Join Christine Andrews-Larson for "Aligning *how* we teach with IBL with *why* we teach with IBL"
Abstract: Current research leaves little doubt that student-centered approaches to instruction are related to greater student interest, persistence, and learning gains in STEM fields when compared with more traditional, lecture-based modes of instruction. However, there is incomplete and inconsistent evidence regarding the benefits of various active learning practices for historically marginalized groups of students. While many studies of active learning in STEM have identified improved student outcomes, few disaggregate these outcomes by demographic markers like race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic status. In this talk, I will invite participants to reflect on their personal motivations for implementing IBL and other approaches to active learning in mathematics, as well as their assumptions and evidence about how these choices impact their students. I will then draw discuss available evidence tying instructional practices to student outcomes for various student groups. A core goal of this presentation is to discuss the motivations, affordances, and constraints of practices that are linked to greater variation in student outcomes and experiences. Universal Design for Learning will be briefly discussed as a productive framework that can help instructors design for learner variation.
Bio: Dr. Christine Andrews-Larson is an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education in the College of Education and Department of Mathematics at Florida State University. Dr. Andrews-Larson’s work is broadly structured around three interrelated foci. First, she studies student reasoning and instructional design that leverages that reasoning (e.g., in the context of inquiry-oriented mathematics instruction, particularly in the area of undergraduate linear algebra). Second, she studies supports for instructors to productively elicit and build on student reasoning. Finally, she is interested in exploring the ways in which inquiry-oriented instructional approaches may provide different kinds of learning experiences and outcomes for different groups of students.
SIGMAA IBL hosts workshop series each fall and spring. Each interactive workshop is 50 minutes long. All levels of IBL practitioners (including beginners) are welcome! Please visit our website for more details including abstracts and speaker bios.