Renew the Profession!

I am at the ‘summer institute’ for Statway and Quantway, though the event is now called the ‘national forum’ for the pathways.  Hosted by the Carnegie Foundation, the meeting is being attended by over 100 faculty from across the country … some have been teaching a Statway or Quantway course this past year, some are new faculty from those colleges, and some are faculty from ‘new colleges’ who are looking to join the work.

The most satisfying aspect of the national forum is the dedication of these faculty to renew the profession.  Instead of looking for the answer, these faculty are building their understanding of the learning process for their students; they are listening to experts with theory and knowledge that applies to the issues; and they are collaborating on solutions that will help their students.

This dedication to renew the profession is part of the change process we are all facing in developmental mathematics.  Although some of us are currently dealing with a temporary ‘fix’ such as modules or mastery learning, the profession has a need to understand the learning and student needs so that we can provide courses with a purpose and a value to students. 

The Carnegie work involves phrases such as productive persistence, language & literacy, and advancing teaching.  The specifics of this work are only ‘in the network’ (the networked improvement communities).  Over the next few years, I believe that all of us are going to develop our understanding of the concepts and theories … and the efficacy of specific strategies for specific students in specific sfituations.

I hope that you will join me, and all those already working in these areas.  The time is now to renew the profession of teaching and learning in developmental mathematics.

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