Getting past paralysis by analysis

I've been thinking a lot lately about why some causes or initiatives take flight and others stay in the theoretical stage.  Basically, I think it comes down to the amount of talking and composition of the conversations.

Yes, talking. 

Like most academics, I've sat on more than my fair share of committees and task forces with a goal or charge.  Some did some things; others did nothing.  All of them had meetings.  Nothing like death by committee to give life to a dream...  Most of these groups produce something on paper.  But none of these activities constitute change.  Why is that?

Because change is about attitudes and behaviors.  It's not about words on a page or philosophy necessarily.  Change starts with talking but it ends with action.  Unfortunately, so many good ideas die in the talking phase; everyone wants to talk about what should be done, what could be done if there were more money/time/concern, what would have happened if .... you get the picture.  Well meaning people and ideas get lost in this paralysis by analysis.

I've been a part of some successful initiatives and in each one someone, at some point, said, "we may disagree and we may not have it perfect to start but we will start.  We will do something and if it fails, then we know what we need to do different.  But we will never know until we try."  In other words, we committed to doing something instead of talking about doing something.

Easy to say and hard to do.  But really it comes down to starting.  And then continuing.

So how does it work?  Here's a glimpse at my approach.  It's but one and not the only way but it's worked for me.

When I start a project, I do copious amounts of research all the time, whenever I can fit it in.  My husband can attest that I've been guilty of reading a research article between innings of little league games.  After reading, making notes, processing, synthesizing, and analyzing, it's time to do something.  And it may not work.  I've had some great successes and some pointed failures.  But regardless, I make a plan, outline all the things needed to bring that plan to life, and then complete them one by one.

As that process continues, I'm constantly asking for advice, opinions, comments, whatever input I can get to improve the product and include others, giving them ownership.  Review and revise.  Review and revise. 

The next step is knowing human nature.  All of us are resistant to change.  It's just that some are more resistant than others.  Most faculty can absorb change if they have or get the following:

1.  Plenty of time to get acclimated

Plan for your rollout and educate long before the rollout starts.  People need to time to understand and accept what's coming. 

2.  A way to give input with confidence that the concerns are respected and addressed

Faculty sometimes have petty reasons for objecting to a change but more often than not, their concerns are valid.  Regardless, value them and listen.  Compromise when you can but not to the point of changing the vision.  Because we are all human, sometimes we object because we just don't want to do something different even if it will work.  The big picture must be kept in mind otherwise the small things will cloud the process.

3.  All resources and then some

Someone is going to have do the work and get the needed resources, training, what have you so that faculty can see what the change will entail and have what they need to make it so.

Example:  Years ago our geometry course wasn't working.  So we suggested each person write their own notes packet, develop their own activites, etc.  Guess what?  Most didn't.  Sometimes people dkidn't know how and other times, they didn't have the time even if they did have the expertise.  Either way, it didn't matter because the changes didn't happen across the board.  They were just hit or miss.

Now we give instructors the students notes and activities, an instructor guide with everything in it, and an online course completely set up.  They'll add and adjust but at least they have a base to get them started so that they can take it to the level they want.

The last step is looking back.  Did it work?  Is it working?  Does it make sense?  Any math people noticing my approach is a lot like Polya's 4 steps to problem solving?  Understand the problem (i.e., research), make a plan, carry out the plan, and look back.  Fix things, adjust, don't stay in the new status quo. 

We've made a tremendous amount of changes to our developmental program and the pass rates are up 20 percentage points or more.  That doesn't mean the problem is solved.  The program is a bear to manage and maintain.  It's hard to scale up and down.  Our flow chart looks like an instrument of torture.  I'm not looking to make any more broad changes but I'm tweaking behind the scenes to make the experience better for everyone involved, including me.


This approach is not a magic bullet or simple but it does work.  From what I've gathered, it's easy to talk and hard to act.  But the reality is that the talking phase has to be just a phase and not a life sentence for change to occur.

21st Century Expectations

I'm not sure if it's 13 years of teaching, general crankiness, or what but I'm finding the expectations of my students to be, shall we say, off.  In an effort to ward off potential problems, I try to explain my expectations at the beginning of the semester.  Like most instructors, I go through the syllabus and explain the general structure of my course.  And, that's boring.  And not effective.  So, I'm considering the following activity on day 1 of the semester along with a syllabus scavenger hunt as described below. 

