Blended Learning in Mathematics: Engaging Students

Cami Sawyer

Massey University/NZMS Ed Group

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Ministry of Education

Outline

Expectations

Blended Learning

Planning

Diversity

Readiness

Topics/Videos

Connecting

Feedback

Future

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Expectations? What do you want from this talk?

• Enter in the chat: 3 words/phrases that describe what you are hoping to learn from this talk.

Traditional Classroom

• In class

Information

Transfer

Sense

Making

• Out of class

• Instructor-paced
• synchronous

• self-paced
• asynchronous

Flipped Classroom

• In class

Information

Transfer

Sense

Making

• Out of class

• Instructor-paced
• synchronous

• self-paced
• asynchronous

Blended Learning

• Continuum: Synchronous ------🡪 Asynchronous

Information

Transfer

Sense

Making

• Continuum: Instructor-paced ------🡪 Self-paced

Careful Planning

Information

Transfer

Sense

Making

• Instructor presence
• Student learning activities
• Student interactions
• Assessment

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• Why? What do we want?
• Content mastery
• Self-efficacy
• students belief in their ability to succeed if they try
• Self determination
• growth, autonomy, and sense of community

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Allowing for diversity

• Students are diverse with a wide range of needs and backgrounds

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• Acknowledge this and try to accommodate many of them
• Break down barriers to learning (maths anxiety)
• Provide low barrier communication channels (discord, slack)
• #Confusion Report channel
• #I Need Help channel
• Provide links to extra learning (Mathisfun, Khan academy)
• Make all learning materials available from the beginning so they can work at their own speed.

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Self-efficacy: activity

• 'What is maths (to me)?'
• The openness of this question is to encourage you to think creatively and come up with an original submission that represents what maths means to you and/or how you think about maths.
• Things to think about:
• The media is full of what maths means with regards to science – but what we are after is what mathematics means to you – how you relate to it.
• What purpose does mathematics have in your life? For instance, do you have hobbies or interests where you find connections to mathematics?
• What aspects of mathematics appeal to you – or perhaps don’t?
• 'Original' means that it is your work/your ideas - not a copy from another resource - electronic or otherwise.
• We are open to creative submissions. You may present your ideas in these formats or others: poetry, Power-point presentation, song, short video, short essay (no word limit, but be reasonable), cartoon, skit, . . .
• You are trying to make your key idea stand out. Make this idea have an impression on the viewer, so that they go away with a ‘memorable moment’.

Question adapted from UoA

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Expectations with flexibility

• Clear deadlines and expectations with lots of flexibility
• Weekly quizzes
• UoA study with quizzes before the next lecture

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Breaking down Topics

• Topic: broken into small weekly bits

– to let students know speed & timing

• Intro video
• Topic videos to work through – not just watch

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Humour

Connecting

• Conversational tone in communications
• Newsletters – (bi)weekly
• Emails
• Live Zoom sessions

Growth Mindset

• Quotes added to emails and LMS that encourage a growth mindset

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“I am aware you are interested in how people learn mathematics and I can definitely say that I value the statements of affirmation and the inspirational quotes everywhere, just being in the right frame of mind has such a big impact on how I learn.” student email

Future

• Universities want to encourage/attract more diverse students.
• We want to attract more student who like maths/stats into teaching.
• More online options for parts of or all of degrees.

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NZMS

• The NZ Maths Society Education Group
• Foundational Goal
• All students should experience mathematics and statistics teaching that engenders the development of mathematical problem solving, reasoning, conceptual understanding and fluency, underpinned by confidence and competence in the skills of mathematics and statistics. Teachers and schools need to be given the systematic support and tools to enable this.

https://nzmathsoc.org.nz/?education

• New convenors:

Sione Ma’u & Julia Crawford