Contextualize to Learn...contextualization process. • Variation in exposure to contextualization and progression through professional development activities has faculty reflecting

NSFAwardNo.DUE-1700625

ContextualizetoLearn:PreparingFacultyTowardMath

ContextualizationforStudentSuccessinAdvancedTechnologicalEducation

Cross-InstitutionalMeetingNovember17,2017


Agenda10:00-10:15am Arrivalandwelcome

10:15-11:00am Researchhighlights– UW-Madison

11:00-11:45pm Presentationandreporting– MilwaukeeAreaTechnicalCollege

11:45am-12:30pm Lunchandbrainstormingsession

12:30-1:10pm Sharedresources:Onlineplatformstosupportcommunitiesofpractice

1:10-1:50pm Presentationandreporting– Madison College1:50-2:30pm Discussion2:30-3:00pm Wrap-up andplansforWinter/Spring2018


ResearchHighlights—Whatdowealreadyknowfrompriorworkonmath

contextualization?


Background:Whyarewehere?• Mathcompetencyasoneofthestrongestpredictorsofeducationalandcareer

successamongcommunitycollegestudentsinSTEM(e.g.,Calcagno,Crosta,Bailey,&Jenkins,2007;Hagedorn &DuBray,2010;Tyson,2014).

• Mathremainingamajorareaofstruggle– 60%ofbeginningcommunitycollegestudentsunderpreparedforcollege-levelmath(Bailey,Jeong,&Cho,2010).

– Mathcoursecompletionratesaround30%forremedialmath(Bailey,2009)and45%forcollege-levelcourses(Bahr,2008).

• Underrepresentedstudents,suchasfemales,racial/ethnicminoritystudents,andlow-incomestudents,reportlowmotivationalbeliefstosucceedinmathandSTEMfields(e.g.,Trent,George-Jackson,Walker,&Baber,2010).


ContextualizationasaPromisingApproach• Contextualizationdefinedas“adiversefamilyofinstructionalstrategiesdesignedtomoreseamlesslylinkthelearningoffoundationalskillsandacademicoroccupationalcontentbyfocusingteachingandlearningsquarelyonconcreteapplicationsinaspecificcontextthatisofinteresttothestudent”(Mazzeo,2008,p.3).

• CanbeespeciallybeneficialforCCSTEMstudentswheremathismostlyusedasaproblem-solvingtool(CareerLaddersProject,2016;Seidman,2008).

• Muchpracticalworkinplace(e.g.,NSF,Carnegie)- ContextualizingCareerTechnicalEducationinMath:ACommunityCollegeandHighSchoolProject[Clair&Gardner,2012]

- ContextualizingCareerTechnicalEducationinMath[Bradford,2014]- InnovATE project[PalmBeachStateCollege,n.d.]- CarnegieFoundationinitiatedMathPathwaysfocusingonmathcontextualizationthroughStatway(college-levelstatistics)andQuantway(quantitativereasoning)


FindingsfromresearchonmathcontextualizationWang,Sun,&Wickersham(2017),publishedinReviewofHigherEducation

--Classroomobservations:“Interaction”askeytocontextualization

Instructor

ContentStudents

Drawconnectionsbetweenmathconceptsandreal-worldapplication

Encouragequestions

Participateinmeaning-makingprocessandengagepriorandotherrelatedknowledge



--Howcontextualizationworkstoimproveperformanceandmotivation

Initialfear

Understanding

Appreciation

Efficacyinmath

Mathlargerthanmath



• Instructorasthechangeagentincontextualization- Instructorbeingaccessibleandapproachableensuredtheauthenticityof

contextualization- Personalizedteachingandlearningopportunities

• Peerlearningandsupport- Alternativesourcesofsupport

- Asenseofcommunity

• Potentialchallengesandtheirsolutions- Communicationandcollaborationamong instructors

- Professionaldevelopmentopportunities

- Formalandcontinuousrelationshipswithemployers


ResearchHighlights—WhatarewefindingfromtheC2Lresearchto

date?


AtaGlance:FacultySurveyandInterviewData

• Facultyreportingpositiveexperiencesaroundthecontextualizationprocess.

• Variationinexposuretocontextualizationandprogressionthroughprofessionaldevelopmentactivitieshasfacultyreflectingonandmakingmeaningoftheapproach.

• Interest in integrating it into lessons and/or courses.• Emerging challenges around contextualization.


Whatiscontextualization?Wrestlingwithmeaning“Wellyoucanwrapastoryaroundamathproblemorincludeamathprobleminastorykindofthingandincontextisthestory,whatIcallthe—youhavetowrapsomewordsaroundit,that’sjustthesimplewayofsayingit.”