Syllabus scavenger hunt

Heather Foes, Rock Valley College

1.  On the first day, have students form groups of 2 or 3 students. 
2.  Instruct students to write down 5 things their group wants to know about the course.
3.  Distribute the syllabus.
4.  Students should scavenge the syllabus for the answers to their questions, discussing their findings with their group.
5.  Reconvene as a class.
6.  Ask each a group for a question they had and the answer they found.

21st Century Expectations, aka, Welcome to College

Kathleen Almy

Post the following the blunt truisms about college.

1. The world does not revolve around you.

2. Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.

3. If you're working xx hours a week and plan to use that as an excuse, go to work instead of college.

4. There is no safety net in this class, in college, or life.

5. Your printer will run out of ink the morning your paper is due so consider printing it the day before.

6. We do carry on class even without your presence so think twice about asking, "did you do anything while I was gone?"

7. The responsibility for finding out course, program, and degree requirements falls on you. The sooner you learn that, the quicker you'll get out of here with a degree.

8. College is about delayed gratification. If you're looking for instant satisfaction, you're in the wrong place.

9. There are much less expensive and easier places to text than my class. Find one.

10. Your mother lied; you're not special.

Have a whole class discussion on their reactions to these.  Some students will undoubtedly not believe them or be offended.  That's ok; no one ever said the truth was a kind pill to swallow. 

Assignment:  write a paragraph of what they think of these statements and how they can use these facts of college to have a successful semester.

If you have suggestions or comments, please share.  I'm game for any way to improve these ideas.

Geometry? Check!

Problem:  Illinois requires Geometry prior to taking college level math.  Since we're one of the four states in the country with this issue, there are virtually no books to choose from and certainly no online courses for use.  Many schools use high school texts but there are multiple problems with them (pacing, distracting pictures, level of content, etc.).  We need something written for an adult student who's not trying to repeat high school.  It needs to have the right balance of theory and practice and be paced for a semester length 3 or 4 credit hour course.  It also needs to take into account the small amount of time we have in class, time that's best not spent copying definitions and theorems.

Solution:  See below.  Both are being published by Pearson Custom currently.  In addition to the student toolkit and instructor manual is an online MathXL course with homework for each lesson as well as a cumulative course review.

Beyond developmental geometry, these books can also be used for Geometry for Elementary Teachers classes because the focus is active learning and understanding geometry.  Students are a part of the development of the theorems and formulas used. 

To see samples, click here:   student toolkit sample chapter 
instructor's resource manual sampler.

If you have questions or would like a copy, let me know.  My rep will be happy to share.

 Product descriptions:

Geometry: A Toolkit for Success

This toolkit provides your students all the resources they need to be successful in geometry. Each class period is composed of problem solving and critical thinking from a geometric perspective. Most pages feature a helpful 2 column format with guided notes on one side and examples and problems on the other. Two column proofs are included; however, the instructional focus is on reasoning and applying geometric principles. Active learning, measurement, and hands on methods are featured throughout.

MathXL assignments accompany nearly every section. For certain concepts, a page in the toolkit is available to use for homework.

While any geometry textbook can be used as a reference, the book has been written to reference Geometry: Fundamental Concepts and Applications by Alan Bass, Pearson Publishing.

Student resource pages include:

• 3 hole punched pages for use in a binder
• Guided class notes
        o Worksheets for each class period with activities, theorems, problems, and definitions
• Perforated cardstock flash cards for 240 geometry definitions
• List of key theorems and formulas
• List of key geometry notation


An instructor resource manual accompanies the toolkit and includes the following:

• Annotated worksheets with answers to accompany student worksheets
• Pacing guides
• MathXL master course with assignments for each section
• Sample tests
• Notes from the class test to assist all instructors including those new to teaching geometry and adjunct instructors

ISBN for Toolkit: 0558779948


ISBN for bundle (Toolkit, Bass book, MathXL code): 9780558677527

Consider Singapore and KISS

Sounds like an ad for Singapore's tourism ministry, eh?

Singapore's math methods are my latest interest for a couple of reasons:

1.  They're simple

2.  They make sense

3.  They work

Singapore has a very comprehensive way of looking at math education as illustrated by their pentagonal framework graphic below.  This graphic is courtesy of a detailed article on their approach Problem Solving in Singapore.

