SABBATICAL LEAVE APPLICATION
JULIE HARLAND
Nov. 11, 1993
I. FACULTY SABBATICAL LEAVE APPLICATION FORM (ATTACHED)
II. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
According to our Procedures Manual, this project should be classified as non-traditional study.
My primary goal for this sabbatical is to develop material that will facilitate collaborative learning in my Math 105/106 classes. In addition, I will research how collaborative learning can be applied successfully in the teaching of other mathematics courses. This research will include visiting classrooms where collaborative learning is being employed, having discussions with educators who are exploring new possibilities of teaching math through collaborative learning, and collecting material that can be used for courses here at MiraCosta College.
Presently, I am teaching two courses, Math 105 and Math 106, that utilize collaborative learning techniques. These courses are designed for prospective elementary school teachers. My first year at MiraCosta, I taught each course in the traditional manner - i.e., using a lecture format together with a traditional textbook. It became clear to me that this was not the optimal way to teach either course. I had taken the equivalent of both courses as an undergraduate at U.C.S.B. There, we worked in small groups utilizing manipulatives together with the discovery method to learn the mathematical concepts of the course. I wanted to do the same for my own students at MiraCosta because I felt this was a superior pedagogical approach for these courses. Thus, after contacting Julian Weissglass, the professor at U.C.S.B. who wrote the text I used as a student and the one we now use here, I restructured Math 105 and Math 106 to incorporate the collaborative learning approach. I feel proud to have accomplished this change and I find both courses to be very successful. In comparison to other classes I teach, I believe that a higher percentage of students in these courses truly learn the concepts in depth as well as hone their critical thinking skills. Several students have commented to me that for the first time in their mathematics education, they have had to think on their own. They touch, feel, explore, discuss and are directed to discover mathematical concepts with the people in their groups. In my opinion, this is an ideal model for how collaborative learning can work in a mathematics course. I watch critical thinking in action at every class. Because students are not spoon-fed, they have greater retention and understanding of what they learn. In addition, the attrition rate is extremely low. I believe this is due to the support the students receive from one another in the small group setting.
My primary goal for this sabbatical is to create new material for Math 105/106 that will employ the discovery approach and facilitate group learning. Having the right material is crucial if learning is to be done through exploration and investigation. The text we use for Math 105/106 is unique in that it is the only book I have found which incorporates the concepts of collaborative learning as it applies to math. Over the years, I have had many ideas for improving this text which, incidentally, is out of print. So far, instead of taking on the monumental task of writing a new book to fit our needs at MCC, I have supplemented the course with handouts in a more or less piecemeal fashion. This sabbatical will afford me the opportunity to write original, complete and comprehensive chapters for these courses. Although my long-term goal is to write an entire textbook, the material I produce as a result of this sabbatical will be immediately available for use.
Having experienced the success of collaborative learning in Math 105 and Math 106, I now want to research how these kinds of teaching strategies can be applied in some of my other courses, particularly Elementary Algebra. Because of the vast amount of material that needs to be covered in almost all mathematics courses, moving toward a collaborative learning approach presents unique challenges in math. Foremost is that the discovery approach, unless judiciously applied, can significantly retard the pace of the course. This sabbatical would allow me to meet with teachers who are experimenting with the collaborative learning/group discussion approach in algebra, to observe their classes to determine first-hand whether it is effective, and to collect material essential for facilitating learning through exploration and investigation.
III, IV. STATED OBJECTIVES AND DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES
(I've combined items III and IV for the sake of clarity and to avoid repetition. Objectives are listed below by letter and underlined. The related activities are listed by number beneath each objective.)
A. Develop material for classes I teach here at MiraCosta.
(Approximately 75% of my sabbatical will be devoted to these activities.)
1. I will develop and write three complete, comprehensive chapters of original material for Math 105/106. These chapters will include discovery exercises to be done by groups of students in class. For independent reading outside of class, thorough explanations of the mathematics will be included. There will also be problem sets designed for written homework assignments. Solutions will also be provided.
2. I will learn how to integrate word processing and graphics. This will be necessary to ensure that the chapters I create are presented in a professional manner.