“Imeancontextualizationreallyitmeanshavingthecontextdrivethelessonratherthanviceversa,right?It’snotanexampleproblem.It’saproblemthatleadstowhateverthecontentisthatyou’re—ifyoumakethatinversion,theneverythingflowsfromthere.”

“…wherewegivethemthequestion,butthenleadthemtotheanswer…tohelpthemseethemathematicsintheworldaroundthemasopposedtojust,heywejustmadeupthisridiculouswordproblemthatyou’renevergonnaencounterinreallife.”


Contextualization:Takingittothenextlevel“I’vethoughtalotaboutjustrelatingthingstothe“realworld”orpeople’slivesorajob,butI’dneverthoughtaboutitinthoseterms.AndIthinkonethingthatI—thatmadeitmorerealorusefulformeduringthetrainingistheideaof—Iguesslikebringingthingsintotheclassroomthatstudentscaninteractwithandlettingtheminteractwitheachothertolearn,exploreideas,ratherthanjustmetalkinginfrontofaroomofpeople.”

“…it’snotjustaboutmakingtheproblem,youknow,wordproblemshavesomethingtodowiththeirfield,butit’sreallyaboutengagingpeoplefromthebeginning,notgivingtheanswersfirstandthenexpectingpeopletojustrepeatprocedures.It’sreallyaboutgettingpeopletosolveproblemsandthinkaboutwhatkindsofinformationisneeded,whatdoIdowiththesenumbers,whichnumbersareimportant,whichnumbersarenot.”


Challengesaroundcontextualization:Whereisthetime?

“It’stime.It’salotoftime…”

“IbelievethatthetimeitwouldtakeforjustonelessonisnottimethatIcurrentlyhold,butitistimethatI’mmakingforanotherclassrightnow,andsoit’sjustamatterofatwhatpointisthattimeavailableformorematerials.“

“Wellthehardestthingaboutcontextualizationis—Imean,wellanythingcantakeaninfiniteamountoftime,butIthinkittakesalongtimetodoitright…andIdon’tknowhowlongthatcontextualizedlessonwas,maybeaweek,butthat’slike100hoursofworkfor3hoursintheclassroom…”


Challengesaroundcontextualization:Competingcurricularstrategies

“I’vebeenflippingmyclassroomswheretheyhavetowatchavideoanddohomeworkfirstandthenwetalkaboutitinclass…soI’mnotreadytosay,“Okay,I’mreadytomoveon.”Istillneedtoassessthatkindofthing.Yeah,soitprobablyjustnotinmycycleyet.”

“IhavealargeCalculusprojectthatI’vebeenworkingonwithallofmypreptimethissemestersoIdobetterandIamabletoprovidemorestudentswhenIstayfocusedononeparticularprojectatatime,andsothisissomethingthatIhaveputmyhandupandsaid,yesI’dliketolearnmoreaboutthis,butit’snotsomethingthatIhaveyetbeenabletoprovidetimetodoingsomething…”


Challengesaroundcontextualization:Identifyingcandidatecourses

“Idoseeithappeningmoreatthelowerlevel,inpartbecausetheyaren’tmovinguptheranksinmathematics.…Alotoftimesstudentsfindthemselvesintheselowerlevelmathclassesbecausethetraditionalrouteneverworkedforthem.Ifithad,theywouldn’tbeintheselowerlevelsandsobymakingthingsmoreaccessibleatthoselowerlevels,hopefullywe’dbecreatingsomeoftheneuralpathwaysintheirbraintomakethehigherlevelmoreunderstandabletothem…”

“Asyougohigherlevels[inmath],yeahcontextualizingisnice,butgosh,wehavetocoversomuchyouwouldhavetochangethecurriculum.YouwouldhavetochangelikethePre-Calcclass,ifyouweredoingitcontextualizedIdon’tthinkyouwouldgethalfofthecontenttaughtsothattheycangototheUWandcompetewiththeotherpeoplethataregettingtaughtinatraditionalway.”


PresentationandReporting:MilwaukeeAreaTechnicalCollege

• Progresstodate:

– InitialworkshopwasofferedonAug.1andAug.2,with27facultyhaving

participated.SurveyresultswereanalyzedbyUW-Madisonandshared

withMATC.

– CulminatingworkshopwasofferedonOct.27,with11facultyhaving

participated.Ashortsurveywasdevelopedbythefacultyleadinaddition

tothesurveyprovidedbyUW-Madison,indicatingsomelevelofinterest

fromtheparticipatingfacultytocontinueinvolvement

https://docs.google.com/a/gmatc.matc.edu/spreadsheets/d/1n3usvx6KN

YCBRAjwxcAvQNRwDcP0_yKaMLtSX5li2II/edit?usp=sharing

– Facultysurveyundergoinganalysisandreporting.


