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Part of the equation- Teachers Find Ways to Engage Students in Math

The Republic- Chrissy Alspaughcalspaugh@therepublic.com

When students view math as abstract and irrelevant, they often tune out the teacher’s droning on about algebra, arithmetic and Archimedes. But 56 teachers from southeastern Indiana got together in Columbus recently to explore new ways of making math relevant to real workplace situations in students’ communities. The new project-based high school hosted the first of a two-part summer Math Matters workshop to usher high school math teachers into a new era of instruction.

“We’re doing this because we want educational reform to happen,” said Sarah Gaynor, CSA New Tech teacher and one of the workshop’s instructors. “It’s exciting because these folks aren’t here because they have to be, but because they want to make education better.”

Catherine Brown, Indiana University professor of mathematics education, said students often are turned off by mathematics they view as irrelevant, abstract and useless.

Advancing instruction
The most recent end-of-course assessment for Indiana’s high school students revealed that 21 percent of students passed the required Algebra 1.

The workshop was based on a project-based learning program called Math Matters, which Brown developed.
She said she believes students who learn mathematics through projects grounded in workplaces in their community will increase their interest in math, demonstrate their understanding of the importance of mathematics in the workplace and everyday activities and improve their mathematical comprehension and academic performance.

The Math Matters program helped shape math instruction at CSA New Tech, which recently concluded its first school year.

At the school, students begin with a problem in the community requir- ing knowledge- and skill-acquisition to solve. This year, students learned core subject material through projects including audits of local businesses to determine their environmental friendliness and creating everything from salary invoices to budget sheets for conceptualized businesses

Virginia Schindler, an Algebra 1 teacher at Madison Consolidated High School, attended the recent workshop and said teaching with such a radically different approach will take some adjustment.

But the seven-year teacher said she is “desperate” to excite students about math.
 

“So many (students) are just in class because they have to be. They sit there, just putting in their time until they can drop out,” she said. “If I can find something to help those kids, I’ll try it. I’ll try anything.”

The idea to impart project-based math education on teachers from throughout southeastern Indiana stemmed from a study on how to best prepare students for careers in the local manufacturing, health care and tourism indus tries.

The study’s initiating agency was Economic Opportunities through Education by 2015, or EcO15, an effort from business, education and community leaders to advance education in 10 southeastern Indiana counties.

A math revolution
Throughout the weeklong workshop, teachers collaborated with business partners in their communities to create one project-based instructional unit each to take back to their classrooms.

The projects will be compiled on a new Math Matters Web site, serving as a database for any Indiana math teacher who wants to develop or implement project-based learning.
Joe Talley, Columbus East High School math teacher, said students frequently ask how they will use the information in his classes in everyday life.

“Engagement is so important.Maybe with these projects we’ll catch a few kids we wouldn’t have otherwise,” he said.
Fellow East math teacher Theresa Sublette said, “It’s scary to think about trying this in my traditional classroom.”

But to possibly help students learn and enjoy math, she said she is ready to give project-based learning a try.

East’s Eric Gutjahr said the group plans to add one project per semester.

Though his students previously have worked on end-ofunit group projects, he said he thinks students will be more interested in projects that are teaching rather than testing core material. Gutjahr said he also likes that in this new model, each group member has a clearly defined role and is held more accountable.

Teachers will return to CSA New Tech this month to present developed projects to their business partners.

Gaynor said she hopes participating teachers implement the new skills in their own classrooms and share them with their co-workers.

She said that although the techniques seem foreign, students will benefit.

“It’s exciting and scary and awesome,” she said, grinning. “It’s the revolution, happening.”