MAKE YOUR CONTENT A

COCKTAIL PARTY: WRITING =

STUDENT UNDERSTANDING

Innovations 2016 League for Innovation in the Community College

Chicago, IL

March 20-23, 2016

Keith Nabb

Moraine Valley Community College

Palos Hills, Illinois

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Crises in Mathematics

•Lack of understanding in mathematical

principles

•Opportunities to communicate about

mathematics are rare

•Writing skills are mediocre

•Attention to creativity in America and its decline

•Newsweek, 2010

•A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink, 2006

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Is Creativity Dead?

Sir Ken Robinson (TED talk, 2006)

“Creativity now is as important in education as

literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.”

“Every education system on Earth has the same

hierarchy of subjects: at the top are mathematics and

languages, then the humanities, and the bottom are

the arts.”

“Human resources are like natural resources; they’re

often buried deep. You have to go looking for them,

they’re not just lying around on the surface.”

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Calculus I (Honors)

•Moraine Valley Community College

•Honors Program Goals…

•Team-building

•Collaboration

•Group Activity/Service projects

•Leadership

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COCKTAIL PARTY CALCULUS

Objective: Students write about a topic that

piques their interest. The discussion should be

substantive yet accessible to a person having no

prior exposure to this topic. Assemble all

narratives into book form and share with

incoming Calculus students.

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Special emphasis on . . .

•Draft/revise/revise/revise…

•Editor/author relationship

•Students were authors/coauthors of a chapter

•One student was the artist

•Organization and coherence

•Each contribution is special

•Ask for help if you need it!!

Good writing is a process

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OUTCOMES

(STUDENTS)

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Diversity of Thought

•Different methods of studying and

communicating ideas

•Students/Ideas from around the globe

•The chapters give a peek into the mental

laboratories of the authors

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Reconnecting to our Creative

Nature

Creativity is innate

•As we age, we tend to take part in fewer

creative endeavors

•To many, math is cut and dried. Allowing

students to tap into their imaginations can

give the mathematics new life

•Once dormant mathematics can evolve in

this new light

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Writing Ensures

Comprehension

Coherent writing in mathematics implies that

sufficient knowledge has been attained

•Writing compels one to reach a sound

understanding of said concept

•This level of proficiency is required for

teaching

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Teaching via Written Word

•Writing in this context is similar to verbal teaching

•Words need to be chosen with great care

•Sense of permanence

•Understanding the rationale behind an idea

•Move from asking “how” to asking “why”

•True understanding/critical thinking are

natural byproducts

•Teacher perspective

•Better understanding of how students “see”

math

•Allows for instructional adjustments

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SURPRISES

(TEACHER)

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Interdisciplinary work

•Is this a math project or a writing project?

•Student questions •Do I need an attention grabber to start my chapter?

•How should I organize my chapter?

•Should I include examples?

•What exactly do you want from me?

•Student outcomes •I didn’t have to study the disc method at all after this!

•I really feel like I’m contributing to a great product.

•Writing has always been difficult for me but I like math. I think I like writing too after this project.

•Teacher outcomes •I saw a completely different profile of my students

•Novel assessment

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Team-oriented attitude Cooperation

•Unsolicited help from student to student

•Peer coaching •Students were authors/coauthors of a chapter

•One student was the artist

•Realization that any one chapter represents a cross section of Cocktail Party

Competition

•Amicable rivalry

•A great balance

The expectations of the project allowed this to happen!

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A different relationship

Teacher as editor

•Check grammar, relevance, mathematical accuracy

•Assembling all chapters

•Requesting author bios

•Final formatting and printing

Student as contributor

•Brainstorming for ideas

•Drafting/revising a chapter

•Collaborating with “coauthors”

•Achieving the right balance of mathematics,

exposition, and keeping the reader engaged

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Having fun

Author biography

•Intended transfer institution, major of study, two hobbies

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Section Titles •Hors d’oeuvres/Savory Snacks

•What is a Limit?; Continuity in a Nutshell; The Intermediate Value Theorem

•Fine Conversation/Signature Cocktails •The Derivative; Differentiation Rules; Implicit Differentiation; Optimization; Concavity, White Castle, and the Affective Domain; Newton’s Method

•Cigars •Interpretations of the Definite Integral; The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus; u-substitution: It’s all about u; On the Relationship between Integration and Differentiation

•The Next Morning •Area between Curves; Mathematical Calories: Volumes by Discs; Center-oids: Mapping out the “X”; Ultra Violet Voodoo: Integration by Parts; An Integral Perspective; Nothing Improper; Geometric Series; Basic Theorems of Infinite Series; When in Doubt, Try this Route: The Ratio Test; The Cycloid

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Having fun

Comic Strips

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Having fun

Comic Strips

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Having fun

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Students tell all…

Ali

Kathy

Bill

Marco

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IMPLICATIONS/EXTENSIONS

•You could do this in any math class

•Deepens their understanding, enhances their

writing/organizational skills

•Lends them the freedom to create something

that is uniquely theirs

•Encourages communication and team-building

•An idea: Co-enrollment in math/writing courses

•Assignments straddle both subjects

•Mutually beneficial to each area

•Students may see the value in interdisciplinary learning

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Questions/Discussion

nabb@morainevalley.edu

nabb.math@gmail.com

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