Contributed by Kate Kramer, Instructor of Earth Science & Geology
We’ve all heard it… “I don’t do math” or “math is scary.” But the truth is everyone uses some form of math everyday, and math certainly isn’t scary (zombies are scary). But what can instructors do to help dissolve students' math anxiety? I’ve been working with a program called The Math You Need, When You Need It (TMYN) to help assist students with lacking math skills.
The basic premise of TMYN are web-based modules that help students succeed with mathematics in introductory geoscience classes (don’t teach geoscience? Good news… we are currently working on modules for other science courses, too). Recent studies show that these tools help "level the playing field" by supporting students in learning, reviewing mathematical skills, and reducing math anxiety in geoscience courses.
TMYN provides a direct link between quantitative math skills and the geoscience classroom. I use the modules to support many topics in the laboratory and lecture portions of Physical Geology. We currently apply modules about converting units, rearranging equations, calculating density, understanding graphs, and interpreting slope and topographic lines.
Students have commented on how prepared the modules have made them in the classroom, and the overlapping usefulness of the modules in other courses, such as, “the website is a good review of material I haven’t used in a while” and “I get math now.” My implementation of TMYN has been one of my most successful teaching strategies, as it supports my students with lecture and laboratory quantitative skills.
