Faculty Inquiry Groups

October 14, 2008

Yu-Chung Chang (Pasadena), “No Longer Lost in Translation: How Yu-Chung Helps Her Students Understand (and Love) Word Problems”

Yu-Chung says:

I started a faculty Inquiry Group (FIG) to investigate why so many math faculty find Intermediate Algebra onerous to teach.

The FIG discovered that…

1. Word problems are hard: Students avoid doing them and teachers struggle with teaching them

2. Too much to cover and too much overlapping review with Beginning Algebra

3. New concepts presented in the last chapters are rushed through and inadequately covered

4. It’s difficult to find time to show students real-word applicability.

Faculty inquiry provides instructors with an opportunity to come together on a regular basis to reflect, discuss, write, and research ways to help them learn how to help their students succeed.

Adapted from Yu-Chung Chang (Pasadena), “No Longer Lost in Translation: How Yu-Chung Helps Her Students Understand (and Love) Word Problems”

Developing Questions, Faculty Inquiry Groups (FIGs) Comments Off