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<title>Back to School – Week 1 Fall 2020</title>
<link>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=426</link>
<comments>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=426#respond</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2020 22:22:26 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[George Woodbury]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Canvas]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[community college]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[corequisite support course]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[George Woodbury]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[interactive statistics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[intro stats]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[remote learning]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[statcrunch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[statistics]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[So, I take a semester off and everything goes off the rails??? I was on bank leave in Spring 2020, and it pained me to watch what you all had to go through as you shifted to remote instruction. That goes for faculty and students. I love a challenge and wish I had been there in the trenches with you.This semester I am back, teaching 3 sections of Statistics with Support. All are being taught asynchronously. I am fortunate to...<a class="btn btn-default" href="https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=426"> Read More Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[So, I take a semester off and everything goes off the rails??? I was on bank leave in Spring 2020, and it pained me to watch what you all had to go through as you shifted to remote instruction. That goes for faculty and students. I love a challenge and wish I had been there in the trenches with you. This semester I am back, teaching 3 sections of Statistics with Support. All are being taught asynchronously. I am fortunate to have all of my classes the same, because it helps to consolidate my tasks and allows me to be more effective. I think that one of the best things we can do if we find ourselves in the same spot for Spring 2021 is to try rearranging schedules to allow more instructors to focus all of their efforts on one course. *Note – Italicized text below are questions for myself to consider before next semester.
<h4>Starting Slow</h4>
I decided to start slowly, covering only one section in the main course during the first week. I figured this would be a good way to allow students to become comfortable with the tools we are using without also having to worry about all the content at the same time. I am using 2 MyLab sites – Interactive Statistics for the main course and Pearson’s Corequisite Support Modules for the support course. I am also using two Canvas sites – one for each course.
I am using the Canvas sites for students to upload worksheets for the support course and activities for the main course. I could probably have done it all within the same site, but I thought it would be best to keep them distinct. This is one decision that I will have to look back on next semester.
<ul><li>On Day 1 I got the students to register in MyLab for the main course and make a post to an “Introduce Yourself” discussion board. </li><li>On Day 2 I got students to register in MyLab for the support course, and complete a Growth Mindset assignment. (Short video followed by a prompt about the advantage of a growth mindset over a fixed mindset) </li><li>On Day 3 I showed students how to do the Objective assignments in the MyLab support course. These are a combination of short concept videos, short example videos, and problems for students to do. I also showed them where to find the Core Skills Worksheets which they download, complete, and upload to Canvas. These worksheets have a quick refresher on a prerequisite skill, a worked out example, and 5 exercises to do. This week we focused on decimal place values, comparing decimals, and rounding decimals. </li><li>On Day 4 I walked them through the structure of the Interactive Assignments in the main course. I also showed them the first Weekly Activity, which they download and turn in through Canvas. The Weekly Activities are activities that I would use in my face-to-face classes to help students develop a fuller understanding. My thought was that if they are good to use in person, they should be good for my remote students as well.</li></ul>
I had all of the Week 1 assignments posted and open on the first day of class. One thing to think about for next semester is whether I should just open them up on the day we talk about them. Some students tried to move ahead and got a little confused, which is exactly what I was hoping to avoid. I should say that many students were able to move forward without an issue – I prerecorded videos (with CC and transcripts) for students whose schedule did not match up with the Zoom schedule.
I have all assignments due on the second Monday of the class. So far, so good. Most have already completed all of the assignments, but I will have a better idea after the deadline expires tonight. I may consider putting the deadlines earlier, and stagger them, to encourage all students to get involved sooner. 
<h4>Week 2</h4>
During the second week we will pick up the speed with the material – 4 sections in the main course (finishing Chapter 1), 2 activities in the main course, introducing StatCrunch, 4 prerequisite skills in the support course (converting fractions, decimals, and percentages). 
We are also forming groups for the activities. I asked for up to 30 students to volunteer as group leaders on a discussion board, and then the remaining students will join these groups through a discussion board post.
I had considered forming the groups myself, but I wanted to give them a chance to do this on their own. For next semester I’d like to find a more efficient way to do this.
I’ll try to blog regularly about what I am doing, and how it is going. I have been a little disappointed by the messages we are hearing about the quality of remote learning. I understand that many people feel that in-person learning is better for students than remote learning, but the tone I am hearing from many is that remote learning is substandard. I just do not agree with that. It does take a lot of effort by the instructor and by the students, and there are many logistical challenges, but a quality remote class and be just as effective as a quality in-person class. So, I will try to share how things are going and hopefully back up my hypothesis.
