WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – The Pennsylvania College of Technology School of Business, Arts & Sciences recently held an Active Thinking & Learning Math Professional Day for full-time and adjunct math faculty. Local high school math teachers also were in attendance for the workshop, which was led by Trey Cox, a veteran mathematics educator with 39 years of teaching experience spanning middle school, high school and college in Illinois and Arizona.
In addition to teaching at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Chandler, Ariz., for the past 25 years, Cox also has led impactful professional development for math educators nationwide, encouraging them to create student-centered, conceptually focused, active learning environments – all aimed at motivating students to engage in their learning.
Thirty-one math professionals were guided to incorporate student-centered active learning strategies into math courses. The group was made up of full-time instructors, staff members and adjunct instructors from Penn College, and high school teachers from across the region, three of whom teach Penn College Dual Enrollment courses.
School districts and career and technology centers that were represented include East Lycoming, Jersey Shore Area School District, Clearfield County Career & Technology Center, West Shore School District, Central Mountain School District, Williamsport Area School District, South Williamsport Area School District and SUN Area Technical Institute.
According to Michele R. Alexander, Title III project coordinator at Penn College, the day was designed to engage participants in hands-on activities to learn more about active learning from both an instructor and student perspective. Those in attendance had opportunities to work and brainstorm with one another.
“The workshop is designed for instructors at all mathematical levels, aiming to develop teaching strategies that help students interpret and analyze mathematical concepts, encouraging them to actively think and apply their math skills,” Alexander said. “Active learning is important, but as Ed (Owens – Penn College mathematics faculty) and Trey both pointed out, the most important part is to get the students thinking.”
Throughout the day, Cox, who has a doctorate in curriculum and instruction, referred to what he calls “anchor problems,” set in real-world contexts, where key mathematical concepts are embedded in such a way that big ideas emerge naturally and collaboratively through exploration and discussion. A few of those concepts included “In & Out Burger (linear functions),” “Motel 6 (exponential and why we love logarithms),” and “NFL Combine (systems of linear equations).”
One participant reported enjoying the depth of each anchor problem, as well as the examples of how to extend knowledge, intervene when necessary and use group randomization to foster community and a collaborative environment. Another participant pointed out that Cox did a great job demonstrating the ways in which he runs his own classes, particularly what is emphasized (anchor problems) and what is de-emphasized (checking homework).
At the close of the workshop, Cox showed a training video used by Chick-fil-A that demonstrated the need to be empathetic – in this case, he said, to student stories.
“Establish a collaborative, encouraging, supportive community,” Cox said. “It’s about the students. Don’t forget that.”
The Math Professional Day was funded by a Title III Strengthening Institutions Program Grant that complements a comprehensive redesign of the college’s math curricula with the goal of enhancing educational outcomes for students, particularly those enrolled in developmental math courses.
For information about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, visit www.pct.edu, email admissions@pct.edu or call toll-free 800-367-9222.