Curtis Bennett: Thinking Like a Mathematician
SoTL
Process
Questions:
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Conclusion
Curtis began as a faculty member at Bowling Green State University. His career continued and deepened during a year he spent as a guest professor at Michigan State University, and continues in his new environment at Loyola Marymount. One of the most intriguing aspects of his SoTL research is that it is transferrable to any academic setting. Curtis' SoTL process was iterative and reflective. Reflective in the sense that he looked at student evidence to see if his questions were answered. Iterative in the sense that his questions changed and were refined based on the student evidence.
As he considered how to get students to think mathematically, he narrowed his initial question to focus on the impact of the projects on his students' attitudes and skills. He surveyed his students in order to understand changes in their learning over time. After learning some of their perceptions, he became curious about the impact of other aspects of the learning environment. He kept a journal and recorded his perceptions of class discussions and taped office hours.
To have a more thorough understanding of the relative impact of particular aspects of the course on student learning, he next decided to track one student's progress in the course. Through this student's work and interviews, he learned about the influence of group interactions, the project, and in-class discussions.
