Notes for PFMF, September 26^th

(prepared by Ashwini Kelkar)

We visited the Scottsdale Community College, to find out the teaching methods adopted there, and explore the possibilty of working with their faculty on various projects. We were very warmly greeted with their faculty members.

Among the ideas they had for projects, included observing the effect of taking the video-camera of the classes conducted. For college algebra, they recognized the need of having a Lab, which focussed only on learning the algebra-skills. Effectively teaching a College-Algebra class appears to be a bigger challenge than teaching a higher level course

and requires more effort.

Their main objective is to make the teaching methodology most effective, and there were many comparisons made of a student in SCC, vis-a-vis, a student in ASU. Their student-to-teacher ratio is kept to about 35, so that intearctions are the best. Their tutoring centre, (which is where we got together!) is large and spacious and equipped with lot of facilities. Sometimes, senior students are also encouraged to tutoring previous courses, with the view of exposing them to a teaching career.

Their faculty has quite a few opportunities on working on a Math-Education project and reasearch on Classroom activities.

There is also an opportunity to work on Matlab, especially on animations, which tries to generate more interest among students. Mark Burtch is currently working on a project with a professor in SanDiego State University on Lorentz curves and is willing to work with a student on that.

After sharing these ideas with us, they were open to questions, which concerned the hiring and interviewing process. The proceedure has changed, and now the process is de-centralized, with each Community college taking their own interviews. They typically place an advertisement whenever there is a requirement, and the new teachers are given a chance to teach any particular course that they wish to, without any set order based on seniority.

We were then given a tour of their department, their faculty offices and the classrooms. And they were certainly very well equipped with ample white-boards, overhead projectors, and computers. (and motivational articles on the board!)