Math Learning Center: Adrienne Palmer

Adrienne Palmer

Today's post features a Q and A with math guru Adrienne Palmer. Adrienne has been working as an adjunct math instructor at Green River since 1995, and has coordinated the college's Math Learning Center since 2000. Her message to students struggling with math? Take advantage of tutoring services in the Math Learning Center, ask lots of questions, and make a point of going to class EVERY day. Check out our conversation below!

Hi Adrienne. Thanks for joining us on the blog. You coordinate the Math Learning Center, which offers an array of free, math-related services to Green River students. Can you provide a short overview of services?

Adrienne: Probably the most utilized service the Math Learning Center offers is our drop-in peer tutoring. We have both student and community members who value education and offer their time to help out our students.  In addition to the tutoring, students are able to rent calculators for the quarter, and to check out any current math textbook and some solutions manuals for an hour or so. If a student has forgotten their calculator on an exam day, they can borrow one from us while they take their exam.

You've worked as a math instructor at Green River since 1995; as such, you have a solid understanding of what factors contribute to student success. What are some practical steps students can take to be more successful in their math classes?

Adrienne: I always tell my students that if they want to succeed in my math classes, they really need to make a point of going to class every day.  Even missing one day of class will set a student behind.  To become successful in math, you need to go to class EVERY day, listen well and take notes, look over your notes, do the homework problems on the day it is assigned (don’t wait until the day before it’s due – by then you may already have forgotten how to do most of the problems), and don’t be afraid of asking questions.  Once you get familiar enough with the problems, you start realizing that most of math has a pattern to it.  

On a more personal note, what do you like most about teaching math?

Adrienne: I love explaining  math problems to students and seeing that light bulb go off in their heads. It’s very rewarding to have a student make all the connections and see the big picture.  Also, I just love being in  the classroom and sharing my knowledge with them.  I like walking around the room and seeing my students working collaboratively on problems. Being in the classroom gives me an energy boost that takes me through my day. 

The Math Tutoring Center is located in the BI building, rooms 5 and 6. You can find hours of operation and a detailed overview of services by visiting the MLC on the web.

De-Stress Yourself

Stress is a stubborn fact of life, especially if you're a college student.  Exams, papers, and pop quizzes come at us from all directions, testing our limits, testing our sanity.  And then there are the responsibilities we have outside of the classroom that already make life complicated - holding a job, paying the bills, getting the kids to school, tending relationships with family and friends.  On and on it goes.  What is more, many are coping with the realities of losing a job or living at the poverty level.  These are, after all, tough economic times.  Things compound pretty quickly.  It's easy to stress out.

      

While stress is a fact of life, and while people deal with stress in different ways, there are some common steps we can take to minimize its effect on our lives.  Are you stressed?  If so, here are 6 simple coping strategies courtesy of Managed Health Network, Inc.  The following strategies are straightfoward and common-sensical, but their simplicity and effectiveness can't be "stressed" enough.

1.  Lead a balanced life.

Easier said then done, right?  Leading a balanced life is the key to it all.  You're a college student and you have tons of responsibility outside of the classroom, but try to allow time for leisure, hobbies, or family activities.  Find time to clear your head.  Budget some fun into your schedule.

2.  Eat well and try to exercise. 

Another no-brainer but important nonetheless.  Drink more water.  Eat healthy.  Need help buying healthy foods? Apply for Basic Food Assistance at foodhelp.wa.gov.  Try to exercise too.  Don't worry - this doesn't mean you have to train for a marathon.  But look into using the fitness center or the weight room on campus at GRCC (it has open hours for all students and staff most weekdays).  If you can't make time for formal exercise, build more physical activity into your schedule by walking more and using stairs instead of elevators.  Take deep breaths frequently throughout your day.  If possible, don't resort to quick fix coping mechanisms like smoking or heavy drinking. 

3.  Manage your time. 

Make to-do lists and stick to them.  Set priorities.  Formulate small, attainable goals.  Give yourself something to aim at.  Take the big tasks and break them down into smaller bitesize tasks.  Don't cram, plan ahead.

4.  Keep a sense of humor.

It's been established scientifically that laughter is good for you and can even help you deal with stress.  It can be difficult to maintain a sense of humor in stressful situations.  Like balance, this is easier said then done.  But carve out opportunities for laughter maybe by watching a comedy or connecting with friends, whatever allows you to cut loose.

5.  Take a break.

Speaking of cutting loose, take a break.  Working on end without taking a break may seem like a short-term solution, but it isn't sustainable in the long-term and will inevitably lead to burn-out.  Take a day off or a time out. Walk around the block, go on a hike, take a power nap.  Whatever works.