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<title>Interactive Statistics – Our Resources</title>
<link>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=419</link>
<comments>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=419#respond</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2020 22:59:39 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[George Woodbury]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=419</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In this post Michael Sullivan and I will share some resources that are built into our MyLab Interactive Statistics courses, as well as some other resources that we have used in our classrooms. Our goal is to provide you with options to make your transition to remote teaching easier. We are happy to help – you can reach out to us by leaving a comment on the blog, contacting me on Twitter @georgewoodbury), or by email (Michael Sullivan, George Woodbury)....<a class="btn btn-default" href="https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=419"> Read More Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
In this post Michael Sullivan and I will share some resources that are built into our MyLab Interactive Statistics courses, as well as some other resources that we have used in our classrooms. Our goal is to provide you with options to make your transition to remote teaching easier.
We are happy to help – you can reach out to us by leaving a comment on the blog, contacting me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/georgewoodbury">@georgewoodbury</a>), or by email (<a href="mailto: sullystats@gmail.com">Michael Sullivan</a>, <a href="mailto: georgew@cos.edu">George Woodbury)</a>.
<h4>Michael Sullivan</h4>
MyLab Course ID: sullivan-pearson05571 
<ul><li>Interactive Assignments for each section</li><li>End of Section homework (with a 70% prerequisite on the corresponding Interactive Assignment)</li><li>Practice exams with mastery homework</li><li>Regular exams, plus finals</li></ul>
Web Resources <a href="http://www.sullystats.com">www.sullystats.com</a>
<ul><li>Stats Resources – Chapter by chapter suggestions for delivering the material</li></ul>
<h4>George Woodbury</h4>
MyLab Course ID: woodbury14962
<ul><li>Interactive Assignments for each section</li><li>End of Section homework (with a 70% prerequisite on the corresponding Interactive Assignment)</li><li>Pointers – summaries of each section that my students print out before beginning the Interactive Assignments</li><li>Exam review materials, plus take-home midterm and final</li></ul>
 (I have shortened up some of the assignments, and hidden some material that we do not cover – I can help you reload it for your course.)
Web Resources <a href="http://georgewoodbury.com">georgewoodbury.com</a>
<ul><li>Materials & calendar from the first time I flipped my class: <a href="http://georgewoodbury.com/flip/">http://georgewoodbury.com/flip/ </a></li><li>Statblog – My blog on statistics related topics: <a href="https://georgewoodbury.com/statblog/">https://georgewoodbury.com/statblog/</a> This includes a day-by-day series of posts.</li><li><a href="http://georgewoodbury.com/flip/project_activity_descriptions.html">Activity/Assignments List</a> </li><li><a href="http://georgewoodbury.com/Stats/stats_index.html">Materials I use in my online course</a> </li></ul>
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<item>
<title>Using Interactive Statistics to Teach Remotely</title>
<link>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=412</link>
<comments>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=412#respond</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2020 18:32:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[George Woodbury]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=412</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Teaching Intro Stats remotely can be challenging for both instructors and students, especially when you have to switch to remote instruction in the middle of the term with little to no advance warning. Michael Sullivan and I have a suggested solution that will help you and your students thrive in this challenging environment. Pearson is now offering free student access codes to MyLab for the remainder of the term for our online interactive textbook – Interactive Statistics (2e). (Contact your...<a class="btn btn-default" href="https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=412"> Read More Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Teaching Intro Stats remotely can be challenging for both instructors and students, especially when you have to switch to remote instruction in the middle of the term with little to no advance warning. Michael Sullivan and I have a suggested solution that will help you and your students thrive in this challenging environment. Pearson is now offering free student access codes to MyLab for the remainder of the term for our online interactive textbook – Interactive Statistics (2e). (Contact your local Pearson rep or DSS for help with the codes.)
Interactive Statistics was designed to present direct instruction in an interactive manner. Students “read a little, watch a little, do a little” as they make their way through the online Interactive Reading Assignments. Students must complete MyLab exercises tied to your grade book to demonstrate understanding before moving on to the next topic. Every example comes with complete video solutions – most including four different videos for by hand solutions and technology solutions (StatCrunch, TI-84, and Microsoft Excel).
