Seven local junior high and high school teachers participated in a two-part math training workshop over the summer with one goal in mind: To make math relevant to their students.
Ultimately, a long-term result could benefit the community.
Supported by EcO15 county coordinators, the teachers partnered with local businesses to develop projects at Math Matters workshops based on actual operations within the businesses. They will take their projects completed at the workshops into the classroom this year. Students will use pre-algebra, algebra and geometry to create sales and marketing scenarios for the business owners through a hands-on approach to learning math.
Madison Consolidated High School algebra teacher Kathleen Gee’s project used slopes to create a price list and brochure for Donnie Wattenbarger, owner of Champs Sports and Corporate Apparel.
“The students will tour Donnie’s business in the fall to get the math content,” Gee said. “I can use linear equations, graph it and plug it into a formula for his situation. We’ll combine it with textbook math and apply it to a real-world application.”
Project-based learning is a relatively new concept, said Gee, who is eager to share her training with other math teachers at the school.
“It answers kids’ questions: ‘When am I ever going to use this, anyway?’” she said.
Other local teachers and their partnering businesses are: Madison Junior High School teachers April Isom, Madison Precision Products; and Trisha Burns, Madison Area Convention and Visitors Bureau; Madison Consolidated High school teachers Emeka Loren, Royer Corp.; and Virginia Schindler, River Valley Financial Bank; and Southwestern High School teachers Elaine Reece, Jendy’s Pizzeria; and Marvin Reece, Majesty Express.
Kathy Huffman, Jefferson County EcO15 coordinator, who helped match teachers with businesses according to standards teachers requested, found overwhelming support.
“Everyone we called agreed and were very excited about working with the teachers,” Huffman said.
She added that some business owners offered tours, while Linda Lytle at the Madison Area Convention and Visitors Bureau has created an introduction video for the students.
Teachers from an 11-county area in Southeastern Indiana - Bartholomew, Brown, Dearborn, Decatur, Jackson, Jefferson, Monroe, Ohio, Ripley, Shelby and Switzerland - participated in the workshops conducted by Indiana University and EcO15.
Teachers presented their projects last week at Columbus Signature Academy-New Tech High School.
Finding solutions that would benefit both the consumer and business owner in a flailing economy was the goal of Southwestern algebra teacher Elaine Reece’s project.
“Solutions through coupons, sales and advertising that would help families and also give Jendy’s owner Jeff Lawson a profit became my driving question,” she said. “Students will be down at The Madison Courier, checking advertising rates as part of their research.”
Her classes will use linear math, inequalities and text resources to arrive at a solution in the hands-on, mini-workshops, learning their math lessons as they’re figuring out their project.
“Project-based learning is self-motivating for the majority of students,” she said. “Students are divided into groups of four - each person with a role agreement contract. They solve open-ended problems by using linear equations eliminating, substituting or graphing solutions. All the groups can have different solutions. There’s no single right answer. I’m not telling them we’re actually using algebra.”
Math Matters was developed by Indiana University-Bloomington professor Catherine Brown and is managed by Robert Abrams of EcO15.
The project-based learning was designed to engage students in meaningful activities that stimulate interest in mathematics, demonstrate their understanding of the importance of mathematics in everyday activities and the workplace, and improve their mathematical comprehension and academic performance.
“Our goal is to raise all the citizens of southeastern Indiana up a level, whether that be in their education, job placement, job training or income,” said Stephanie Weber, communications and outreach coordinator for EcO15.
She said the most recent statewide end-of-course assessments for Indiana’s high school students revealed a dismal success rate in algebra, with just 21 percent passing Algebra 1.
“So this workshop was developed to help engage these math teachers and help them be more creative and innovative in their approach to teaching math,” Weber said.
Abrams said that as businesses connect with schools and teachers, they are better able to identify future employees.
“EcO15 is based upon the fundamental belief that it is the collective responsibility of educators and businesses to better prepare our students to prosper in the southeastern region of Indiana,” Abrams said. “Math Matters demonstrates this core principle of the need and benefits of such collaboration.”