Study Strategies in Various Disciplines (Math) at St. Cloud [MN] State University

2. Study Strategies in Various Disciplines (Math)at St. Cloud [MN] State University NADE Conference 2009

3. Presenters: Deborah Biorn, M.A., Academic Support Carol Theisen, Ph.D., Math Skills Center [Wayne Braith, Director of Math Skills Center, Developmental Education Specialist]

4. Participants: Please Introduce Yourselves! • Name • College and Department • Experience of working with “at-risk” students. • Relationship to discussion topic.

5. Note: We copied only selected slides to print on the handouts.The entire presentation may be found at: www.mnade.org/conference.html

6. NADE Call for Proposals for 2009 Conference “NADE supports educators in postsecondary education who are ‘helping under prepared students prepare, prepared students advance, and advanced students excel’” (NADE 2009 Conference Proposal Information).

7. NADE Call for Proposals for 2009 Conference “We welcome proposals from faculty . . . with interest in such areas as . . . math . . . learning/study strategies. . . .” →This is where we fit in!

8. Some False Assumptions? • . . . that students already know how to study in or for our discipline. • . . . that students are as interested in our discipline as we are. • . . . that students understand intuitively how the textbook or other materials “work.” • . . . that students know how to read or work with complex material in our discipline.

9. History of Project • Began Spring Semester 2008. • Started with Math 072—Intermediate Algebra. • Added Math 070—Basic Math Concepts— later in the semester (only one section, so no “control” group).

10. Variables We Could Not Control • Morning vs. afternoon classes • Spring vs. Fall classes • Class size • Other

11. Why Math 072 and Math 070 for “Starters”? • Perhaps have more objective grading than in some other disciplines. • Could evaluate tangible results (e.g., test scores, points for assignments). • Students are required to complete successfully (minimum of C = 70%) the course before going on to a higher level math course.

12. Rationale • To see if teaching specific math study strategies would help students become more successful in their math classes. • To determine which study strategies would help students the most.

13. Types of Students in These Courses

14. Goal: Change Behaviors and Attitudes for Positive Outcomes

15. Realistic (?) Hopes • Students with D or F grades would improve to C grades. • Students with C grades would improve to B grades. • Students with B grades would improve to A grades.

16. Techniques Used • Maximum of five minutes at the beginning of class sessions. • One technique or piece of information introduced each time. Time Concepts

17. Strategies Related to Our Project • Use of MathXL • “Links” in D2L • PowerPoints in D2L • Online supplemental resources (e.g., Google searches)

18. Encouraging students to take notes during class and while studying independently. • Setting up 7-day study plans for test preparation. • Using proven strategies for studying for math tests. • Analyzing common math test errors. • Utilizing test time effectively. • Avoiding simple errors that “cost points.” Study Strategies Presented #1 Information on math study strategies from Essential Study Skills, 5th ed., by Linda Wong.

19. Explaining how to use the Math Skills Center and reminding students to make use of professors and tutors available in the lab. • Demonstrating use of Desire2Learn capabilities. • Setting up Discussion groups in D2L. • Providing supplemental resources in D2L Links. Study Strategies Presented #2

20. http://www.stcloudstate.edu/mathskills/

21. Study Strategies Presented #3 Illustrating student solutions to test problems. Providing statistical data relating to student performance (e.g., “Mystery of the Missing Points” and general information about course progress). Miscellaneous other strategies as needed.

22. 7-Day Study Plan for Exams • 7-Day Study Plan for Exam I in Math 072 Exam: February 3, 2009 • Go to Math Skills Center for assistance with any concepts/problems that are confusing. • 1/27/09: Review textbook and assignments for R.1-R.7, R-Review, R-Test. _____Look at bold headings, examples, formulas for these assignments. • _____Review homework assignments relating to these textbook sections including D2L • and MathXL assignments. Create flashcards for related terminology and formulas. • _____Review in-class notes for January 13. Highlight significant information. • 1/28/09: Review textbook and assignments for 1.1-1.3. • _____Look at bold headings, examples, formulas for these assignments. • _____Review homework assignments relating to these textbook sections including D2L and • Math XL assignments. Create flashcards for related terminology and formulas. • _____Review in-class notes for January 15. Highlight significant information. • 1/29/09: Review textbook and assignments for 1.4, 1.6 a, b, c, 1-Review, 1-Test. • _____Look at bold headings, examples, formulas for these assignments. • _____ Review homework assignments relating to these textbook sections including D2L and • Math XL assignments. Create flashcards for related terminology and formulas. • _____Review in-class notes for January 20. Highlight significant information.

23. 7-Day Study Plan for Exams • 7-Day Study Plan for Exam #2 in Math 072 Exam: February 24, 2009 • Go to Math Skills Center for assistance with any concepts/problems that are confusing. • 2/17/09: Review textbook and assignments for 3.1 and 3.2. •   _____Look at bold headings, examples, formulas for these assignments. • _____Review homework assignments relating to these textbook sections including D2L • and MathXL assignments. Create, review flashcards for related terminology and formulas. • _____Review in-class notes for February 5. Highlight significant information. • 2/18/09: Review textbook and assignments for 3.3, 3.4, and 3.7. • _____Look at bold headings, examples, formulas for these assignments. • _____Review homework assignments relating to these textbook sections including D2L and • Math XL assignments. Create and review flashcards for related terminology and formulas. • _____Review in-class notes for February 10. Highlight significant information. • 2/19/09: Review textbook and assignments for 3-Review Test, 3-Test, 4.1. •  _____Look at bold headings, examples, formulas for these assignments. • _____ Review homework assignments relating to these textbook sections including D2L and • Math XL assignments. Create and review flashcards for related terminology and formulas. • _____Review in-class notes for February 12. Highlight significant information.

