Unit+Plan

Unit Plan flat =**Project title**= =Mastering Math Mayhem =

=Educational goals and a statement of rationale for the goals=

Goal
The goal of this project is to create a math wiki for incoming online Algebra students who are in need of remediation for fractions. All instructional materials and resources will be online.

The project seeks to design a resource for online math students to better prepare them for MAT 116, Algebra 1a.

Rationale
MAT 116 is the first math course students need to complete in their Associate programs at the University of Phoenix. There is no math entrance exam or skills test. Regardless of level or ability, all students are required to start in this course. At one point the university offered MAT 115, a non-credit remedial course, to help students prepare for MAT 116. The university has discontinued this course leaving MAT 116 as the beginner course.

The university caters to a large adult population of students representing all ages with varying abilities and skills. Students who do not possess prerequisite math skills tend to struggle in MAT 116 and either drop out of it or end the course with a poor grade. Students can get easily frustrated with the content during the first week in the course. This project serves as a first step in providing the students a resource to remediate basic math skills involving fractions.

=Description of learners= Learners will be enrolled in an Associate-level Algebra 1a course and participation is on a voluntary basis. Participants are familiar with online education, learning management systems, and using online resources since math enrollment is towards the end of their programs of study. The course is primarily taken towards the end of the program of study, so students have success working online. Motivation stems from the students' desire to learn the necessary prerequisite skills for their Algebra course and pass the class. They have acquired a certain level of self-direction and are capable of working at their own pace and on their own schedule.

Students who feel they are not math competent often posses a poor attitude at the start of the course and may alert the instructor about their actual or perceived lack of knowledge. The majority of the students have not taken an online math course and are familiar with traditional instruction. They often question how they are expected to learn math online. There is a range of learning preferences including auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Given the nature of the subject, most students report that they like to see the math presented or have it explained to them.

There is a wide range of learners in terms of age, race, and background knowledge. Their ages can range from 18-75 and there is a mixture of different races. Most students are adults returning to school later in life and therefore have not had a math course in decades. On the other hand, the classes do have new high school graduates who have taken a recent math course so the background knowledge of the students varies greatly. Moreover, older students were not required to take Algebra in school and are being exposed to it for the first time. Because they are adult online learners, they have outside obligations such as work and family. They have to balance their time to include these outside priorities as well as their schoolwork.

=Instructional objectives= Upon completion of this review, the learner will be able to successfully apply their knowledge in order to add, subtract, multiply, and divide fraction problems under a variety of conditions.

Prior to computing problems, the learner will: Successfully recognize a problem containing fractions Accurately identify the four types of operations: add, subtract, multiply, and divide Accurately recognize the location of the numerator and denominator Accurately recognize like and unlike denominators Produce equivalent fractions using the least common denominator (LCD) Simplify a fraction to lowest terms Successfully identify the following terms: numerator, denominator, unlike denominators, like denominators, reciprocal, lowest terms, and least common denominator *Objective will be met by achieving a score of 80% or higher.
 * Objective 1: ** Develop background knowledge: recognize and identify terms and parts of a fraction

Given a problem containing the multiplication of two fractions, the learner will: Successfully recognize the correct operation to solve the problem Multiply the numerators and denominators appropriately Demonstrate how to reduce the final answer to lowest terms *Objective will be met by achieving a score of 80% or higher.
 * Objective 2: ** Compute problems containing the multiplication of fractions

Given a problem containing the division of two fractions, the learner will: Successfully recognize the correct operation to solve the problem Correctly apply the reciprocal to the second fraction Multiply the numerators and denominators appropriately Demonstrate how to reduce the final answer to lowest terms *Objective will be met by achieving a score of 80% or higher.
 * Objective 3: ** Compute problems containing the division of fractions

Given a problem containing the addition of two fractions, the learner will: Successfully recognize the correct operation to solve the problem Accurately determine if the fractions have the same denominator Successfully add fractions with the same denominator Create equivalent fractions using the least common denominator (LCD) Demonstrate the appropriate method to add fractions with different denominators Demonstrate how to reduce the final answer to lowest terms *Objective will be met by achieving a score of 80% or higher.
 * Objective 4: ** Compute problems containing the addition of fractions

Given a problem containing the subtraction of two fractions, the learner will: Successfully recognize the correct operation to solve the problem Accurately determine if the fractions have the same denominator Successfully subtract fractions with the same denominator Create equivalent fractions using the least common denominator (LCD) Demonstrate the appropriate method to subtract fractions with different denominators Demonstrate how to reduce the final answer to lowest terms *Objective will be met by achieving a score of 80% or higher.
 * Objective 5: ** Compute problems containing the subtraction of fractions

=Performance measures=

Pre-instruction
As this is a supplement to the wiki, students in this module can to go to [] to do a self-assessment of their skills or they can complete the pretest posted in the wiki. If they choose to share their scores with the instructor, the instructor can assist with setting up specific learning objectives for that student. All students will begin with an overview of the course goals and objectives. The course will be interactive with links to outside references and resources including Khan Academy and School Tube. Students will be encouraged to explore on their own with the role of the Algebra instructor acting as a guide through their learning experience (Chizmar & Walber, 1999, Conrad & Donaldson, 2004). Stigler, Givven, and Thompson (2010) noted that community college students often struggle with mathematic procedures, so this course will be organized in a manner which includes context and procedures for solving problems. A wiki will be used to host all the discussion postings. Students can also use the online resources to take advantage of the opportunity to create study groups (Ko & Rossen, 2004).

