How to overcome students' predilection to passivity, create a pathway to equity and develop confident, motivated students

1. ACTIVE LEARNING: How to Increase
Engagement in Online Math Classes to a
Level You Never Thought Possible!
Overcome students’ predilection to passivity,
create a pathway to equity and develop
confident, motivated students
By Fred Feldon, Professor of Mathematics, Coastline College
October 15, 2021

2. This presentation is available at
https://www.slideshare.net/ffeldon

5. Source: Tech for Teaching https://t4t.blog.ryerson.ca/2020/09/15
Does Your Online Class Look Like This?

6. Learning results from what
the student does and
thinks… Our job is to create
the conditions that prompt
students to do the work of
learning.”
-- Herbert Alexander Simon, 1916-2001

7. “Studies show active learning increases
student performance and decreases failure
rates… Teachers need to build discussion and
social interaction into their classes.”
Samuel Gedeborg, student in math education at Utah
State University, NCTM Focus Issue “Teaching
Mathematics Online,” November, 2016

8. https://academic-
publishing.org/index.php/ejel/
article/view/1824
Electronic Journal of e-Learning

10. One Week of a Student’s Electrodermal Activity (EDA)
Poh, Swenson & Picard, 2010
http://affect.media.mit.edu/
pdfs/10.Poh-etal-TBME-EDA-
tests.pdf
Hi-level activity
• Lab
• Study
• Exams
• Homework
• Sleep
Lo-level activity
• Class

11. “There must be far less
telling on the part of the
teacher, and far more
doing on the part of the
student.”
-- Jean Piaget, 1896-1980

12. “We propose teaching that incorporates interactive
engagement and cooperative work in place of some
lecturing, while retaining course content by
demanding greater student responsibility for learning
outside of class.” -- Knight & Wood, 2005

13. PatrickJMT
Content Is Everywhere!

14. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IMuAtfbn6Rz2iW2Zr6-UcdhnR2OJ9yPw3AlYlQpsKZQ
By Beatris Mata, Elementary Math Coordinator, Ector County Independent School District, Odessa TX
Follow her @beatris_mata

15. The Biggest Fears About Teaching Online
• I can’t see their faces
• I can’t call on students
• I can’t do group work
• There’s no whiteboard
• I can’t communicate using discipline notation
• Students can’t communicate using discipline notation
• I have to water down the material
• I have to do Zoom meetings
• No one’s gonna attend my Zoom meetings
• No one’s gonna participate in my Zoom meetings
• I can’t chat with students one-on-one
• I can’t cover all the material
• They’re gonna drop/fail
• My success rates will go down
• They’re gonna cheat with online exams

16. Ok, ok already—I see the problem…
What’s the answer?

17. Redefine Your Role
Good Teachers = Good Coaches
-- Maria Andersen, busynessgirl.com

18. -- Maria Andersen, busynessgirl.com
Illustrations by Mat Moore

19. 1,000 HS and college students were asked, “What percentage would
you assign to the importance of each of the following”:
40%
38%
23%
FACILITATING ~ Primarily
student-led work
COACHING ~ You help
students perform, give
feedback and advice
DIRECT TEACHING ~
Instruction on
knowledge and skills
-- “The More I Lecture, The Less I Know What they Understand,”
Grant Wiggins, Authentic Education, NJ, 2014
What Do Students Really Want?