The U.S. isn't the only country to be unhappy with its math scores and try to make efforts to change that.  Singapore did exactly that to much greater success than we can for many reasons.  With a centralized education system that's small and has designated leaders, they can do more in terms of continuity.  We may not be able to do that but we can learn from their techniques, which are wonderful in their simplicity and clarity.  For example, they have a well balanced focus (not just procedural skills).  They consider the role of attitude and metacognition in learning.  Plus, they regularly give students non-routine problems and the resources to solve them.  Their approach isn't a magic bullet but it's certainly something to consider.

This is one of the single best articles I've read that will give you a taste of their method and how it can work:  Singapore Math:  Simple or Complex?  In it, you can see an example of their bar model method.  It's a terrific visual that boils the problem down into something a student can see clearly.  But more than that, the operations needed to complete the problem can be seen.  Want to take 3/5 of 40 but have no idea how to do that because you can't remember the rule?  That's no longer an issue because they're not teaching rules; they're teaching understanding.  Since many students learn by doing and seeing, their method takes an abstract subject like mathematics, especially algebra, and makes it concrete.

I've ordered some of their textbooks since they're available in the U.S. and some schools and homeschoolers are trying them.  Deceptively simplistic looking and small, they pack a punch.  My main critique would be the contrived nature of the problems but that's probably one of the few weaknesses.  For K-5, that's not really the worst thing anyway.  Kids at that age aren't so jaded about math and don't expect everything to be realistic.

A refreshing, simple, and effective way to approach math.  I guess the old K.I.S.S. method really does work after all.  Keep it simple and all.

A look at mathematics education courtesy of Dan Meyer

While I'm knee deep in geometry instructor manual writing, here is something to get you thinking about not only what's currently wrong in math education but what can be done to fix it.  Plus, he's funny!  What's not to like?

Band-aids and crutches

One of the reasons I started this blog was to have a "holding cell" for presentations and the documents distributed at them.  I've started storing some at the left such as our developmental math manual (the bible for our program), a description of our program model, and a presentation I gave at our state IMACC conference this spring.

I'm really proud of our developmental math program redesign and the fact that we went from a chaotic mess to an organized unit in less than 3 years.  In that timeframe, our pass rates jumped from 48% on average to over 65% and higher, depending on the course.  Because of the amount of changes and the outcomes achieved in a short period of time, I get requests to learn how we did it.  I'm happy to share the details both in print and in person since words on a page can't adequately convey all that happened to make these changes a reality.

Yay us!! 

Well, not exactly.

Our school has done a great job....at getting students through algebra.  I have no bones about the truth.  We're not curing cancer here; we're getting them to pass algebra.  For those of us who teach it, that's no easy feat, hence the sharing of knowledge to help others do the same.

But should they be taking so much algebra?  Well now, that's a whole other question.  Answering that question and the efforts to make changes associated will also be documented here because that's what I'm working on right now and honestly, that's where my heart lies.  My students regularly tell me I'm a rebel, that I'm bucking the system.  And here's a little secret:  they like that.  It gets me into hot water occasionally but life's too short to sit in cold water or something like that...

Point?  Sometimes you need band-aids and sometimes you need crutches.  We've developed some pretty successful band-aids that will help a lot of schools until the larger problem, the one that needs crutches, is fixed.  That looming problem?  Are we teaching the right content to the right students?  I would argue no.  However, I want to be a part of the solution, not just the argument.  I like making things "right", fixing stuff, solving problems.  It's why math is so fun to me but it's also why these endeavors are so much fun too.  And things are fixable.  We complain a lot in education and blame everyone below us because it's easier and solving problems is just plain hard work.  But as a recovering Pollyanna, I do think a lot of hard work will get us to a solution.

So until we've got the Almy/Foes version of mathematical crutches, we've got band-aids for you in various shapes and sizes.  The dispensary is at the left.  If you'd like a personal consultation with the nurse, well, that can be arranged too.

Back to the trenches...

Trenches?  We don't need no stinking trenches! 

Yep, bad puns and lots of wasting time.  That's what you get when you don't want to finish a project that must be done ASAP.  So, after lovely fireworks, food, and friends last night, I'm back to the drawing board, well Microsoft Word, and finishing the geometry project today.  The book, Geometry:  A Toolkit for Success, is being printed now at Pearson custom for use at RVC in a month.  The online MathXL course that goes with it is 99% done so that's task #1 today to finish.  Task #2:  the instructor resource manual.  All the solutions and notes from each lesson need to be added to help instructors as use the toolkit. 

So instead of complaining about such a good problem to have, I will commence working.  Off to the land of Euclid and Archimedes...good times...good times...