These materials have been used successfully in both traditional in-person courses as well as online courses, and would be an efficient way to jump into remote instruction. You can copy Mike’s course (Course ID: sullivan-pearson05571) or my course (Course ID: woodbury14962), or start with your own by creating a course in Pearson’s MyLab site (<a href="http://www.mymathlab.com">mymathlab.com</a>). Mike and I will share details on those courses, as well as our resources from our own classes that we can share with you, in an upcoming blog.
For more information, there is a video instructor preface and a video student preface inside the course that can get you up to speed quickly.
You can also check this webinar that Mike and I recorded last spring: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDmYbtKBwlw&feature=youtu.be">Webinar </a>
<hr />
<blockquote>For additional information on Pearson’s commitment to students and instructors during these extraordinary times, please visit the following sites:
<ul type="disc">
<li class="yiv4607864969MsoListParagraph">Pearson response page – <a href="https://www.pearson.com/news-and-research/working-learning-online-during-pandemic.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer"> https://www.pearson.com/news-and-research/working-learning-online-during-pandemic.html</a></li>
<li class="yiv4607864969MsoListParagraph">On-demand webinar page – <a href="https://www.pearson.com/us/campaigns/dr/online-instructor-support.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer"> https://www.pearson.com/us/campaigns/dr/online-instructor-support.html</a></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
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<item>
<title>Looking Back to 2018: Growth Mindset</title>
<link>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=406</link>
<comments>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=406#respond</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 04 Jan 2019 13:00:49 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[George Woodbury]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[For Instructors]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Math Mindsets]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[ab705]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[boaler]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Carol Dweck]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[co-requisite]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[co-requisite support]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[College Teaching]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Dweck]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[fixed-mindset]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[George Woodbury]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[growth-mindset]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[jo boaler]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=406</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Last year I spoke at over a dozen conferences, and at most of them I got to talk about incorporating growth mindsets in math. The rough outline was Definition of the fixed mindset and the growth mindset Differences between the two mindsets in various scenarios Strategies for making students aware of the growth mindset and how it can help math students, including specific activities Messages that we send students Summary of the benefits of the growth mindset The topic was...<a class="btn btn-default" href="https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=406"> Read More Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Last year I spoke at over a dozen conferences, and at most of them I got to talk about incorporating growth mindsets in math.
The rough outline was
<ul>
<li>Definition of the fixed mindset and the growth mindset</li>
<li>Differences between the two mindsets in various scenarios</li>
<li>Strategies for making students aware of the growth mindset and how it can help math students, including specific activities</li>
<li>Messages that we send students</li>
<li>Summary of the benefits of the growth mindset</li>
</ul>
The topic was in high demand since so many colleges are developing co-requisite support classes in an effort to increase the number of students passing a college level math class and moving on to graduate. While we have focused on what topics need to be covered in such a course, we also must consider the student skills that students will not be developing during 1-3 semesters of developmental math. I believe that having a growth mindset will increase a student’s chances of being successful in this new system.
The instructor is an important factor for helping students to develop a growth mindset with respect to mathematics. Probably the most important factor. The messages we send our students can help or hurt students, and we must choose wisely and be consistent. We can model the growth mindset by showing our own commitment to learning, and how we handle our own mistakes and setbacks. We can lead classroom discussions that show how learning math is similar to other things our students have learned.
One of my goals this semester is to discuss these ideas, and help develop strategies to nudge our students towards having a growth mindset in mathematics. Maybe #MindsetMonday???
<blockquote>In the meantime, check out my presentation slides, relevant video/book links, and even a recording of one of my webinars on the Mindset page on my website: <a href="http://georgewoodbury.com/mindsets/index.html">Mindsets Page</a></blockquote>
If you have questions or comments about mindsets in mathematics, leave a comment or reach out to me on <a href="https://twitter.com/georgewoodbury">Twitter at @georgewoodbury</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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<item>
<title>Top 5 Education Books I Read Last Year</title>
<link>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=389</link>
<comments>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=389#respond</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jan 2019 00:51:45 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[George Woodbury]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Book Corner]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[For Instructors]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[amazon]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[benedict carey]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[book review]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[cathy davidson]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[education]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[George Woodbury]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[goodreads]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[how we learn]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[make it stick]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[matthew lane]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[peter brown]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[power-up]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[saundra mcguire]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[teach students how to learn]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[the new education]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=389</guid>
<description><![CDATA[It’s the first day of the year, and I have been reflecting back on 2018. Last year I set a reading challenge of 52 books for myself on Goodreads, and I made it. Many of the books I read were about education or mathematics. Here is a list of my 5 favorites, in no particular order. I will be posting my own reviews over the next few weeks. Teach Students How to Learn: Strategies You Can Incorporate Into Any Course...<a class="btn btn-default" href="https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=389"> Read More Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[It’s the first day of the year, and I have been reflecting back on 2018. Last year I set a reading challenge of 52 books for myself on Goodreads, and I made it. Many of the books I read were about education or mathematics. Here is a list of my 5 favorites, in no particular order. I will be posting my own reviews over the next few weeks.