6.  Recognize what you can and can't control.

We all know the familiar chant about accepting what you can't control, finding courage to change the things you can, and having wisdom to know the difference.  This piece of advice is along the same lines and sums up strategies 1 through 5.

Tutoring Resources

Now that the fall quarter is underway, you might be starting to feel the weight (and stress?) of attending class, doing homework, writing papers, and attending study groups. Maybe the work's piling up.  Maybe you're falling behind.  Maybe you need additional help to be successful.  If so, today's blog post is just for you.  Specifically, let's briefly talk about three different free tutoring resources available on the main campus at Green River Community College. 

1.  The Writing Center.  The Writing Center is located in RLC 173, and offers both one-on-one and online tutoring services for students at all stages in the writing process.  Check the Writing Center website for hours of operation and for a more detailed explanation of available services.

2.  The Math Learning Center.  The Math Learning Center is located in SMT 335, and offers help to those who are struggling with math.  In addition to tutoring services, students can also access a variety of free learning resources including math videos, computers, and textbooks.  Check the Math Learning Center website for hours of operation. 

3.  The Tutoring & Resouce Center.  The Tutoring & Resource Center is located on the second floor of Holman Library, and offers tutoring in all subjects except math.   Services are available by appointment or on a walk-in basis.  Check the Tutoring & Resource Center website for hours of operation.

Mind Your Study Habits

In a recent article entitled "Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits," Benedict Carey discusses good study habits.  Specifically, he outlines a handful of effective learning approaches that may improve how much a student learns from studying, and he also cites a variety of cognitive scientists to back up his claims. Some of the approaches outlined by Carey, interestingly enough, contradict conventional wisdom on the subject of retention. 

As a way to kick off the start of the fall quarter at Green River Community College, and in the interest of stimulating more productive study habits, this post will briefly address three of Carey's findings.  Also note, the three study habits discussed below can help anyone, from a fifth grader doing long division to a retiree learning a new language, at least according to Carey.  So let's get started.

Study Habit #1 - Instead of sticking to one study location, simply alternating the room or location where a person studies can improve retention.  This contradicts the conventional practice of finding a specific place - a study room or a quiet corner in the library, for example - and plopping down for hours on end to do school work.  The research on study habits, says Carey, shows that switching up the locale in which one studies can dramatically improve retention.  As Carey writes,

"The brain makes subtle associations between what it is studying and the background sensations it has at the time...regardless of whether those perceptions are conscious.  It colors the terms of the Versailles Treaty with the wasted fluorescent glow of the dorm study room, say; or the elements of the Marshall Plan with the jade-curtain shade of the willow tree in the backyard.  Forcing the brain to make multiple associations with the same material may, in effect, give that information more neural scaffolding."

Study Habit #2 - Spacing out the study of a specific skill or concept, as opposed to cramming / intense immersion, can also improve retention. The spacing approach to studying favors shorter, more frequent study sessions and goes against the common practice of cramming, say, Math, English, Anatomy, or whatever for 8 hours on a Tuesday and then ignoring the subject until next week.  As Carey observes,

"Cognitive scientists do not deny that honest-to-goodness cramming can lead to a better grade on a give exam. But hurriedly jam-packing the brain is akin to speed-packing a cheap suitcase, as most students quickly learn - it holds its new load for awhile, then most everything falls out....When the neural suitcase is packed carefully and gradually, it holds its contents for far far longer.  An hour of study tonight, an hour on the weekend, another session a week from now: such so-called spacing improves later recall, without requiring students to put in more overall study effort."

Study Habit #3 - Studying distinct but related skills or concepts in one sitting, rather than focusing intensely on a single thing, can also improve retention.  This habit, again, contradicts the common practice of studying one, and only one, subject for long stretches of time and then moving on to the next.  Interweaving different subjects allows the brain to pick up on a deeper patterns and leads to more nuanced understandings of a given subject.  As Carey observes,

"Varying the type of material studied in a single sitting - alternating, for example, among vocabulary, reading. and speaking a new language - seems to leave a deeper impression on the brain than does concentrating on just one skill at a time.  Musicians have known this for years, and their practice sessions often include a mix of scales, musical pieces, and rhythmic work. Many athletes, too, routinely mix their workouts with strength, speed, and skill drills."

In sum, change up the locale in which you study. Also, avoid cramming and space out your study of a given subject.  Finally, try interweaving and studying different but related subjects in one sitting. Cognitive science argues that these habits may lead to improved retention and increased academic success. Give them a test drive, see what happens, and make it a great fall quarter!