Researchers have reported that students can experience a decline in mathematics performance due to feelings of shame or guilt associated with math anxiety (Ma, 1999). These negative feelings have been shown to indirectly affect students' math performance (Hembree, 1990; Ma, 1999; Richardson & Suinn, 1972). //Mastering Math Mayhem// will include ways to help alleviate math anxiety by making students aware of the symptoms, offering suggestions for handling negative feelings and providing an opportunity for students to discuss their experiences openly. Students will be asked to read the information at [] and[] then post on the wiki any thoughts, suggestions, or questions they have. The prompt will ask “Did you read about a technique that might help if you begin to have symptoms of math anxiety? Can you think of other techniques you have previously used that might help your fellow students? Are there other issues that were not addressed? Be honest, your postings and questions can also help others.”

The students will then be asked to visit [],[] and []. They can also listen to the Math Guy in his interview with NPR entitled // To Make Algebra Fun, Rethink The Problem // [] or go to // Math Can be Fun // at[] and try some of the episodes. Then they will be asked to post their thoughts based on the prompt “Can you see how math can benefit you today and in the future? Can you think of some ways you use math on a regular basis?” It will be noted that these postings are not just for the benefit of the individual student, but to help their classmates.

Here is a sample page from the wiki:


Students can practice each objective at [|www.ixl.com]. This interactive site gives students automatic feedback on their progression. Students will attempt math problems and enter their answers into the textbox followed by clicking on "Submit." Below is a sample problem that students would encounter during this module: Upon completion of the problem, students will receive automatic feedback on how they did, as seen below:

If students would like to see an explanation on how to do the problem correctly, they can click on "Explanation" for more assistance. The image below is a sample explanation for the problem above: Each activity will be directly related to the objective for that particular lesson. The activities will take on the same form and the feedback will be provided in the same format for each.

Post-instruction
Students can take the post-test to evaluate their fraction skills and send it to their instructor. Three forums are set up for students to use including question, forum response 1, and forum response 2. Both forum response pages ask questions about a variety of math topics.

=Strategies and materials=

The strategies and materials were consistent across all objectives. It was set up this way to lesson confusion from one objective to the next in addition to creating a user friendly site.

Sequencing: // Simple to Complex //

Concepts and problem difficulty will proceed from simple to complex. Students will be introduced to the basics of fractions before working on problems. They will need to identify the parts, operations, and terms relating to the computation of fractions. After the first objective, the multiplication of fractions will be the first operation presented because it is the easiest to learn and involves the least amount of steps. The division of fractions will be presented next as it extends on the prior skill of multiplying fractions by adding an additional step. Adding and subtracting, respectively, will be the last two objectives in the lesson since they require more steps and added procedures than the preceding two operations.

Prescriptions for objectives:

Facts- The definitions, rules, operations, and parts of the fraction will be presented in both written and visual form.

Rules- The RULEG approach will be applied by which the rule(s) will be presented followed by examples (Morrison, Ross, Kalman, & Kemp, 2011).

Procedures- First, the steps for solving a problem will be presented in detail. A worked example is one method for teaching math concepts (Morrison, et al., 2001). Next, examples with completed steps followed by examples with partially filled in steps will be presented. Learners need scaffolding in order to complete complex tasks. Examples of complete problems is one way to provide students with the help they need (Cercone, 2008). Worked examples with faded prompts are effective in learning procedural steps (Morrison, et al., 2011). Finally, the student will demonstrate mastery by completing all of the steps on their own. The student is tasked with recalling the necessary steps and applies those steps in solving a problem.

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=References= Cercone, K. (2008). Characteristics of adult learners with implications for online learning design. //AACE Journal, 16//(2), 137-159.

Chizmar, J.F. & Walber, M.S. (1999). Web-based learning environments guided by principles of good teaching practice. //Journal of Economic Education //, //30 //(3), 248-259. Retrieved from []

Conrad, R-M. & Donaldson, J. A. (2004). //Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction.// San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Hembree, R. (1990). The nature, effects, and relief of mathematics anxiety. //Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 21 //, 33-46.

Ko, S. & Rossen, S. (2004). //Teaching online: A practical guide //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Ma, X. (1999). A meta-analysis of the relationship between anxiety toward mathematics and achievement in mathematics. //Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 30//(5), 520-540.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (2011). //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Designing Effective Instruction //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, 6th ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Richardson, F. C. & Suinn, R. M. (1972). The mathematics anxiety rating scale: Psychometric data//. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 19//(6), 551-554.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Stigler, J.W., Givven, K. B. & Thompson, B. J. (2010). What community college developmental mathematics students understand about mathematics. //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">MathAMATYC Educator, 1 //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(3), 4-16. Retrieved from[]