Flipping the Math Text
Location
Portland State University, Portland, Oregon
Start Date
5-11-2017 11:25 AM
End Date
5-11-2017 11:50 AM
Description
Currently the extent of technology in math textbooks is limited to static, online e-books with occasional use of interactive software within the homework at the end of a chapter. The e-book is simply a digital version of the traditional textbook, providing only a passive reading experience. A consequence of page-after-page of static content is that students often skip the reading altogether and go directly to the homework. Homework often has interactive components where students attempt to learn through repetition or by “reverse engineering” the solutions. However, the interactive technology used in online homework is at the back-end of the learning process. We have attempted to move that technology to the front-end of the learning process to build an active reading experience. In our book, students complete online activities where they manipulate graphs, interact with tables, read and answer questions while getting immediate feedback from the book at almost every step. Questions and feedback in each activity are provided through WeBWorK, an open-source online homework system, and dynamic graphs are rendered in GeoGebra. Each activity is a guided, interactive, discovery-based approach to the lesson. It is the equivalent of having bumper rails while following a path in the dark. This book is written for today’s student, who may work full-time or have children to care for, all while managing a full load of classes. In our approach, we imagine that student sitting down at the end of the day to do their homework, faced with chapters of math content and no instructor around to help when they get stuck. They wonder, “Am I doing this right?” We believe our book will increase access to learning and will ease the financial burden of attending college as it provides immediate support outside of class and it is cost-free to students.
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/20120
Flipping the Math Text
Portland State University, Portland, Oregon
Currently the extent of technology in math textbooks is limited to static, online e-books with occasional use of interactive software within the homework at the end of a chapter. The e-book is simply a digital version of the traditional textbook, providing only a passive reading experience. A consequence of page-after-page of static content is that students often skip the reading altogether and go directly to the homework. Homework often has interactive components where students attempt to learn through repetition or by “reverse engineering” the solutions. However, the interactive technology used in online homework is at the back-end of the learning process. We have attempted to move that technology to the front-end of the learning process to build an active reading experience. In our book, students complete online activities where they manipulate graphs, interact with tables, read and answer questions while getting immediate feedback from the book at almost every step. Questions and feedback in each activity are provided through WeBWorK, an open-source online homework system, and dynamic graphs are rendered in GeoGebra. Each activity is a guided, interactive, discovery-based approach to the lesson. It is the equivalent of having bumper rails while following a path in the dark. This book is written for today’s student, who may work full-time or have children to care for, all while managing a full load of classes. In our approach, we imagine that student sitting down at the end of the day to do their homework, faced with chapters of math content and no instructor around to help when they get stuck. They wonder, “Am I doing this right?” We believe our book will increase access to learning and will ease the financial burden of attending college as it provides immediate support outside of class and it is cost-free to students.