There is a great need to improve math education. As students graduate from one grade to another, problems in math snowball. By the time they graduate high school (if they graduate), many students have barely passed their math requirement. Since their math skills are low, these students are unable to achieve a college degree in a lucrative science or technology subject area. This is tragic, because these are smart kids. If they had been able to master math, then many more opportunities would have been open to them.
I have a particular interest in finding ways to make math more accessible. The traditional way it is taught, from a text book, is very limited. Math text books are notoriously difficult to read. In addition, they often build on prior concepts. So if you misunderstand an earlier concept, you have little chance of mastering later concepts. By applying the techniques I learned in my RED 3333 – Reading Across the Curriculum course, I can now prepare a variety of different study guides that help students learn BEFORE they start a new lesson, DURING the lesson, and AFTER the lesson to ensure they remember important points.
On my mathbandit website, under “Case Study” I demonstrate BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER techniques for learning and teaching math. I hope that students, parents, and teachers find this information to be useful.