<ul>
<li><a href="#book1">Teach Students How to Learn: Strategies You Can Incorporate Into Any Course to Improve Student Metacognition, Study Skills, and Motivation</a></li>
<li><a href="#book2">Power-Up: Unlocking the Hidden Mathematics in Video Games</a></li>
<li><a href="#book3">Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning</a></li>
<li><a href="#book4">How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens</a></li>
<li><a href="#book5">The New Education: How to Revolutionize the University to Prepare Students for a World In Flux</a></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<a href="http://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Teach_Students_How_To_Learn.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-394 alignleft" src="http://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Teach_Students_How_To_Learn-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Teach_Students_How_To_Learn-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Teach_Students_How_To_Learn-180x270.jpg 180w, https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Teach_Students_How_To_Learn.jpg 317w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" /></a><a id="book1"></a><a href="https://amzn.to/2LLjgif">Teach Students How to Learn: Strategies You Can Incorporate Into Any Course to Improve Student Metacognition, Study Skills, and Motivation</a>
by Saundra Yancy McGuire (Author), Thomas Angelo (Foreword), Stephanie McGuire (Contributor)
Goodreads Synopsis:
Miriam, a freshman Calculus student at Louisiana State University, made 37.5% on her first exam but 83% and 93% on the next two. Matt, a first year General Chemistry student at the University of Utah, scored 65% and 55% on his first two exams and 95% on his third–These are representative of thousands of students who decisively improved their grades by acting on the advice described in this book.
What is preventing your students from performing according to expectations? Saundra McGuire offers a simple but profound answer: If you teach students how to learn and give them simple, straightforward strategies to use, they can significantly increase their learning and performance.
For over a decade Saundra McGuire has been acclaimed for her presentations and workshops on metacognition and student learning because the tools and strategies she shares have enabled faculty to facilitate dramatic improvements in student learning and success. This book encapsulates the model and ideas she has developed in the past fifteen years, ideas that are being adopted by an increasing number of faculty with considerable effect.
The methods she proposes do not require restructuring courses or an inordinate amount of time to teach. They can often be accomplished in a single session, transforming students from memorizers and regurgitators to students who begin to think critically and take responsibility for their own learning.
Saundra McGuire takes the reader sequentially through the ideas and strategies that students need to understand and implement. First, she demonstrates how introducing students to metacognition and Bloom’s Taxonomy reveals to them the importance of understanding how they learn and provides the lens through which they can view learning activities and measure their intellectual growth. Next, she presents a specific study system that can quickly empower students to maximize their learning. Then, she addresses the importance of dealing with emotion, attitudes, and motivation by suggesting ways to change students’ mindsets about ability and by providing a range of strategies to boost motivation and learning; finally, she offers guidance to faculty on partnering with campus learning centers.
She pays particular attention to academically unprepared students, noting that the strategies she offers for this particular population are equally beneficial for all students.
While stressing that there are many ways to teach effectively, and that readers can be flexible in picking and choosing among the strategies she presents, Saundra McGuire offers the reader a step-by-step process for delivering the key messages of the book to students in as little as 50 minutes. Free online supplements provide three slide sets and a sample video lecture.
This book is written primarily for faculty but will be equally useful for TAs, tutors, and learning center professionals. For readers with no background in education or cognitive psychology, the book avoids jargon and esoteric theory.
<hr />
<a href="http://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Power_Up.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-393 alignleft" src="http://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Power_Up-198x300.jpg" alt="" width="198" height="300" srcset="https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Power_Up-198x300.jpg 198w, https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Power_Up-178x270.jpg 178w, https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Power_Up.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px" /></a><a id="book2"></a><a href="https://amzn.to/2Rucu5K">Power-Up: Unlocking the Hidden Mathematics in Video Games</a>
by Matthew Lane
Goodreads Synopsis:
A fun and lively look at the mathematical ideas concealed in video games
Did you know that every time you pick up the controller to your PlayStation or Xbox, you are entering a game world steeped in mathematics? Power-Up reveals the hidden mathematics in many of today’s most popular video games and explains why mathematical learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom or from books–you’re doing it without even realizing it when you play games on your cell phone.
