This is all great- math with tbl. Suggestion: we have Recently put our biostats course into an On-line series of tutorials with assessments After each on line. Students love this- suggest Putting your advanced assignments in same format! Maybe better than just text. Dean Nothing like iPhoneñ‰õµ On May 9, 2010, at 8:31 PM, Jamie Sneddon <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Hi Mike > > I'm finding using readings successful for my mathematics class. My > first pre-class reading was working through a set necessary > definitions and concepts and constructing their own examples. > Another pre-class reading was a 'popular mathematics' style article > (if that isn't an oxymoron!): http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/pub/group-theory-in-the-bedroom > I've also used the wikipedia page on Dijkstra's algorithm as the > introduction to graph algorithms; we don't need to use the textbook > for readings (although I'm not using a textbook for my course, so I > don't have the option of saying "read sections 1.3 to 1.5"). > > I think perhaps the problem of students not learning mathematics > from books/handouts is that they don't know how to, and don't see > the point - especially if that material will be covered again in a > lecture format. The personal responsibility that TBL fosters by > testing readiness should go some way to showing students the > importance of reading for understanding. The concern that students > won't do the pre-class preparation is widespread; making it clear > that it is a integral part of the course and won't be diluted if > students dislike it should help(?). > > We've had really positive feedback on TBL from the students; it is > working well. It takes more time to develop the assessment tasks and > readings and so forth, but it's a one-off investment which will pay > off next year. > > I would like to try TBL for a larger first year course, and think it > would certainly be possible for Calc I or II. Making the readings > relatively small and focused so you can ask questions in the RAT > which test more than rote learning would be beneficial; so far my > readings are 6 pages or less, but require some thought in the reading. > > (For instance, if I was writing a RAT on differentiation, I would > use the section(s) of the textbook covering tangent & secant lines > only, to really hammer home their importance and relationship to > rates of change and velocity. eg Section 2.6 in Stewart Calculus > (Concepts & Contexts)). > > Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know. > > Cheers, > > Jamie > > > Mike Rosenthal wrote: >> >> Jamie, >> Thank you for your reply. I'm sorry for the delay in responding. I >> made the mistake of sending out my inquiry just before final exams. >> I teach lower level college math (College Algebra through Calculus >> II) and my concern about using TBL is that my students won't/can't >> do the individual pre-class preparation. Students don't seem to be >> able to learn math from reading books/handouts. How has TBL worked >> with your class? Are you consider trying it with Calc I or Calc II? >> Mike >> >> Jamie Sneddon wrote: >>> >>> Hi Mike >>> I'm using TBL to teach a final year combinatorics class; will be >>> interested to see if any other maths TBL users come out of the >>> woodwork. >>> Cheers, >>> Jamie >>> >>> >>> Mike Rosenthal wrote: >>> >>>> Can anyone give me the name of a faculty member who is using >>>> Team-Based Learning to teach math? I am especially interested in >>>> TBL >>>> being used to teach Calculus II and below. >>>> Thanks, >>>> Mike Rosenthal >>>> Florida International University >>>> >>> >>> >> > > -- > > Dr Jamie Sneddon > Undergraduate Advisor > Department of Mathematics > The University of Auckland > Room 305, Building 303 > > [log in to unmask] > > 09 9232121 > Fax 09 3737457 > > Office hours during teaching weeks: > 9:30-10:30 Monday and Wednesday > 2:30-3:30 Thursday > 10:30-11:30 Friday > (and other times you can find me, or by appointment) > > Mail: Mathematics Department > Private Bag 92019 > Auckland Mail Centre > Auckland > New Zealand > > [Information in this email and any attachments is confidential to > the intended recipients and may be legally privileged. If you are > not an intended recipient, do not use, distribute or reproduce this > message or its attachments. If you have received this email in > error, please let me know.]