20. The Results
• YOU will discover the joy of doing what is
uniquely human and more interactive, rather
than simply deliver lectures.
• YOU will have more time to interact personally with
students, to mentor, advise, review individual
work, and answer questions
• YOU will learn more
than ever about your
subject matter and the
way students learn!
Tim Gunn, Fashion Consultant, Project Runway & Making the Cut

21. The Holy Grail
“Getting students to interact with one another,
instead of responding individually to the
instructor, might be the holy grail of class
discussion.”
David Gooblar, University of Iowa, The Chronicle of Higher Education,
November 5, 2018, https://www.chronicle.com/article/The-Holy-
Grail-of-Class/245009

22. Replace “Lecture” With:
• Summarize
• Highlight
• Motivate
• Guidance
• Structure, Enrichment
• Resources
• Active Learning
• Collaborative Activities
• Include as many of the following eight
Best Practices as possible:

23. Institutional Practices
Students
%
Pre-recorded Lectures 59
Live Lectures 64
Videos from External Sources 54
*Live Discussion 72
*Real-World Examples 56
*Frequent Assessments 57
*Personal Messages from the Instructor 66
*Assignments Having You Express What You Learned 54
*Breaking Course Into Shorter Pieces 40
*Group Projects 25
*Breakout Groups During a Live Class 24
*Best Practices and satisfaction data from Digital Promise: Accelerating Innovation in Education
https://digitalpromise.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/ELE_CoBrand_DP_FINAL_3.pdf
& Asynchronous Discussion

24. NYU Steinhardt Zoom Active Learning Activities
• One Minute Paper
• Muddiest (or Clearest) Point
• Clarification Pause
• Chat Bowl
• DIY Quiz Questions
• Turn and Talk
• Show and Tell
• Two Truths & a Lie
• Jigsaw Group Discussion
• Can I See Yours
• Cooperative Groups
• Active Review
• Think, Pair, Share
• Games (e.g. Jeopardy)
• Interview Reports
• Guest Presenters
https://sites.google.com/nyu.edu/nyu-steinhardt-
toolkit/instructional-activities/zoom-activities

25. Speaking of Which…
Used appropriately, they are the greatest
resource for engagement and active
learning at your disposal!

26. Ear
Eye
Toe
Leg
Hip
Toe
Arm
Rib
Abs
Jaw
Gum
Gut
Cap
Pit
Ass
ACL
MCL
Knee
Heel
Foot
Tooth
Butt
Three Letter Body Parts

27. NYU Steinhardt Zoom Active Learning Activities
A Few Tips:
• Before breaking students into groups give them a
couple minutes to think deeply about the problem
and make notes, otherwise they may have nothing to
contribute to the group
• If asking for a response in the Chat, tell students to
begin typing but do NOT hit Enter until you give the
signal, to eliminate a “conga line” of responses that is
students just copy each other
• Hop in and out of the small groups to gather
information about what your students are thinking;
ask them to SHOW YOU what they’re working on

28. https://www.facebook.com/100013305873659/videos/1171288096658042/

29. Side Bar—Webcams?
Kindergarten Teacher Mackenzie Adams
Goes Viral on TikTok - See 3-min video
https://youtu.be/ujjNIjqKSSU

32. Today’s Digital Teaching Tools
For a STEM Professor
Dell Latitude
Microsoft Surface
Lenova X1
iPad with Zoom App
Digital Ink & Paper
Wacom Tablet

33. Tablet & Stylus Software
Computer Tablet with apps such as OneNote,
Evernote, Nebo, FluidMath, ScrbleInk, Journal,
Xournal − to copy, paste, annotate, etc.

34. More Digital Teaching Tools
For a STEM Professor
$25
$45
TutorCam GO

35. Computer Software

38. But What About the
Students??

39. Students write their work by hand and send you a
multi-page PDF file using a free mobile scanning app
See video https://youtu.be/UkYlGa3y4tk
*CamScanner, Microsoft OfficeLens, AdobeScan, Evernote, Abbyy FineScanner

40. Students can use screen capture software
to embed HTML code or an image into the
body of a Discussion Board message

41. Students use thick Sharpie pens to write
with, hold their paper up to the web cam
“Graph this parabola and
show me the vertex.”

42. Students show work using markers and an individual
mini-whiteboard. Hold it up to their webcam.
$10-15

47. Source: https://www.teachingeffectivelywithzoom.com/

51. Active Learning Promotes EQUITY
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=EDC&division=7.&title=3.&part=48.&chapter=2.&article=1.5.