In this lively and entertaining book, Matthew Lane discusses how gamers are engaging with the traveling salesman problem when they play Assassin’s Creed, why it is mathematically impossible for Mario to jump through the Mushroom Kingdom in Super Mario Bros., and how The Sims teaches us the mathematical costs of maintaining relationships. He looks at mathematical pursuit problems in classic games like Missile Command and Ms. Pac-Man, and how each time you play Tetris, you’re grappling with one of the most famous unsolved problems in all of mathematics and computer science. Along the way, Lane discusses why Family Feud and Pictionary make for ho-hum video games, how realism in video games (or the lack of it) influences learning, what video games can teach us about the mathematics of voting, the mathematics of designing video games, and much more.
Power-Up shows how the world of video games is an unexpectedly rich medium for learning about the beautiful mathematical ideas that touch all aspects of our lives–including our virtual ones.
<hr />
<a href="http://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/make_it_stick.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-392 alignleft" src="http://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/make_it_stick-198x300.jpg" alt="" width="198" height="300" srcset="https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/make_it_stick-198x300.jpg 198w, https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/make_it_stick-178x270.jpg 178w, https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/make_it_stick.jpg 313w" sizes="(max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px" /></a><a id="book3"></a><a href="https://amzn.to/2SuO2i0">Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning</a>
by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, Mark A. McDaniel
Goodreads Synopsis: 
To most of us, learning something “the hard way” implies wasted time and effort. Good teaching, we believe, should be creatively tailored to the different learning styles of students and should use strategies that make learning easier. Make It Stick turns fashionable ideas like these on their head. Drawing on recent discoveries in cognitive psychology and other disciplines, the authors offer concrete techniques for becoming more productive learners.
Memory plays a central role in our ability to carry out complex cognitive tasks, such as applying knowledge to problems never before encountered and drawing inferences from facts already known. New insights into how memory is encoded, consolidated, and later retrieved have led to a better understanding of how we learn. Grappling with the impediments that make learning challenging leads both to more complex mastery and better retention of what was learned.
Many common study habits and practice routines turn out to be counterproductive. Underlining and highlighting, rereading, cramming, and single-minded repetition of new skills create the illusion of mastery, but gains fade quickly. More complex and durable learning come from self-testing, introducing certain difficulties in practice, waiting to re-study new material until a little forgetting has set in, and interleaving the practice of one skill or topic with another. Speaking most urgently to students, teachers, trainers, and athletes, Make It Stick will appeal to all those interested in the challenge of lifelong learning and self-improvement.
<hr />
<a href="http://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/how_we_learn.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-391" src="http://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/how_we_learn-197x300.jpg" alt="" width="197" height="300" srcset="https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/how_we_learn-197x300.jpg 197w, https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/how_we_learn-177x270.jpg 177w, https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/how_we_learn.jpg 312w" sizes="(max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px" /></a><a id="book4"></a><a href="https://amzn.to/2BTiZVZ">How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens</a>
by Benedict Carey
Goodreads Synopsis: 
In the tradition of The Power of Habit and Thinking, Fast and Slow comes a practical, playful, and endlessly fascinating guide to what we really know about learning and memory today—and how we can apply it to our own lives.
From an early age, it is drilled into our heads: Restlessness, distraction, and ignorance are the enemies of success. We’re told that learning is all self-discipline, that we must confine ourselves to designated study areas, turn off the music, and maintain a strict ritual if we want to ace that test, memorize that presentation, or nail that piano recital.
But what if almost everything we were told about learning is wrong? And what if there was a way to achieve more with less effort?
In How We Learn, award-winning science reporter Benedict Carey sifts through decades of education research and landmark studies to uncover the truth about how our brains absorb and retain information. What he discovers is that, from the moment we are born, we are all learning quickly, efficiently, and automatically; but in our zeal to systematize the process we have ignored valuable, naturally enjoyable learning tools like forgetting, sleeping, and daydreaming. Is a dedicated desk in a quiet room really the best way to study? Can altering your routine improve your recall? Are there times when distraction is good? Is repetition necessary? Carey’s search for answers to these questions yields a wealth of strategies that make learning more a part of our everyday lives—and less of a chore.
