VOLUME XIl, NUMBER 14

st INNOVATION ABSTRACTS

PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE W..K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION AND THE SID W. RICHARDSON FOUNDATION

 

The Algebra Cup

A few semesters ago, confronted with the appalling
numbers of student withdrawals from mathematics
classes, I was challenged to provide a rationale by
which the numbers could be justified. I lamely offered
the national scope of the situation: People the country
over seemed to experience math anxicty; entire books
had been written about it. This was not a problem
peculiar to our college! For some reason, this explana-
tion did not seem to appease the challenger. He felt that
surcly those of us in mathematics could do something
to correct this situation. I said | would take it under
scrious consideration, although I was wondering what |
could possibly do without sacrificing the sacred sylla-
bus and even come close to “getting the job done.”

During pre-registration for the spring semester,

tudents had filled my College Algebra class. Now, |
Oui: flatter mysclf and say that this occurred because
the word had finally gotten out—the student body at
last had heard of the high quality of my instruction.
That would be coloring the picture! The truth is the
word was out that I permitted the use of organized
notes on notecards as an acceptable resource on all tests
and quizzes, except on the course competency exam.
Also, word had gotten out about the famous “Partner-
ship Exam” allowed in my classes—two students could
put their brains together, along with both sets of notes,
to take the exams. Of course, the word had not gotten
out that students could fail even with these wonderful
resources. But the anxicty was removed.

I requested that my College Algebra class be re-
opened—I wanted as many students as would sign up.
I wanted to demonstrate that I could teach a large class
in mathematics and could retain the students. (I was
not exactly sure how, but I was ready to try.) My
course began with 55 students and ended with 51. I
wish to share what happencd in the interim.

First, | conferred with a calculus teaching colleague.
We decided upon the five most important topics with
which a student must be proficient in order to assure
success in the study of calculus. When I first met with
the class, | announced to the students that the class

ould not be taught in the traditional fashion—that we
would be covering, in great detail, only those five

topics. If anyone felt he was going to receive insuffi-
cient instruction, he was advised to drop the course
immediately. However, if he chose to stay, he was to
consider it his responsibility not to drop at all. One
student chose to withdraw.

The class was divided into five groups—one for cach
of the five topics. Each group chose a team name, a
leader, a truant officer, and a recordkeeper. The
recordkeeper was to keep attendance; and when, in his
judgment, some tearm member had too many absences,
he/she was to notify the team truant officer—who was
to contact the offender. The leader was to return papers
to team members, to coordinate study mectings, and to
organize her team’s preparation of a study sheet.

I chose to record the students alphabetically by team.
All papers had to be identified by student name and
team name; stacks of team papers were the standard
method for subrnitting assignments.

Team spirit developed right away: team members
chose to sit in the same area of the room; the class
“booed” the second person who came in with a drop-
slip. (The third student to withdraw came by the office,
rather than the classroom.) But the real spirit of the
class developed in quite an unplanned way. During the
race for the Americus Cup, | was grading quizzes. Re-
turning the papers at the next class meeting, | wrote
“The Algebra Cup” on the board, followed by cach
team’s name and its score. The idea caught on—team
spirit ran high the remainder of the course.

When I realized the class would end with about a 7%
withdrawal, | asked the director for a real Algebra Cup.
Today in the college trophy case is that cup, with the
names of “The Factoring Fools,” who finished first,
inscribed!

Of those students who pursued calculus and with
whom I was able to maintain contact, none made lower
than an average grade from any institution. There is
something to be said for cooperative effort in the
pursuit of knowledge!

Barbara Walters, Associate Professor, Mathematics
For further information, contact the author at Ashland

Community College, 1400 College Drive, Ashland, KY
41101.

 

aoe THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD)
i OQ) Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at Austiri

EDB 348. Austin, Texas 78712 a