Project #:  F05GJ  (James Gilmore)

Proposal Title: Algebra Test Scores

Stipend Level:  2

In the space below, present a statement of your proposed research project (approximately 500-1000 words), including a general description of the scope and nature of your project, the design or the outline to be followed. Describe your planned activities and timelines.

My proposed research project involves teaching two sections of Math 070 Intermediate Algebra.  One section will be taught using a traditional lecture-based approach and the other using cooperative learning.  I will look for any significant difference in the test performance of the two classes.

My career in teaching mathematics includes about 20 years at the secondary level and 15 years at community colleges.  During this time, I have used many different teaching strategies.  However since I came to COC I have primarily used the lecture format because it seems to be the standard methodology used by most of my colleagues in the Math Department and because it was used in almost all of my undergraduate and graduate university classes. Many of my math department colleagues have doubts whether non-lecture classes can be effective. Our traditional math classes are so densely packed with different types of problems that lecturing often seems to be the only way to cover the required material in the available time.   Unfortunately, this gives students little time to think, reflect or discuss what they learn because we are forced to cover a huge amount of material at a very shallow level.

Lecturing certainly is the most efficient way of covering a large amount of material quickly.  Lecturing also helps prepare students for university-level courses which may be taught that way. (My own experience as a student in college mathematics courses was frantically copying whatever the instructor wrote on the board into my notebook and then painstakingly deciphering the notes when I got home.)  There are several other reasons for using the lecture format.   In mathematics classes, the instructor usually has a level of expertise far beyond any student in the class.  Since many (but not all) questions in mathematics have a single correct answer, there doesn’t seem to be as much benefit in having students discuss their own opinions as might be the case in a Political Science class, for example.    Since most math courses are closely based on the textbook, a lecture can supplement the text so that students get two slightly different versions of the material. Lecturing also minimizes the “wasted” time in which students are making mistakes and searching for solutions. (It might be argued, however, that this is the time when students are actually learning how to think).

Some of the disadvantages of lecturing are obvious. The most important one is that lectures are frequently boring, and students often become inattentive even when the instructor is trying hard to engage the students and make the subject seem interesting. During a lecture, students don’t discover anything for themselves.  Mathematics is presented as a series of rigid rules to be followed, not as a collection of mental tools for analyzing and solving problems.  Students don’t have much opportunity to interact with each other and develop the communication skills which are essential if they are actually going to be able to use mathematics in real-world situations.  Many students depend too much on the lecture and never learn to read and study the text.  This will be a handicap when they are eventually on their own and must be able to read and understand technical material.

In my own teaching I use the lecture model most of the time, but sometimes use some type of group work or individual help.  For example, I usually have a review day the day before a test where I give the students an assignment which they can work on individually or in groups.  I walk around giving help and answering questions.  These days are actually the most enjoyable for me although I feel somewhat guilty about not “working” since some of the time I am not doing anything except watching the students.  I have often wondered whether students can learn this way every day or only when they know there will be a test tomorrow.

For this research project, I will teach two sections of Math 070 Intermediate Algebra at the same time each day (one MW and the other TTh) during the Fall 2005 semester.  One section (MW) will be taught using my usual methodology:  primarily daily lectures except for the review before tests.  The other section will be taught using cooperative learning. A typical day for the TTh section might include:


What are the objectives of your project? Describe the relevance of your project to student learning.
The objective is to compare the test scores of students in a traditional lecture environment with those of students in a cooperative learning environment. Although there are additional benefits when students learn cooperatively, if the test scores are lower this method will not be acceptable.
 
What evaluation methodology will you use to provide progress measures for your project? Include a description of your benchmarks.
 Similar tests, quizzes, and the standard department final will be given to both classes. 
I will compare the performance of both classes to see whether there is any significant difference in the test scores.  I will also compare the attendance and retention rates for the two classes. There will be a survey at the beginning and end of the semester to correlate the students’ attitudes and reactions to the different formats. Since the two classes will cover the same material and meet at the same time of day, the influence of other variables will be minimized.

What teaching strategies/learning concepts/pedagogical theories/technology skills did you gain knowledge of through the Institute of Teaching and Learning courses that you will apply to your classroom research?

 Since taking the Microteaching course I have realized that many other instructors do not teach primarily by lecturing and that other methods may be more effective for the students here at COC.  I will apply some of the teaching and assessment techniques that I have studied in the ITL courses to both classes.   

How many students (approximately) will participate in the research project? 80 (Approx)
 
Similar tests, quizzes, and the standard department final will be given to both classes.  I will compare the performance of both classes to see whether there is any significant difference in the test scores.  I will also compare the attendance and retention rates for the two classes. There will be a survey at the beginning and end of the semester to correlate the students’ attitudes and reactions to the different formats. Since the two classes will cover the same material and meet at the same time of day, the influence of other variables will be minimized.

What do you (as an instructor) hope to learn from your research? Describe any instructional development or improvement you hope to glean from this project.
In mathematics education there has been a great controversy recently about the “sage on the stage” vs. “the guide on the side”.  This project will give me a chance to see how the two methodologies really compare.  The retention rate in mathematics classes is typically quite low (often around 50%).  I feel that the traditional type of instruction is not serving many of our students well.  If the cooperative learning model works reasonably well, I will continue to use it in my future classes. 

Anticipated Research Costs (if any)?  $  0