By road testing many of the counterintuitive techniques described in this book, Carey shows how we can flex the neural muscles that make deep learning possible. Along the way he reveals why teachers should give final exams on the first day of class, why it’s wise to interleave subjects and concepts when learning any new skill, and when it’s smarter to stay up late prepping for that presentation than to rise early for one last cram session. And if this requires some suspension of disbelief, that’s because the research defies what we’ve been told, throughout our lives, about how best to learn.
The brain is not like a muscle, at least not in any straightforward sense. It is something else altogether, sensitive to mood, to timing, to circadian rhythms, as well as to location and environment. It doesn’t take orders well, to put it mildly. If the brain is a learning machine, then it is an eccentric one. In How We Learn, Benedict Carey shows us how to exploit its quirks to our advantage.
<hr />
<a href="http://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/new_education.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-390" src="http://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/new_education-194x300.jpg" alt="" width="194" height="300" srcset="https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/new_education-194x300.jpg 194w, https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/new_education-174x270.jpg 174w, https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/new_education.jpg 258w" sizes="(max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px" /></a><a id="book5"></a><a href="https://amzn.to/2BRq7Cg">The New Education: How to Revolutionize the University to Prepare Students for a World In Flux</a>
by Cathy N. Davidson
Goodreads Synopsis: 
A leading educational thinker argues that the American university is stuck in the past–and shows how we can revolutionize it for our era of constant change 
Our current system of higher education dates to the period from 1865 to 1925, when the nation’s new universities created grades and departments, majors and minors, in an attempt to prepare young people for a world transformed by the telegraph and the Model T. As Cathy N. Davidson argues in The New Education, this approach to education is wholly unsuited to the era of the gig economy. From the Ivy League to community colleges, she introduces us to innovators who are remaking college for our own time by emphasizing student-centered learning that values creativity in the face of change above all. The New Education ultimately shows how we can teach students not only to survive but to thrive amid the challenges to come.
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<title>Mindsets Webinar Recording</title>
<link>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=387</link>
<comments>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=387#respond</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 17 Nov 2018 13:09:02 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[George Woodbury]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[For Instructors]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Math Mindsets]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[ab705]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[amatyc]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Carol Dweck]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[co-requisite]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[co-requisite support]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[College Teaching]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[developmental math]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Dweck]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[fixed-mindset]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[George Woodbury]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[growth-mindset]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[jo boaler]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[math]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[math pathways]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mathematics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mathematics education]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mindset]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[nade]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[study skills]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=387</guid>
<description><![CDATA[If you missed my AMATYC session on Incorporating Mathematical Mindsets, here is a recording of a Pearson Webinar that I did back in October. Mindsets Webinar (Recorded) I will include the link shortly on my Mindsets web page too (Mindsets Web Page) . You can also find links to relevant books, videos, a mindset assessment, and PowerPoint files there.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[If you missed my AMATYC session on Incorporating Mathematical Mindsets, here is a recording of a Pearson Webinar that I did back in October.
<a href="https://www.pearson.com/us/about/news-events/events/2018/10/incorporating-mathematical-mindsets.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mindsets Webinar (Recorded)</a>
I will include the link shortly on my Mindsets web page too <a href="http://georgewoodbury.com/mindsets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(Mindsets Web Page)</a> . You can also find links to relevant books, videos, a mindset assessment, and PowerPoint files there.
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<wfw:commentRss>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?feed=rss2&p=387</wfw:commentRss>
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<title>New to Teaching Intro Stats?</title>
<link>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=386</link>
<comments>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=386#respond</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 Nov 2018 16:15:57 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[George Woodbury]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[For Instructors]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[statistics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[College Teaching]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[George Woodbury]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[interactive statistics]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=386</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I posted some advice for new statistics instructors, especially those of us in California after AB705. You can Check it out on my Statblog .]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[I posted some advice for new statistics instructors, especially those of us in California after AB705.
You can <a href="https://georgewoodbury.com/statblog/new-intro-stats-instructors-getting-started/">Check it out on my Statblog </a>.