NextSteps:MilwaukeeAreaTechnicalCollege• FacultyleadwillorganizetheCommunityofPracticebasedontheresultsfrom

theshortsurveyandUW-Madisonsurvey.• Facultyactivitytrackerdevelopedtohelpfacultytracktheiractivitiestoearn

professionaldevelopmentcredit.https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wzqJTMuwRknEjuUPI1Kg76acyRayJzRV8SwQOiGMMJI/edit?usp=sharinghttps://docs.google.com/document/d/15cpKegmNSlRqKr-4h87fgQzgQKwTLCBdgfl6UB__ncU/edit?usp=sharing

• Facultyleadwillcontactfacultywhoparticipatedintheworkshopsaswellasthosewhodidnottocontinueandexpandtheeffortsofdevelopinglessonplansusingthecontextualizationmethod.


LunchandBrainstormingSession

• Reactionstoearlierfindingsandreports• Howdoinstitutionalstructureshelporhinderprofessionaldevelopment?

• Howdoweempowerfacultytoparticipate?• Whatstrategiesforrecruitmentandcontextualizationhavebeenmostsuccessful?


OnlinePlatformsforCommunitiesofPractice

• C2Lwebsite(https://c2l.wceruw.org/)

• MadisonCollegeDesiretoLearnplatform

• MilwaukeeAreaTechnicalCollege


PresentationandReporting:MadisonCollege

PlanningandTraining

CollaborationandCurriculumDevelopment

ImplementationDataAnalysis

BethanySansing-HeltonMathInstructorSchoolofArts&Sciences

TonyCinaMathInstructor

SchoolofAcademic

Advancement

AnnThompsonElectricalEngineeringTechnologyInstructor

SchoolofAppliedScience,Engineering&Technology

ZongHerProjectLeaderInstitutionalResearchAndEffectiveness


MadisonCollege

PlanningandTraining




PlanningandTraining• Recruiting

– Goal:10facultyeachfromthreeschools• Arts&SciencesMathDepartment(A&SMath)• AcademicAdvancementMathDepartment(AAMath)

• AppliedScience,Engineering,&Technology(ASET)– Achieved:32faculty

• 18,6,and8fromeachschool,respectively


Planning

• MetvirtuallywithAnnEdwards(CarnegieMathPathways)andEugeneMilman(BoroughofManhattanCommunityCollege)– Developedagendafortraining– Ensuredmaterialswereinplace– SupportedAnnandEugeneduringtraining

• CreatedBlackboardsitefortheMadisonCollegelearningcommunity


Blackboard– AnOnlineCollaborationSpace


TrainingDesign

• Part1(Earlysummer:An initialtwo-dayworkshop)– LedbyAnnEdwards&EugeneMilman– Contextualizationapproach:

• Utilizepre-existingcontextualizedlessonsasabasisforfacultytocreatetheirowncontextualizedlesson.

• Focusonthe‘problemcycle’design– SomecommunitybuildingactivitiesbuiltintohelpcreateaCommunityofPractice.


TrainingDesign

• Part2(Duringsummer:Follow-upwebinars):– FacilitatedbycoachesandotherMadisonCollegeteammembers

– Facultysharedlessondesignsthroughengagingwiththewebinarfacilitatorsandotherparticipatingfaculty.

• Part3(Endofsummer:Aone-dayimplementationworkshop):– FacilitatedbyBethanySansing-Helton

– FacultyexperiencedcontextualizedlessonsthroughvideodemonstrationandAnnThompsonfacilitatingalesson.


TrainingbytheNumbersParticipationBreakdownbyMadisonCollegeSchool

56%/1819%/6

25%/8

32FacultyA&SMath

AAMath

ASET

*allfacultyparticipatedinatleastonepartofthe3-parttraining


0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

A&SMath AAMath ASET

TrainingAttendancebySchool

AttendedOnePart AttendedTwoParts AttendedAll3Parts

TrainingAttendance

43.8%ofALLfaculty(14outof32)completedall3partsofthetraining

38.9%

66.7%

37.5%


MadisonCollege

PlanningandTraining




TheTrainingExperience• Fromtheperspectiveofamathfacultymemberteaching

developmentalmath– Bridgeprogrammingcontextualizesmathtosupportstudentsinspecificprograms

• Manufacturing• Construction

– Fantasticopportunitytoworkwithfull- andpart-timefacultybothwithinandacrossschools.

