Math Power; It Counts!

When the team from Loyola Marymount University (LMU) arrives in Alliance math classes, serious work is underway for our math teachers.  “Raising our students’ math scores depends on it,” explains Dave Linzey, the Alliance’s Chief Academic Officer.

Every math teacher in the Alliance is participating in LMU’s Math and Science Teaching (MAST) program, an intensive program designed and taught by the university’s  faculty to improve math and science instruction.

The MAST process includes focused classroom observation, comprehensive dialogue around what is or is not working for students, and demonstration lessons.  The focus throughout the yearlong process is the same. What are the kids doing? “Students should be actively engaged in learning, communicating about mathematics during class,” MAST Director Katherine Clemmer explains. Conversations focus on changing teaching practices in a way that enhances how learning is taking place. “To shift  teaching practices is not easy but Alliance math teachers are up to the challenge,” adds Professor Clemmer.

Teachers and their MAST partners meet at least weekly in the teacher’s classroom. Occasionally, the partners teach the class and underscore strategies such as the seven-minute rule: if you talk to students for more than seven minutes at one time, you’ve lost them.

The MAST program is not a quick fix.  LMU faculty will work with Alliance math teachers for at least two years after which trained Alliance teacher leaders will ensure the continuation of the program. Dave Linzey says that even the earliest signs are encouraging. “Our teachers’ implementation and use of the MAST strategies are observable in almost all of our classes,” he reports.  The MAST program is possible because of the generous donations of the Stuart Foundation, American Honda Foundation, K & F Baxter Family Foundation, and the Jewish Community Foundation.