52. fNIRS Significant Couplings at 5 sec shift (FDR q < 0.01)
Ref https://www.nature.com/articles/srep43293
Share Stories
“When a person listens to or relates to another person
the listener’s brain changes to mirror the other person’s
brain. It’s called neural coupling. When you show
empathy students feel trusted and valued. They engage
at a higher level… They’ll work their asses off to not
disappoint you!”
Michelle Pacansky-Brock, August 23, 2019 https://
brocansky.com/2019/08/rigor-through-empathy.html

53. https://www.cccpathwaystoequity.com/
https://visionresourcecenter.cccco.edu/

55. Fred’s 25+ (Now at 43!)
Open-Ended Discussion Prompts
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AnFLJuPeTwOKKb2YyB0-V2wlIbX4xupsOWwmDMZAixs

56. Sources for Non-Routine Problems That Stimulate Discussion
Books
Math Contests Grades 4-6, 7-8 and Algebra, by Conrad & Flegler, Math League Press
Math Contests High School, by Conrad & Flegler, Math League Press
Can You Solve My Problems? By Alex Bellos Math Puzzles Vol. 1, 2 and 3 by Presh Talwalkar
Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All, NCTM
The Scientific American Book of Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions, by Martin Gardner
What Students Abroad Are Expected To Know About Mathematics: Exams from France, Germany and Japan
Empowering Students by Promoting Active Learning in Mathematics, NCTM
Challenging Math Problems, by Terry Stickels
Websites
http://mathforum.org/problems_puzzles_landing.html http://blog.mrmeyer.com
http://cemc.uwaterloo.ca/resources/potw.php http://donsteward.blogspot.co.uk
http://www.mathleague.com https://ed.ted.com http://www.onetwoinfinity.ca
https://www.mathcounts.org/resources/problem-of-the-week
https://www.math.purdue.edu/pow https://mindyourdecisions.com
http://orion.math.iastate.edu/ehjohnst/PoW/PoW.html
http://www.numberphile.com http://www.openmiddle.com
http://www.sixtysymbols.com http://www.estimation180.com
http://mathmistakes.org https://twitter.com/ExploreMTBoS (Math Twitter Blogosphere)
http://www.sciencealert.com https://twitter.com/MathVault
http://www.iflscience.com http://wodb.ca (Which One Doesn’t Belong)
http://www.ted.com http://www.visualpatterns.org
http://www.smartereveryday.com http://mathquest.carroll.edu/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1_uAIS3r8Vu6JjXWvastJg (Mathologer)
Journals
Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, NCTM
Mathematics Teacher, Monthly Calendar Problems, NCTM
Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, Monthly Palette of Problems, NCTM
By Fred Feldon
Coastline College
https://www.screencast.com/
t/I2QXaKYgCyQx

57. The Big Takeaways For Success!
• Maintain rigor
• Don’t drain your time or energy creating content;
use what’s out there
• Offer an abundance of mentoring, flexibility and
compassion; 80/20 Rule
• Pay deliberate attention to the affective domain
• De-emphasize concern about cheating; think about new
ways of assessing
• Add synchronous activities with active learning, student
participation and breakout groups
• Use Sharpies or whiteboards
• Have fun. You got this!

58. The Big Takeaways For Success!
• Maintain rigor
• Don’t drain your time or energy creating content;
use what’s out there
• Offer an abundance of mentoring, flexibility and
compassion; 80/20 Rule
• Pay deliberate attention to the affective domain
• De-emphasize concern about cheating; think about new
ways of assessing
• Add synchronous activities with active learning, student
participation and breakout groups
• Use Sharpies or whiteboards
• Have fun. You got this!
“Encouraging Academic Honesty in STEM through Authentic Assessment,” CVC-OEI, 9/30/21
Jonathan Luque, Saddleback College, https://youtu.be/whoaNY1mlgE

59. Thank You!
ffeldon@coastline.edu