B. Research collaborative learning and determine how I can incorporate it into my classes at MiraCosta.
(Approximately 25% of my sabbatical will be devoted to these activities.)
1. I will meet with colleagues to discuss and learn about how collaborative learning is working for those who have taken on the challenge. Specifically, I will meet with Terrie Teegarden and Kathy Kharas at Mesa College, with Peggy Hovde, Donna Doyle, Linda Langley and Beth Smith at Grossmont College, with Perer Georgakis and Jacqueline Fernandez at Santa Barbara City College and with Al Shenk at U.C.S.D.
2. I will visit classrooms where collaborative learning is in action and collect any relevant material that would facilitate group learning in Elementary Algebra.
3. I will attend conferences on the subject if I learn of any relevant to this project.
NOTE: I have made preliminary contact with the above-named instructors. Specific dates and times for visiting with them and observing their classrooms must be determined later because their schedules for the Fall of 1994 are not yet set.
V. CONTRIBUTION TO DISTRICT
A. Both writing professionally and this study will contribute greatly to my own professional and personal development. Collaborative learning is an area that we, as educators, are being asked to look at more seriously. The push to change from traditional lecturing to facilitating learning through group work with exploration and investigation is starting at the elementary level and moving its way up. I am particularly interested in this development because I have seen the tremendous benefits in my own courses where collaborative learning is taking place. I look forward to the challenge of writing material that incorporates the principles of collaborative learning.
B. This study will enhance my work at the college. I will have some new and innovative material for my courses as well as fresh ideas for applying collaborative learning to a wider variety of mathematics courses.
C. This sabbatical leave project will benefit the students directly. Students in a collaborative learning setting tend to think more critically and exhibit a deeper understanding of the underlying mathematical concepts. Most importantly, Math 105/106 students will have new, up-to-date material for class.
D. The study will benefit most of the colleagues in my department as many of them are interested in collaborative learning and I will share my findings with them. Furthermore, I will share with them any material that I collect or develop. I will also offer a workshop or discuss my findings for a flex activity so that colleagues may benefit from my study.
E. This proposal has enough activities to require at least a full semester's worth of time and work. In addition to developing new material, I will be writing chapters which will require learning to integrate word processing and graphics on my computer so that the finished product is presented in a professional manner. I estimate that the project described in this proposal will require at least 576 hours of work which is the equivalent of the time that would be spent on twelve units of graduate work.
F. I believe this study will result in a more innovative teaching style. The need for this new approach is being extensively addressed at conferences and in magazines and journals.
VI. PROCEDURES FOR DOCUMENTATION
I suggest that the following information that corresponds to the objectives and activities listed in this proposal serve as sabbatical documentation.
A. Submit written material (three chapters) that I create and develop.
B. Provide a briefly annotated record of meetings with colleagues and visits to classrooms and/or other activities such as conferences.
C. Provide a statement of educational and professional growth resulting from this sabbatical study.
Brief Description of Sabbatical Leave (Brief Summary)
My primary goal for this sabbatical is to develop material that will facilitate collaborative learning in my Math 105/106 classes. In addition, I will research how collaborative learning can be applied successfully in the teaching of other mathematics courses. This research will include visiting classrooms where collaborative learning is being employed, having discussions with educators who are exploring new possibilities of teaching math through collaborative learning, and collecting material that can be used for courses here at MiraCosta College.
My primary goal for this sabbatical is to develop material that will facilitate collaborative learning in my Math 105/106 classes. In addition, I will research how collaborative learning can be applied successfully in the teaching of other mathematics courses. This research will include visiting classrooms where collaborative learning is being employed, having discussions with educators who are exploring new possibilities of teaching math through collaborative learning, and collecting material that can be used for courses here at MiraCosta College.
My primary goal for this sabbatical is to develop material that will facilitate collaborative learning in my Math 105/106 classes. In addition, I will research how collaborative learning can be applied successfully in the teaching of other mathematics courses. This research will include visiting classrooms where collaborative learning is being employed, having discussions with educators who are exploring new possibilities of teaching math through collaborative learning, and collecting material that can be used for courses here at MiraCosta College.