Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (March 7, 2012)
Left: Alyssa Rands is eager ¿to learn aboutpolynomials in M ath L I L. You Tube videos a n d other Internet media create a new learning environm ent in a new style o f teaching fo r the class. Right: RJfonda H ull, Clackamas C om m unity College m ath instructor, demonstrates the use o f a graphing calculator w ith an.overhead projector. YouTube class creates sum worshippers By Joshua Dillen Associate News Editor Some students would rather poke out their eyes than endure the lecture portion of a college algebra class» The standard class- m ay-be-the reason 4-bs one of the most hated and feared classes at community colleges. The boring stream of math' rules and graphs that govern functions and lines gets easily replaced by tM 'm m 'e enjoy able thoughts in a student’s head. Who,-wouldn’t find it hard to follow and actually retain enough of the informa tion to_ pass the course? Clackamas ^Com m unity College’s math department has bëeh changing the way Math 111 is taught, to hope fully increase the pass rate rif this required course for many transfer students. ’ Rhonda, Hull, math instructor, has helped to design a new and different approach to teach ing this difficult part of the math curriculum. During her sabbatical two years ago, she worked closely with Carrie Kyser, math department chair, to develop and create an engaging arid fun learning environment to make the class more enjoyable and fun. Hull seerns ‘to be almost exuberant when^ dgicjdbiug ciianeed»iia.b#J6~Gla^s^e^^rq,?Jieal- ly talk about the math, and we really. DO the math in class. I don’t just give the students one long,boring lecture and then hope students ask ques tions' about what they don’t understand,” she said. The: result of the pfdject led to the development of a hybrid class that utilizes the best of both Iriternet learning ahd realcla-ssroom dynamics. - Gone are the expensive text book and long boring lectures. The interactive “e-book” used i s a virtual textbook accessed through the course’s Moodle page to be printed off as the term progresses,:-.This virtual textbook is, an internet gate way tovlessons and pertinent math links which' include YouTube videos and a plethora of other videos and ¿sites that eater to a visual learning style. Lectures have been replaced with groups of like scoring students that work together to complete exercises and’ work on' ^developing skills rather than listening to the drone i i I £ We really talk about the math and we re ally DO the math in class.” Rhonda Hull Math Instructor of a lecture. The same groups work together on pre-exams (a longer version.of each actu al midterm/final) during the class to ensure they are even mOre prepared for the real t^st. ^ f‘Thtere is a post quiz online that must be completed 24 hours after each in class les son. Research has shown this type o f repetition helps stu dents retain what they have learned” said Hull. Kyser described that they m e w a rffle a r^ ^ ^ rra ro tlae...vyj.yT-.aAu-U.em-a-^I?u.ilsruxa.-Lli skills. Most would riot associ*- ate polynomials and functions with YouTube; but that is pre cisely what this class I does. A familiar way of interacting' socially in today’s'wo rid may be key, to teaching math. “People go to YouTube and the Internet- to view music video clips and all kinds of' popular videos,” she said. ‘We’re using a vehicle that is typically used for recreational purposes to help us teach a math class,” said Kyser. Kyser has taught the same class and believes her students enjoyed the new method of learning. She also made i t clear she had trerrieriddus fun teach ing the course'and even some times had to kick students out o f class when it was river. Alyssa Rands ' is pursuing her transfer degree and really enjoys the class» She intends to work in die fashion indus try. She expressed that it Was a lot ofw ork, but she feels she has actually learned about math, rather than just retain ing infprmat jgn. r Fike rlrara Wr orrearm^^ is a c c o m p lis h e d o n y o u r said Rands. “If requires'you to fully understand the concepts, rather than just "absorbing information in-the classroom then exuding it back out onto the test.”1 * Kevin Douglas, student and volunteer at the information desk in Streeter, took the new class last year after not com pleting the traditional college algebracourse. He really feels the new type .of learning set ting helped him to succeed the second time. I “The type of lessons and all the different links really helped, me to get if.'AH the work made it easier, to pass the tests,’’ saidDouglas. “The course does an outstanding -job of teaching you the mate rial and keeping ypu on track.” RULES: Follow them and share the road Continued from Page 2 Rule of the road No. 2: Let people merge! N q W this is the one thing that makes my blood boil on the road: when you need to get right to make an exit- and nobody will touch their brakes or let off theiraccelerator long enough for you to slide into the lane and to your exit without trouble. What is even worse are people who close the space Need your taxes done so you can file your FAFSA forms? Trillium Tax Service Your Mobile Tax Solution Call us at 503-688-9507 or Email us at nancy@trilliumtaxservice.tom We are your mobile tax solution with affordable prices! between them rand the dar in front of them to keep people from merging onto the high way at on ramps or to get to exits. Are you so pathetic that your sense of self-worth can be challenged by letting someone pull in front of you? Everyone .Is* going the same direction and if it weren’t ■ for people who close the gap when it is most important, we could all be going a higher speed. Rule of the road No. 3: D o n t -suddenly speed up because traffic has cleared up a little. | Traffic is stpp and go for a mile or so, but* suddenly it breaks up and starts to flow a little only to be stop arid go again another exit doWn. Do you know why this is? .It is because you can’t keep a pace. You feel the need to catch up with the traffic and make it worse. If traffic is bad and sud denly you are' lucky enough to' be going 30 mph, don’t take that moment to speed up more and more becausesall you do-Is catch up to traffic. Use your little brain for achange. Look ahead. If traffic is still bad half a mile ahead of you, there is-no reason to catcb i'ff Split the difference-. Traffic is going slow ahead of you, don’t go 60 mph and catcb them in 45 seconds. Try going 30 mph, giving traffic a chance to clear up on its own. The less you hit your-brakes, the better traffic will b e . . More than anything just try not to b e ta ’stupid child; remember that sharing is car ing. Take the higher road. If someone is tailgating you, le t them pass. If the person? fin front of you is going the speed limit'; just be happy they aren’t going slower. Give ; yourself time- to - get places without having to speed, but if you get the chance'"to 'speed do it responsibly.-There is never a reason to be going 15' mph over the limit try 5 mph. Go with the flow. You-might1find that if you are just not a total dick on the road, it'will turn ou to be a nicer place for everyone.