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<title>Mindsets and Student Skills in Corequisite Support Classes</title>
<link>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=382</link>
<comments>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=382#respond</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 05 Nov 2018 16:00:19 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[George Woodbury]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[For Instructors]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[ab705]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[californina]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[community college]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[coreq]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[corequisite]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[corequisite support course]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[growth-mindset]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[math]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[math support]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mathematics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mindsets]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[reading comprehension]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[student skills]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[study skills]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[support course]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[time management]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=382</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Full implementation of AB705 begins in Fall 2019 in California. At my school (College of the Sequoias) developmental math courses like prealgebra and elementary/intermediate algebra will no longer be offered. Students will begin in a transfer-level class: intro statistics, college algebra, or math for teachers. Some, depending on their high school GPA, will also take a 1 or 2 unit corequisite support class. The support class is supposed to cover prerequisite topics on a “just in time” basis. What I...<a class="btn btn-default" href="https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=382"> Read More Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Full implementation of AB705 begins in Fall 2019 in California. At my school (College of the Sequoias) developmental math courses like prealgebra and elementary/intermediate algebra will no longer be offered. Students will begin in a transfer-level class: intro statistics, college algebra, or math for teachers. Some, depending on their high school GPA, will also take a 1 or 2 unit corequisite support class. The support class is supposed to cover prerequisite topics on a “just in time” basis.
What I am most concerned about is not the math skills that need to be covered, although that is an issue. I am most concerned with the fact that students are missing between 1 and 3 classes where they learn how to be a math student.
Mindsets
We are incorporating student skills into all of our support courses, starting with mindsets. Our thought is that many students will benefit from developing a growth mindset and believing that they can learn this transfer-level material without working their way up our old sequence of courses. This will also help students to shift their focus from trying to memorize and mimic procedures to thinking about concepts and being creative.
We are going to use a mixture of some of the following strategies:
<ul>
<li>Writing prompts that will lead to class discussions about overcoming adversity in other areas and how the same approaches can be used to learn mathematics.</li>
<li>Videos (Carol Dweck’s TED talk, Jo Boaler’s TED talk, Dave Paunesku’s YouTube videos, Train Ugly videos, …) that will be watched outside of class and lead to classroom discussions or written reflections.</li>
<li>Dave Paunesku has also made a series of 4 videos that are available inside newer Pearson MyLab courses along with short assessments.</li>
<li>Carol Dweck’s mindset assessment tool that is available online so students become aware of their mindset.</li>
<li>Jo Boaler’s 6-week online class on mathematical mindsets.</li>
<li>Student projects on the growth mindset.</li>
</ul>
We may also invite counselors and learning specialists on campus to come share their mindset thoughts and experience.
Other Student Skills
I’ll begin the list with reading comprehension. One area where students used to benefit from developmental math was through there exposure to all of the various application problems. Especially in statistics, students need to be able to read through a problem, determine the appropriate strategy to use, and extract the correct information from the problem. I had a brief discussion with a North Carolina instructor who had developed a series of materials that focused on this skill. We plan to use a similar, “just in time” approach for reading comprehension. In statistics, for example, this would be appropriate when covering standard deviation (sample versus population), probability, probability distributions (binomial/Poisson/normal), and inferential (confidence intervals versus hypothesis tests, proportions versus means, …).
Next up: time management. Time management is a crucial skill for students, and our students will not have the experience of balancing the time required to learn mathematics with the time required to do all of the other things our busy students do. We will have students create their ideal weekly calendars, actually keep track of what they did, and evaluate how well they managed their time. We will have class discussions of what sort of time commitment their classes should take up, as well as ways to free up more time for school work. I’d also like to incorporate some ideas I have incorporated from David Allen’s Getting Things Done and Leo Babauta’s Zen To Done.
Other skills we feel are important:
<ul>
<li>Note taking</li>
<li>Test preparation</li>
<li>Test taking</li>
<li>Retrieval practice</li>
<li>Working in groups</li>
<li>Doing homework effectively</li>
<li>Getting the most out of your materials</li>
</ul>
One colleague mentioned a series of Crash Course videos on YouTube that covers some of these ideas. I watched one of their videos on note taking and thought it was quite good.
Conclusion 
In our old sequence of courses we understood that students needed to learn how to become a better math student. Placing students directly into transfer-level math is not going to change this problem. Instead, we have to make dedicated efforts to help our students develop their student skills in a quicker fashion. Assuming that all students who show up in our classes already possess the student skills necessary for success is dangerous. The payoff could be huge, helping these students develop skills that will help them in their future classes as well as in their post-college lives.
Feedback
How do you feel about incorporating mindsets and student skills into your classes? Are there skills I have left out? Other resources you’d recommend? I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment, reach out to me on <a href="https://twitter.com/georgewoodbury">Twitter</a>, or send me an email through the <a href="http://georgewoodbury.com/contact.html">contact page </a>on my website.
