1. IMPROVING GRADES, COMPREHENSION and INTEREST in DEVELOPMENTAL MATH COURSES Paola Di Muro - Brandon University NADE 2009

2. Research Results Only 50% of academic achievement depends from students’ IQ. Quality of instruction accounts for 25% of it. The remaining 25% depends on modifiable factors, such as study habits (Bloom, 1976).

3. Direct instruction in learning strategies To acquire and integrate cognitive processing skills, students need guided practice and feedback (Anderson, 1985). Content-area teachers who incorporate strategies for effective learning, actively help improving their students’ self-confidence and achievement level (Weinstein, 1988).

4. What are Learning Strategies? Learning Strategies are “behaviors or thoughts that facilitate learning” (Weinstein & Mayer, 1986). Students acquire knowledge through rote memorization, such as using an acronym. Promoting rote memorization as a single strategy only fosters short-term retention of information.

5. Elaborating and making connections Elaboration strategies use prior knowledge and experiences to connect and make sense of new ideas. Elaboration strategies improve recall, by increasing the student’s depth of processing and by helping the student store new information with related knowledge.

6. Effective methods of instruction Deeper comprehension of the concepts Improved student attitude Growing awareness of effective study strategies, for increased success, interest, and improved results.

7. Planning the course Set clear expectations, communicate goals and evaluation criteria clearly. Involve students since the start, rewarding their efforts with a proportion of marks for weekly lab assignments. Train students in the development of effective study strategies. Assess frequently to eliminate procrastination, ensuring opportunities for assimilation.

8. Teaching the material Link new ideas with prior knowledge, by presenting new concepts as extensions of a familiar idea. Tell why we need the new concept. Vary you instructional methods, creating a receptive learning environment.

9. Providing instruction in learning strategies We can relate what we are trying to learn to what we already know in many ways: Creating analogies, summarizing in our words, creating a chart or diagram, applying the new information, trying to teach the idea to someone else, using compare and contrast methods, drawing conclusions.

10. Math study skills Teach your students how to study for a math test and how to write a math test. Good organization is essential in a math courses. Making a personal “cheat sheet” is beneficial for the understanding of the central concepts and how they relate to each other.

11. Teaching from the student’s viewpoint Warn students about common mistakes and overgeneralizations that cause them. Point out how to distinguish between different questions. Teach them an action method to implement in diverse situations.

12. Encouraging practical learning Assign questions of gradual difficulty, spanning from recall to application to synthesis. Expose students to a variety of questions, stimulating their critical thinking skills and their comprehension. Provide short answers to assist learning.

13. Boosting students’ progress Provide review questions before tests and exams. Offer tutorial sessions where students can improve their understanding and clarify their questions. Organize weekly group peer tutoring sessions to provide the opportunity for continuous support and reinforcement.

14. Questions?