Integration of Workshop Approaches into the Teaching of Mathematics to a Diverse Student Population: A SUNY Faculty Coalition

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The problems addressed by the proposal are: the lack of participation of students from under-represented groups in mathematics; an unsatisfactory rate of attrition among all students in precalculus and calculus; lack of student understanding and retention of fundamental precalculus/calculus concepts; reluctance of faculty to develop and initiate alternatives to the lecture format of teaching; and lack of effective communication between two and four-year institutions, especially among the faculty on the various campuses. A coalition of thirteen SUNY schools, composed of two and four year colleges, has identified three broad objectives to address these problems: 1) to develop methods for attracting and retaining students from under-represented groups in mathematics; 2) to integrate workshop approaches into the teaching of precalculus and calculus to a diverse student population and, 3) to put in place a structure for continued faculty and curriculum development across the SUNY system. The coalition, with the help of consultants, will work cooperatively in a faculty enhancement workshop to develop methods, strategies, and materials that will be implemented in Fall 1995 to begin addressing the above stated problems. Specifically Treisman type student workshops, based on academic excellence rather than remediation, will be planned to engage students in problem solving and problem posing experiences in a cooperative learning environment that makes significant use of technology. The basic themes of the highly successful Treisman workshops will be tailored to meet SUNY's unique needs. The student workshops will provide peer interaction and a sense of community that is invitational, one that welcomes our students, especially those from under-represented groups, to mathematics and its challenges. The first year coalition members and their campuses are committed to pilot programs in the Fall of 1995. The second year program is aimed at getting pilot programs at fourteen more campuses. Eventually the coalition, with the help of the SUNY Central Administration, will effect systemic change in the way precalculus and calculus is taught.