level"). He notes that students must
also learn on their own, outside of the classroom, and that this is the
main feature that distinguishes college from high school. He tells students
that it is their responsibility to learn the material and that most of this
learning must take place outside the classroom.

Perhaps what is pertinent here is our goal -- to help our students learn
mathematics and become prepared for success in later academic endeavors. I
think that the classroom needs to be a supportive place where student
questions are valued. However, I do not think we are doing students any
favors by continuing to allow them to abdicate responsibility for their own
learning. If they don't understand, then they need to do something more
than wait for us to tell them how to do it. They need to use math labs,
work in study groups, call me during office hours, talk to someone who
already has had the class. They need to learn perseverance during problem
solving -- trying and not getting the answer and trying something else. If
they don't learn how to do these things, then in my opinion they aren't
making the move to thinking and behaving like a person who is college
educated.

I teach many people with math anxiety and who have experienced a great deal
of failure in mathematics. It is always a balancing act to provide
instruction and a classroom climate that allows them to break that cycle
and, at the same time, help them make the transition to being independent
learners. What has definitely helped is for me to stand back from what I've
done in the past (or what my colleagues do), identify what I want students
to act like or learn, and think about how I can reorganize or restructure
my teaching and the content to facilitate that happening.

--Laura

____________________________________________________________________
Laura Bracken bracken@lcsc.edu

Division of Natural Science and Mathematics Office: 208-799-2484
Lewis-Clark State College Fax: 208-799-2064
500 8th Avenue
Lewiston, ID 83501
_____________________________________________________________________

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