Towards Success in Developmental Mathematics — A Toolkit

Have you been looking for practices that encourage and support student success, especially in developmental mathematics?  I will share a toolkit of practices that seem to be effective with students in beginning algebra (often the most challenging course for us and for students).

Communication is the key.  To start with, write your syllabus (first day handout) with the reader in mind.  My own syllabus is conversational, and full of textboxes and a few graphic elements.  A traditional syllabus discourages reading; I think they also discourage engagement.  We encourage engagement by the design and tone of our syllabus.

It’s all about the learning.  In the syllabus and your attitude, emphasize that the top priority is to learn to the  best of each student’s abilities.  Homework is not just about practice … homework is a learning endeavor.  In my case, I emphasize the ‘learning cycles’ (see https://www.devmathrevival.net/?p=1229) AND reinforce these ideas by comments and actions every day in class.  repetition and action count; saying ‘it’ once does not matter.

Provide a reward for seeking help.  This is really important as a step to change behavior.  Most students, especially those in developmental mathematics, are reluctant to seek help.  At the same time, help is what makes the difference between passing and failing.  My method for this is to give an assignment (8 to 10 points, out of 1000 for the course) for students who seek help within the first two weeks of the semester.  Not only do students get more help, they feel more connected to the college experience.

Dig deep and build; don’t assume ‘they get it’.  Many of my students could combine like terms … as long as the sum was not zero; they could use exponents … as long as the problems were limited.  This is my most recent change; one of my students this semester wrote me an email (in the first week) that this was the first time she understood algebra.  Even some of the ‘high-performing’ students found some gaps.  Specifically in beginning algebra, I am using language concepts (see https://www.devmathrevival.net/?p=1253) and building processes in great detail: we started from “x + x + x = 3x” and “x·x=x²” … we went through zeros in sums [2x + (-2x) – 8 = -8]. 

Assessment as a routine activity, with instructor feedback.  If a student can go 2 or 3 weeks before getting feedback from me, I am assuming that they are ready for college work (and can make their own judgments about learning).  Everyday we have a quiz or a worksheet; I’ve even run a class where we do both (all classes are 2 hours, twice a week).  Obviously, the more assessment activity the more work we have.  My assessments fit in to the “It’s all about the learning” concept; daily assessments are 5 or 6 points, and I ‘drop’ 3 or 4 over the semester so random absences don’t hurt students.

We are a community of learners in this class.  You might call this ‘group work’, or ‘learning together’.  However, it’s not good enough to have 2 people in the class that help a student … we can all help each other.  If I can create an environment where each student is comfortable asking almost anybody in the class … and where every student is willing to help others, this is a powerful tool for motivation and ‘connecting’.  In my case, I model this behavior during class, and build opportunities for students to work with different people; seldom do I arrange the groups.  (Sometimes I will direct them to work with somebody they have not yet worked with.)

My goals for these practices focus on student engagement and learning capabilities; if the practices ‘work’, I will see better learning this semester and the student will be better prepared for other courses — even if they never use the mathematics we study.   Obviously, these practices are just a part of what I do … I hope you find some ideas within them.

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