 
I’m putting together a series of blogs on the challenges of AB705 and how that affects instructors and students, as well as its impact on introductory statistics. I’d appreciate any comments or feedback, as well as any questions you may have or ideas for upcoming blogs. – George
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<title>Three-Part Final</title>
<link>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=379</link>
<comments>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=379#comments</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 04 Oct 2018 13:04:36 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[George Woodbury]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Algebra]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[For Instructors]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[algebra]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[beginning algebra]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[developmental math]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[elementary algebra]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[final exam]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[George Woodbury]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[math]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mathematics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mathematics education]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[review]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=379</guid>
<description><![CDATA[My short-term elementary algebra class is drawing to a close. For the midterm I tried a new exam strategy that I really liked. I teach a 2-hour block that meets 4 days a week. On a Tuesday students spent the first hour working on problems from Chapters 1 and 2, and we went over the solutions during the second hour. On the next day we repeated the pattern for Chapters 3 & 4. On the Thursday students were given instant...<a class="btn btn-default" href="https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=379"> Read More Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[My short-term elementary algebra class is drawing to a close. For the midterm I tried a new exam strategy that I really liked. I teach a 2-hour block that meets 4 days a week. On a Tuesday students spent the first hour working on problems from Chapters 1 and 2, and we went over the solutions during the second hour. On the next day we repeated the pattern for Chapters 3 & 4. On the Thursday students were given instant credit for any objective they got correct on the first two days. They only worked on problems they missed the first two days – whether they left it blank or made even the most minor mistake.
The results of the midterm were very encouraging. Through the first two days students were able to zero in on the problems they needed to improve on, and they learned from their mistakes. For example, one student missed 8 problems over the first two days. On some of the problems the student made minor arithmetic errors or made errors with notation and those were easily corrected on Thursday. On other problems the student had major conceptual gaps and was able to focus just on those topics rather than trying to get ready for 25 questions. The student in mind ended up fixing all the errors, mastered the missing concepts, and earned 100% on the exam.
This week is the week of the final exam and we proceeded the same way: Chapters 5-7 on Tuesday, Chapters 1-4 on Wednesday, Final Exam on Thursday (tomorrow). In a foundation class, like elementary algebra, students have a hard time determining where to focus their time. This strategy really helps with that problem.
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<item>
<title>New Exam Strategy</title>
<link>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=375</link>
<comments>https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=375#respond</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 05 Sep 2018 04:10:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[George Woodbury]]></dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Algebra]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Flipped Classroom]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[For Instructors]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[For Students]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[algebra]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[boaler]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[College Teaching]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[developmental math]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[elementary algebra]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[flipped classroom]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[George Woodbury]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[jo boaler]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[math]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mathematics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mathematics education]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[retrieval practice]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[review]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=375</guid>
<description><![CDATA[With the implementation of AB705 coming in Fall 2019, I am currently teaching elementary algebra for the last time. I am using a flipped classroom approach, and I am really proud of how hard my students are working. (I’ll blog more about that in the near future.) This is a short-term class, and the plan was to teach new material for three weeks, then devote the fourth week to the midterm exam. I was going to review on Tuesday and...<a class="btn btn-default" href="https://www.georgewoodbury.com/blogarithm/?p=375"> Read More Read More</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[With the implementation of AB705 coming in Fall 2019, I am currently teaching elementary algebra for the last time. I am using a flipped classroom approach, and I am really proud of how hard my students are working. (I’ll blog more about that in the near future.)
This is a short-term class, and the plan was to teach new material for three weeks, then devote the fourth week to the midterm exam. I was going to review on Tuesday and Wednesday before giving the exam on Thursday. I am always looking for ways to make the review sessions more meaningful and impactful, so I decided to stray from my original plan.
On Tuesday I devoted the first hour to having the students take an exam on topics from the first two chapters. For any problem they got correct, they get credit for that objective on Thursday’s exam. For any problem they missed they will get a second chance with that objective on Thursday. We spent the second hour going over those problems so students would know which problems they missed as well as what went wrong. I posted the results in a Google Sheet, giving each student a code name.
On Wednesday we will repeat the same process for problems from Chapters 3 & 4.
After we went over the solutions and any questions, I took the time to explain the concept of retrieval practice and how today’s work is an example of that strategy. Students worked on problems without any resources, and they were able to determine which topics will require further study. It is better that they struggled today while the consequences were low. We also talked about how these mistakes can lead to better understanding.
Overall, a pretty good day. The results were strong, and I think the students got a lot out of this process. I’ll let you know how the next two days go.
]]></content:encoded>
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