Mathworks Fellows Program Benefits Undergrads, Teachers, And Young Students

 

                          

 

This semester, 13 Texas State undergrads are devoting a total of 40 hours per week in middle school math classes, gaining early classroom experiences while at the same time providing a boost to the young students with whom they interact.  Over 90% of the undergrads are majoring in Math or Interdisciplinary Studies and will be certified to teach.

 

These 13 “Mathworks Fellows” are part of the larger Mathworks Algebra Program (MAP) in progress at Miller Middle School in San Marcos that involves numerous layers of support.  MAP is a full-scale implementation of the Mathworks curriculum, a series of math textbooks authored by Texas State math professors.  MAP also includes weekly teacher planning meetings, Family Math Nights, and Texas State undergrads serving as “Mathworks Fellows”.  The ultimate goal of the program is to give all young students a solid foundation in algebra before they enter high school, thus giving them access to higher-level math courses. 

 

Studies have shown that the college enrollment rate for first-generation students who had taken any higher-level math courses is almost double the rate compared to those who had not: a striking 64% to 34%.  In addition, students who do not complete Algebra II in high school are far more likely to require developmental math courses in college: 89% compared to only 31% for those who did complete Algebra II.  These development math courses add on to tuition costs and time required to graduate - significant burdens on students.  MAP provides pathways for young students to enroll and succeed in higher-level math classes, thereby increasing college enrollment and graduation rates.

 

These pathways start at the middle school level, and that is where the undergrads play a significant role as mentors, teachers, and role models.  Seven weeks into the semester, the Mathworks Fellows have already brought about positive changes among the middle school students.  Casey Ellis, 7th grade math teacher at Miller, shared an anecdote of having a Texas State undergrad helping out in one of her math classes: "My Math 7 class that my Mathworks Fellow helps in, outperformed my other math 7 class by 30% on their last test.  Having an extra person to help with small groups so that the students who aren't understanding may get one-on-one help has decreased the need for retesting, decreased behavior issues, and has increased learning."

 

Texas State junior Aubrey Borges works as a Mathworks Fellow in 8^th grade math classes at Miller.  A math major with a minor in secondary education, she plans to be certified to teach 8th-12th math.  The early classroom experience she's gained at Miller has already been beneficial to her future career, as she’s been able to work in a classroom before her senior semester of student-teaching.

 

Of her experience Aubrey says, "I chose to join the Mathworks Fellows program to get in some good classroom experience before becoming a teacher myself. I was very interested in what Mathworks was trying to accomplish. After a couple weeks in the program, I am very glad I joined. Being in the classroom has taught me a lot about teaching. I have learned that in mathematics classes, children learn differently. One student may understand the concept right away while another student may need a different explanation or to be taught in a different way, such as visually. I have also learned how to manage a classroom by watching how the teacher disciplines and keeps her students on task; I think this is one of the most important things to know when teaching. I really enjoy the Mathworks curriculum and the way that it is set up. The sequence of the curriculum, I feel, is very helpful to the students and allows for them to get a full understanding of the concepts being taught."

 

Sophomore Rachel Jordan, who is an Interdisciplinary Studies (Education) major with a focus 4^th-8^th grades, also signed up to be a Fellow to gain classroom experience.  She notes of her experience, “The Mathworks curriculum has very innovative ways to help students understand the concepts being taught.  It’s nice to know the whys of mathematics and not just how to solve for the answers.”

 

The Mathworks Algebra Program is a partnership between Mathworks at Texas State, San Marcos CISD, the KDK-Harman Foundation, and the Sid W. Richardson Foundation.