• Personalandprofessionaltiesdevelopedandstrengthened– Firststructuredefforttocollaborateacrossschools

– Excellentdiscussionsoftherolecontextualizationcanplayinlinkingtheworkdoneinallthreeschools


TrainingReflections• TheProblemCycle

– Useful,manageablestructurefordevelopingcontextualizedmathlessons

– Farmorethansurface-levelcontextualizedwordproblems

– Approachiscenteredaroundusingcontextualizedsituationstoteachconcepts

– Differentfromatraditionalapproachthatfocusesonteachingconceptsandthenusingwordproblemstoreinforcetheconcepts


TrainingReflections• Practicalexamplesfromthetraining

– Providedconcretemodelstouseindevelopinglessonsthatweretrulycontextualized

• LedtoexplorationofDanMeyer‘3-Act-Math’tasks(presentedinthesummerWebinar#1)– Similarlessonstructureastheproblemcycle– Canprovidebriefcontextualizedintroductionintoaconcept

• Additionalbenefitcamefrominteractingwithfacultyfromotherschools– ThemathneedsofATEstudentsdrovetheconversation


CurriculumDevelopment• ContextualizationtrainingandimplementationhasledtoafundamentalshiftinemphasisintoallthecoursesIteach.– Mathcontextualizationhasaddedarichnesstomydevelopmentalcourses.

– Developmentalcourses,becauseoftheiremphasisonbasicskills,canquicklybecomemonotonous.

– Contextualizedlessonsareengagingandprovideawaytodrawstudentsintoproblem-solvingexperiencesthatputbasicskillstowork.


CurriculumWork

• 3-Act-Mathtask

• Gearratioslesson– Developedtoconnect studentstopossiblecareers

– Introduceratiostostudentswhileconnectinggearratiostoautomotivegears


MadisonCollege

PlanningandTraining




Implementation• AnnThompson’sexperiencecontextualizingElectronicsMath1– Thiscourseisthefirstofatwo-partappliedelectronicsmathematicssequence.Thiscoursefocusesonmathematicconceptsmostneededbytechniciansandiscloselytiedtotheotherfirst-semesterelectronicscourses.

– 8weeks

– 3hoursthe1st day,2hoursthe2nd dayeachweek

– 22students


HearfromAnn

GotothevideolinktohearaboutAnn’sexperiencecontextualizinghercourse.

https://youtu.be/33a9SCpQvto


MadisonCollege

PlanningandTraining




Ann’sContextualizedCourse

• AppliedElectronicMath1• 8-weekcourse• Fullycontextualized2017-18academicyear• StudentsgoingintoMath2– notcontextualized(nextsemester)


DatafromAnn’sclass


InterestingData

02468101214161820

A AB B BC C F Withdrawal

AppliedElectronicMath1- GradingCurve

2016 2017 2018


ThePathForward

• 32facultyparticipatedinatleastonepartofthe3-parttraining(18A&S,6AA,and8ASET)

• 1ASETfaculty(AnnThompson)contextualizedanentirecourse(timewrittenintogrant)

• 21.9%plannedto/havedefinitelycontextualize(d)atleastonelessonforFallimplementation


72,36%

25,12%14,7%

89,45%

MadisonTrainingbyNumbers– ParticipatingFacultyCoursesbySubjectArea

StudentSuccess

ElectronicTechnology

IndustrialEquipmentMechanicMathematics

12Faculty

Numberofcoursesbysubject-Originalcourselistselectedforstudy


MadisonTrainingbyNumbers– ParticipatingFacultyCoursesbySubjectArea

12 3 421 14

2 124 33

12 3 152 13 4 14

161

332

10 6 8 7 16 16 13 1

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Architectural…

Automobile-Mechanical

AutomotiveTechnology

Biotechnology

CareerEducation

Carpentry

Chemistry

CollegeSuccess

Constructionand…

ElectronicTechnology

ElectronicsServicing

English-AdultBasic…

HomeRepair,Auto,…

IndustrialEquipment…

Industrial…

MachineTool

Math-AdultBasic…

Mathematics

MechanicalDesign…

Professional…

Reading-AdultBasic…

Science

Science-AdultBasic…

SocialScience-Adult…

StudentSuccess

Supervision-…

Allsubjectstaughtby32participatingfaculty

Subject


...andrepeat...Questions?

PlanningandTraining



BethanySansing-HeltonMathInstructorSchoolofArts&Sciences

TonyCinaMathInstructor

SchoolofAcademic

Advancement

AnnThompsonElectricalEngineeringTechnologyInstructor

SchoolofAppliedScience,Engineering&Technology

ZongHerProjectLeaderInstitutionalResearchAndEffectiveness


Let’sdiscuss:Developingcommunitiesofpracticearoundcontextualization

• Howtocontextualizelessons• Howtoshareresources• Howtostructureresourcestomaximizeusage


Wrap-upandPlanningforWinter/Spring2018

Documents

Contextualize to Learn...contextualization process. • Variation in exposure to contextualization and progression through professional development activities has faculty reflecting