Dr. Carolyn Gathright

Tuskegee University Summer Conference

Reflections on My Involvement in TEAM-Math

Dr. Mohammed Qazi

Although I have been active in research for the past 14 years, and will continue to do so as long as I am a faculty member of an institution of higher learning, I have always had a very keen interest in teaching mathematics. For a number of years I have witnessed a large number of students struggle in my mathematics courses. My attempts at helping them would generally result in just enough improvement so that they marginally got by. I hardly ever witnessed any significant improvement in the students’ mathematical skills and critical thinking ability. It was evident to me that a very thorough, well-thought process of systemic change needed to take place.

I was delighted when I got the news, back in November 2002, that a partnership was forming in east Alabama to address the issue of poor mathematics achievement, and that I was one of the faculty members from Tuskegee University who was being sought to serve on the team of Principal Investigators and Senior Personnel. Looking back, I have had several experiences working with TEAM-Math which will likely turn out to be very beneficial for me as a teacher, a mathematician, and a person. I wish to highlight them here.

• Working with and managing a larger group of people : My participation on the Presenter’s Team at the two-week Summer Institute for Cohort I schools held in June 2004, gave me the opportunity to work closely with school teachers, learn about their attitudes and beliefs about teaching mathematics, and convince them that there is a need for a change in the way mathematics is perceived and taught. Also, serving year round as University Liaison to three of the partnership schools has allowed me to build a close professional working relationship with these schools’ Teacher Leaders and gain experience with addressing issues and concerns raised by them and their colleagues.
• Gaining skills in organizing activities and events: TEAM-Math has given me the opportunity to organize special events, such as the TEAM-Math Partnership Summer Conference held at Tuskegee University ’s Kellogg Conference Center, August 27-28, 2004 . The Partnership Conference Committee consisting of TEAM-Math members from Auburn University and Tuskegee University proposed a general theme, speakers, and activities. The three member Tuskegee Team consisting of myself, Dr. Carolyn Gathright and Dr. Herman Windham then took over and organized and coordinated every aspect of the Conference. I learned the broad range of planning that is necessary for such an event to take place. I personally encouraged faculty at institutions in the area to participate in the conference. In the end we managed to bring not only mathematicians and educators to the Conference, but also several engineers, scientists and philosophers. Throughout the planning and organization stages of the Conference we worked together as a cohesive unit, sharing back and giving each other feedback. Our collective efforts produced a very successful Partnership Conference. This is evidenced by the results of the Conference evaluations completed by the participants and the overall enthusiasm that was exhibited by the participants.
  
  I wish to add that I have attended and spoken at various meetings and conferences in the past. However, prior to my participation on TEAM-Math, I had absolutely no experience in helping to organize such events.
• Working together as a team towards a very important mission: I have contributed to my area of research working either individually or jointly with groups of at most two other mathematicians whose interests have always overlapped with mine. TEAM-Math, however, has given me the opportunity to work on committees consisting of people having different areas of expertise. I have worked on teams made up of graduate students, school teachers, educators, mathematicians and also administrators. I had never experienced working with such a diversified group of people prior to my participation on the partnership. This is a very noteworthy part of TEAM-Math as it allows us to pool knowledge, perspectives, view points and expertise from several areas all working together towards the very important mission of improving mathematics education in east Alabama. I must add here that in the beginning I was uneasy working on committees. But as I have gained a more thorough understanding of the various components of TEAM-Math, I feel a certain confidence that I did not have at the start. I am therefore now in a better position to contribute to the various teams. This confidence will only continue to grow with time.
• Gaining knowledge about the area of mathematics education: Until I joined TEAM-Math, I was totally ignorant about mathematics education. By participating in several of the TEAM-Math components I have become aware of the wealth of knowledge this field has to offer. In fact, I have been implementing in the teaching of some of my courses at Tuskegee University many of the strategies that I learnt from my involvement in TEAM-Math. This has engendered additional confidence in myself, and in turn has benefited some of my students.
• Implementing TEAM-Math based teaching strategies at Tuskegee University: During the fall semester 2004, I got the opportunity to pilot a Pre-Calculus Algebra course conducting inquiry based activities in a cooperative learning environment. This was the first time in my career that I have facilitated such a course. It was a drastic change from my usual lecture style of teaching. Until very recently, I would have been very skeptical about the effectiveness of cooperative learning, and would not have implemented it in any of the courses I teach. My participation with TEAM-Math has enlightened me considerably in this respect.

In conclusion, my participation on the TEAM-Math project has allowed me to gain valuable experience that I can carry with me for the rest of my career. It has brought noticeable positive changes in me in the way I perceive the teaching of Mathematics.

I believe that the Tuskegee University’s TEAM-Math participants -- Dr. Carolyn Gathright, Dr. Herman Windham and myself -- have together contributed significantly to its mission and look forward to doing so in the years to come. I wish to add that I have enjoyed working with Drs. Gathright and Windham very much. They are wonderful people to collaborate with and we have mutual respect for each other as colleagues and friends. Finally, I am very grateful to the TEAM-Math Project Director and Co-Director at Auburn University, Drs. W. Gary Martin and Marilyn Strutchens, for their encouragement, guidance and support since the very start. Much like the teachers from the partnership schools, I have had to learn and understand the fundamental ideas involved behind the teaching reform in mathematics which is currently taking place in east-Alabama. Drs. Martin and Strutchens have made this learning process quite manageable and at the same time very enjoyable as well. This is a testimony to their hard work and ability;as effective project leaders and facilitators. I will always cherish my collaboration with them and also with my Tuskegee colleagues, along with the friendships that we have developed.

Reflections on the Role of Tuskegee University in TEAM-Math

Dr. W. Gary Martin, Project Director

In looking back over the past years, I am proud of how the TEAM-Math partnership has developed along so many different dimensions. We have forged a real school-university partnership in which K-12 schools and institutions of higher education pursue common goals, rather than one party dictating to the other what should happen. We have additionally made great strides in the ability of different audiences to hear one another and respect each others' perspectives -- including faculty members in mathematics and in mathematics education.

The partnership that Auburn and Tuskegee Universities has forged, however, holds a special place in all of our hearts. We begin with a degree of uncertainty and perhaps even mistrust, as we were attempting to bring together two very different institutions with different histories and priorities. We soon found that our common commitment to making a difference for students and teachers in our area superceded those doubts. In the beginning people from Auburn University, being the "big fish" in the relationship, would almost forget that our Tuskegee University partners were in the room. But now everyone is very sensitive to the fact that this is a real partnership, and if we at Auburn University revert to our old ways, someone from Auburn (not Tuskegee) will inevitably make sure that we regain our partnership focus.

Personally, I have come to greatly enjoy and appreciate my colleagues from Tuskegee University. They make significant contributions to all of our project activities. They provide a perspective that helps keep the higher education side of the TEAM-Math partnership in focus and in balance. But most of all, I appreciate the relationships that we have developed on a personal and professional level. While our universities have had more or less sucess in partnerships in other disciplines, I think we in mathematics and mathematics education have set the standard for developing a collegial partnership that will stand the test of time. To Drs. Gathright, Qazi, and Windham, I simply say, Thanks for persevering with TEAM-Math despite all the obstacles. Together we are making the vision of better mathematics education in East Alabama a reality!