Creating a community of learners to increase student success George Woodbury – College of the Sequoias Email Address: georgew@cos.edu Web Site: georgewoodbury.com

Survey Take just a few minutes to fill out the survey. When you are finished, share one item from your survey with someone else.

Survey – Part 2 Place your surveys in your group’s folder. Write your names and colleges on the front of the folder. Write a name for your group on the front of the folder.

Creating a sense of community Day 1 is the most important day of the semester. Developmental math students have high anxiety and low confidence when they enter our classes.

Day 1 Survey Name: I prefer to be called: Email Address: Phone Number:

Day 1 Survey This is my _______ attempt at Elementary Algebra. I took Prealgebra _______ times. Prealgebra Instructor: Semester: Grade:

Day 1 Survey Why are you taking this class? What are your goals?

Day 1 Survey The three main reasons I will pass this class are … 1. 2. 3. If somehow I do not pass this class, it will most likely be because …

Day 1 Survey This semester I am taking ____ units. This semester I am working ____ hours per week.

Day 1 Survey Something that is distinctive or special about me is … Is there anything else that you think I should know? Do you have any questions for me?

Collecting the Surveys I put students in groups of 4 and have them put their surveys inside a folder, with their names and a Group Name on the front. I read the group names and ask them where they came up with the name? I go over the most likely reasons for failure and discuss strategies for overcoming those issues.

Using the Folders Take roll one group at a time. (It helps to learn their names quickly.) I look through information on their surveys frequently and while I am talking to students.

Using the Folders Have each group introduce themselves to the rest of the class, one group per day. Once each group has introduced themselves, have each student provide a quote of the day.

Why is community important? What can be gained? Students need to feel connected. Are clubs and activities enough to make students feel connected? Students want “approachable” instructors. What does that mean? A comfortable, positive classroom atmosphere can encourage students to give their best effort.

Building Connections My goal is to have students first connect with their group of four. Hopefully they will also develop connections with me, with other groups, and eventually with the mathematics as the semester progresses.

Community Mathematics It’s important that the class understands that learning mathematics is the priority.

Homework/Reading Quizzes Students are assigned homework exercises, and are told that there will be a quiz on these problems the following class meeting. One student will be selected randomly to take the quiz for the entire group. Groups are given 5-10 minutes to discuss the assignment before the person is selected.

During Lecture Interactive lectures are important. Ask a lot of questions – “What should we do next?” Allow for brief group moments during lecture – “Check with your neighbors”. Have groups try problems before you work them out. Ask a group to summarize the previous day’s class session.

During Lecture Assign group presentations, such as solving a problem at the board. Create group study sheets. Create group practice quizzes.

Working Together Outside of Class I encourage my students to work together in our Math Center or computer lab. The Math Center is staffed by math instructors, one full-time staff member, and student tutors. The tutoring is offered on a walk-in basis.

Group Assignments – Mathematicians in History Students create a poster about the life of a prominent mathematician. I provide a list of questions they must address.

Group Assignments – Newsletter Assignment Students explain a certain topic, or how to do a certain type of problem, in a newsletter format.

Group Assignments – Solutions Manual Pages Students work out problems completely, with explanations, as if they were writing a solutions manual. Groups discuss what should be written down. Works well with practice tests.

In Class Group Activities This semester I experimented with … Group Review Sessions Group Portion of Exams Group Exam Warm-up

Web 2.0 Tools To Build a Community of Learners Facebook Twitter Jing/Screencast

What About Distance Learning? Students taking distance learning courses are more likely to get disconnected and disappear. Creating bonds with their classmates may be even more important in this format. How can we create connections?

Strategies for Distance Learning Classes Orientation Form Groups and Give Group Assignments Discussion Boards

Strategies for Distance Learning Classes Send out regular emails with summaries of each section being covered. Send out congratulatory emails. Send out “It’s time to get going” emails.

Using Web 2.0 Tools for Distance Learning Classes Facebook Twitter wiziq.com

Suggested Reading Successful Beginnings for College Teaching Angela Proverita McGlynn (Atwood Publishing) Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace: Effective Strategies for the Online Classroom Paloff & Pratt (Jossey Bass – Wiley)

Contact Information Email: georgew@cos.edu Web Site: georgewoodbury.com Twitter: @georgewoodbury Blog: georgewoodbury.wordpress.com