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SHELTON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGETuscaloosa, AlabamaAnnette G. Cook, FellowAMATYC Project ACCCESSCohort 5

Shelton State Community CollegeMartin CampusC.A. Fredd Campuswww.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Higher Education OpportunitiesThe University ofAlabamaStillman CollegeShelton StateCommunity Collegewww.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Tuscaloosa IndustryMercedes BenzUniroyal GoodrichJVC America, Inc.www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

ISSUE/PROBLEM Classes can become too routine ”sameold, same old”. Students and teachers in math classessometimes need something to keep thingsfrom getting too heavy .www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

GOAL Primary Goal: To keep class interesting sothat the students are engaged. Secondary Goal: To help studentsunderstand that math has a lighter side.www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

What does research say? Maslow defines humor and laughter as“education in a palatable form.” “What is learned with laughter is learnedwell.” (Grotjahn) “Laughter frees up and opens pathways tocreativity and discovery.” 4717458.pdfwww.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

What does research say? “Humor forces people’s minds intomodes of thinking that are investigative,seeking, grasping, and filled with osa, Alabama

What does research say? Humor and laughter contribute to“enjoyment, interest, motivation,creativity, a relaxed, open, warmatmosphere, a positive student-teacherrelationship, and reduced tension andanxiety.” ble/4717458.pdfwww.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

What does research say? “Using Humor in the College Classroom toIncrease Teaching Effectiveness in ‘DreadCourses’” http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi m0FCR/is 3 33/ai 62839448/ Dread courses are defined as those inwhich students have a lack of selfconfidence, perceived difficulty withmaterial, or past negative experiences withcontent.www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

What does research say? “Humor is useful in facilitating attentionand motivation (Bandes, 1988; Bryant et al., 1979;Wandersee, 1982) and comprehension.” (Gorham& Christophel, 1990)www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

What does research say? Ice Breaker – Have students share their“Goofiest Moment in a Classroom” List Teacher’s Top Ten Pet Peeves in theClassroom List Student’s Top Ten Pet Peeveswww.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Top Ten ThingsMore Fun than Stats Class6. Having your computer crash on the lastpage of your research paper.7. Listening to bagpipe music.8. Trying to get across the river at 5:00.9. Watching "Barney" for 12 consecutivehours.10. Having your wisdom teeth extracted.www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Top Ten ThingsMore Fun than Stats Class1. Finding a parking spot on campus!2.Being attacked by a roving pack ofRottweilers.3. Waiting in line at fee payment.4. Jogging at noon with a heat index of 112.5. Having your paperwork lost at FinancialAid.www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

To summarize the research “Your sense of humor is one of the mostpowerful tools you have to make certainthat your daily mood and emotional statesupport good health.” Paul E. McGhee, Ph.D.www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

How? Add cartoons, jokes, riddles, and videoclips to lessons. It’s easier than you think.– If using PowerPoint, literally add them to yourpresentation.– If using an overhead projector, copy humor ontotransparency.– If LED projector is available, save to jump driveand share.www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

First Day of Class The following clip is a great way to beginyour semester. Let them know right awaythat using basic math operations is a prerequisite for the course.www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Ma & Pa Kettle Mathhttp://video.google.com/videoplay?docid 4215496701990923822www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Great for an early morning classwww.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

New Math? (a poem)A boy taught a girl arithmetic; he said it washis mission.He kissed her once, he kissed her twice andsaid, "Now that's addition."In silent but sweet satisfaction,She gave the kisses back and said, "Nowthat's aloosa, Alabama

New Math? (a poem)Then he kissed her, and she kissed him,without an explanation.And both together smiled and said, “Nowthat's multiplication."Then her Dad appeared upon the scene andmade a quick decision.He kicked that boy three blocks away andsaid, "That's long division!"www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

“New Math” Definition: The “idea” is whatmatters not the actual calculations.www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

“New Math” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v SXx2VVSWDMo&feature relatedwww.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Got a student who is habitually tardy?Use this one day just after he/she arrives. “ so all you have to do,class, is remember what Ijust said and you’ll haveno problems on the test.”(similar cartoon also available)www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Fractions/Rationals In the middle of a lesson aboutfractions or rational expressions, thefollowing can be shown. It’s alwaysfun to see how long it takes them toget it if they ever do.www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

