College of Education hosted Math Day for Stripling Middle School

Fort Worth, TX

3/5/2008

TCU’s College of Education, through the Andrews Institute for Mathematics, Sciences & Technology Education, hosted 23 seventh-grade students from Stripling Middle School for a Math Day on Feb. 13. The Math Day activity came about as a unique opportunity when the principal discovered that some of the students needed math coaching for the upcoming TAKS tests. The activity would help enrich the students’ measuring abilities in mathematics.

TCU has worked with Stripling Middle School for the past two years through TCU’s Math Methods class. Through the class, TCU students have modeled a classroom and conducted observations on the Stripling campus. This relationship led to Stripling’s request for math education support from TCU.

TCU students came up with the lesson plans on measurement and conducted the sessions under the guidance of education professors Cynthia Williams and Molly Weinburgh. The six groups of four or five middle school students, along with a teacher from Stripling, rotated through 40-minute sessions in various Education Complex classrooms. The students were also treated to lunch before returning to their campus.

“The experience was great because it gave me the opportunity to work closely with students struggling with a particular objective from TAKS (Measurement),” said middle school education major Jennifer Walker. “There will certainly be these kinds of students in my own class someday, so it was nice to be able to try out new methods to help them grasp more challenging concepts.”

Jennifer, who is also doing the 3-2 program to get her master’s degree in middle school education, learned that the students loved having different options in the various objects she provided to find the mass of. The students found things that they liked or could relate to and then chose to measure those items first.

“It really comes down to students feeling like they're the ones making the decisions in their own learning,” she continued. “When they feel like they're in control, they respond better to lessons. It was great to feel like I helped them better understand a concept that I knew they needed to know for the TAKS test, yet it was still fun and educational.”

“This was a one-time activity that Stripling students needed for help with their math skills,” said Molly Weinburgh, education professor and Director of the Andrews Institute for Mathematics, Science & Technology Education. “It was a win-win situation. Through the Andrews Institute’s expertise, along with our students, we were able to provide this support.”

“In addition, due to the program’s success, we’ve been contacted by other school districts seeking similar math support and coaching,” continued Weinburgh. “Because of current scheduling constraints, we aren’t able to conduct additional sessions at this time, but maybe down the road we can help other campuses too.”