24. The Case of the Missing Points! RE: The Mysterious Loss of 3,212 Points in Math 072

26. Taking Notes in Math 072 *Take notes on reading/assignment BEFORE class.  Then, when discussing material in class, refer to notes.Underline or highlight what is reviewed in class. *If you cannot keep up with the speed of the information, write down key words and then LEAVE SPACE in notes. *Rewrite notes AFTER class. *Compare notes with a “study partner.”  Fill in parts that are missing.

27. Desire2Learn “Discussions”

28. Math Study Groups: Desire2Learn “Discussions” Study Group(s) • Nine students in the 11 a.m. T/Th section of 072 indicated an interest in setting up a study group or study groups.  The times indicated are: after 2 p.m. (2); after 4 p.m. (2); after 5 p.m. (4); and early or late afternoon (1).  By using the Discussion for Study Groups, find a mutually convenient time and place for a first meeting.  Then you may want to divide up or meet as a larger group for future sessions.

29. Topics for D2L Discussions * General Course Questions  Students who have general questions about Math 072 should use this forum for getting help from other students. • Graphing Equations  • Domains and Ranges  Students who have questions about Domains and Ranges should use this forum for getting help from other students.

30. Topics for D2L Discussions * Desire2Learn Students who have questions about Desire2Learn (D2L) should use this forum for getting help from other students. * Desire2Learn (D2L) MathXLStudents who have questions about Math XL should use this forum for getting help from other students. * Quadratic Equations Students who have questions about quadratic equations should use this forum for getting help from other students.

31. Topics for D2L Discussions Set up “Discussion” groups, “Group Lockers” for group projects.

32. Topics for D2L Discussions * InequalitiesStudents who have questions about inequalities should use this forum for getting help from other students. * Questions about Specific ProblemsStudents who have questions about specific problems should use this forum for getting help from other students.  Be sure to give details such as page number and problem number or write out the problem in detail.

33. PowerPoints in D2L

34. PowerPoints in D2L

35. C.A.T. [Classroom Assessment Technique] CAT* Date: _________________ 1. I am somewhat confused by: ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ 2. I am completely confused by: ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ *Classroom Assessment Technique

36. Hints for Taking a Math Test • A math test is NOT A RACE!!! • Take your time! Work carefully and methodically. Do not leave the room early! • Allocate your time (x minutes for each problem). • Sometimes the brain needs time to retrieve information from the long-term memory. Give the brain time to think, recall information, and process the information. • When finished, carefully review the problems and check for: • Correct adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. Sometimes the simplest parts of the calculations cause problems. • Correct process of the problem. Did you do the steps in the right order? Did you include all of the required symbols (+ _ 4 )? • Clear the brain of any distractions. You can deal with these later! CONCENTRATE on the test!

37. Encouraging Students to “Show Work” • However, they may not know what this means. Therefore, we have models of excellent, average, below-average, and no-credit work on an exam.

39. Examples of “Show work” instruction. • Student: • crossed out “distracters.” • circled key words. • drew and labeled diagram. • set up equation. • Recorded answer.

43. Checklist for Taking Exams • ____ I wrote the numbers and symbols clearly to avoid any confusion between 1’s and 7’s, 3’s and 8’s, and so on. • ____ After finishing the test, I went over each problem again to check for calculation errors (adding, subtracting, and so on). • ____ After finishing the test, I went over each problem again to check for correct symbols (+, -, exponents, and so on). • ____ I transferred all required work from the scratch paper to the exam itself. • ____ I gave myself plenty of time to think about each problem, within the allotted time. • ____ When finished with the test, I once again read all of the directions for each problem to avoid any misunderstanding. • ____ While working on the test, and afterwards while reviewing the problems, I was careful to check for any careless errors. • Exam—Unit 2: • ____ I wrote my name the test. • ____ I wrote my name on all sheets of scratch paper. • ____ I mentally allotted a specified number of minutes for each problem. • ____ I quickly reviewed the entire test before beginning the problems. • ____ I read the directions carefully and circled or underlinedkey words in the directions for each problem. • ____ Before beginning each problem, I estimated what the final answer should be. • ____ I completed the easier problems first and then returned to the more difficult ones.

44. Showing Online Links Available • Type “Math Study Help” [or specific math terms] in Google for interactive practice links.

45. Google Search for Quadratic Equations • Results 1 - 10 of about 1,060,000 for quadratic equations. (0.08 seconds) • Sponsored Links • Solve Quadratic Equations • Step by step factoring, completingthe square, & quadratic formula.www.webgraphing.com/ • Search Results • Quadratic equation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia • This article is about quadratic equations and their solutions. For more general information about quadratic functions, see Quadratic function. ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadratic_formula - 64k - Cached - Similar pages • Solving Quadratic Equations: Solving by Factoring • Demonstrates how to solve quadratics using factoring.www.purplemath.com/modules/solvquad.htm - 33k - Cached - Similar pages

46. Other Online Resources • www.InterAct Math.com

48. Reinforcing Learning Styles • Visual • Auditory • Read/Write • Kinesthetic = VARK

49. Statistics for Spring ‘08 Classes “Experimental” group (morning class) 7% more had C- or better than the “Control” or “Comparison” group (afternoon class)

50. Actual Result • The main result was a lower rate of withdrawals and failures. • The other grades were fairly similar.