“Systems” Song—Lyrics by Vicki YoungMelody: "You Are My Sunshine”The other day, dear, as I was graphing,Instead of one line there were two!I was perplexed until I realizedMy teacher would tell me what to do.When you have two lines, it's called a system,And there are three outcomes you'll view:They're parallel lines or they're the same lineOr they cross in one point that is true.www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Before a lesson on rational roots, I show thefollowing video clip as a review. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v pIRb7F7tKEMwww.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Imaginary Numbers Once rational numbers have been taught,the following cartoon can be shown theday after an introduction to imaginarynumbers again to see if they “get it”.www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Catholic School A couple has a son who is strugglingin school, especially in math. Theydecide to enroll him in a catholicschool and see if his grades improve. He comes home everyday, goesstraight to his room to dohomework, and is very serious abouthis school work.www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Catholic School The son brings home his first reportcard from the catholic school and hehas an “A” in MATH! The father is, of course, pleased, butwants to know: "Why are your mathgrades suddenly so good?"www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Catholic School "You know", the son explains, "whenI walked into the classroom the firstday, and I saw that guy on the wall nailedto a plus sign, I knew one thing: Thisplace means business!"www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Roots, Polygons, Integration (one of my all-time favorites!)www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Excuses, excuses www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Modeling Polynomials Goliath, a hypercoaster, opened in 2006 at SixFlags over Georgia. It climbs to a height of 200feet and reaches speeds of nearly 70 mph. It hasover 4,400 feet of steel track. Portions ofGoliath’s tracks can be modeled with apolynomial function. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v ex7CJzmdv8www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Interpreting Graphswww.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Interpreting Graphswww.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Algebra’s Top Ten Mistakes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v dhVTbUrrMNowww.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Another all-time favorite Four friends have been doing really well intheir pre-calculus class: they have beengetting top grades for their homework andon tests. So, when it was time for the final,they decide not to study on the weekendbefore the final, but to drive to a friend'sbirthday party in another city - eventhough the exam was scheduled forMonday morning.www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Another all-time favorite As it happens, they drank too much at the party,and on Monday morning, they are all hung overand oversleep. When they finally arrive oncampus, the exam is already over. They go to the professor's office and offer himan explanation:www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Another all-time favorite "We went to our friend's birthday party, and whenwe were driving back home very early on Mondaymorning, we suddenly had a flat tire. We had nospare, and since we were driving on back roads, ittook hours until we got help."The professor nods sympathetically and says: "Isee that it was not your fault. I will allow you tomake up for the missed exam tomorrow morning."www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Another all-time favorite When they arrive early on Tuesday morning, thestudents are put by the professor in a largelecture hall and are seated so far apart fromeach other that, even if they tried, they had nochance to cheat. The exam booklets are alreadyin place, and confidently, the students startwriting.www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Another all-time favorite The first question - five points out of onehundred - is a simple exercise, and all fourfinish it within ten minutes. As they complete the first problem andturn over the page of the exam booklet,they see the next question:www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Another all-time favorite Problem 2 (95 points out of 100):Which tire went flat?www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Mathmaticious Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v 5enJufDEQ0www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Quadratic Formula Rap http://www.youtube.com/watch?v dBtUetKJzOU&feature relatedwww.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

For Geometry/Trigwww.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

James Blount on Sesame StreetTriangle Song Great in Math for Elementary TeachersClass! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v o2Z6tDSb6c8&NR 1&feature fvwpwww.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

for Trig classwww.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Funky Math Guy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v Qs464DqnPTo&feature relatedwww.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Ever had one of those days You are working a long, hard, problem asan example and you have to concentrate www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

For those golf players www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

In Honor ofValentine’s Day Math Pick Up Lines “You are the solution to my homogeneous system oflinear equations.” Your beauty defies real and complex analysis. "I don't know if you're in my range, but I'd sure like totake you home to my domain." “i Ø when i am not with you.” “Your beauty cannot be spanned by a finite basis ofvectors.” “My love is like an exponential curve; it'swww.sheltonstate.eduunbounded .”Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Top Ten Reasons for Not Turningin an Assignment7. I accidentally divided by zero and my paperburst into flames!8. I was watching the World Series and got tiedup trying to prove that it converged.9. I couldn't figure out whether I am the square ofnegative one or the square root of negative one.10. I could only get arbitrarily close to mytextbook. I couldn't actually reach it.www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama

Top Ten Reasons for Not Turningin an Assignment3. I didn't want the other students in class to lookbad.4. I was abducted by green-skinned, three-eyed,pig-snouted space aliens, and they incineratedmy paper with their death rays.5. Another student fell in a lake and I jumped in torescue him. Unfortunately, my paper drowned.6. I made a paper plane out of it and it gothijacked.www.sheltonstate.eduTuscaloosa, Alabama