Why RMETYC? 2015 Working Group Report and random thoughts...

Okay, I confess, I am a one of those people who loves to read and share quotes that I find inspirational. These quotes are part of an ongoing conversation I have with myself to keep on, keepin’ on.  For my younger friends and colleagues, this expression did not originate with Joe Dirt. I was aware of the expression in my coming of age years of the late 60’s and early 70’s. In that vein, recently I stumbled across the following quote.

“In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” This quote is attributed to German theologian, philosopher, and physician Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965).

For many these are demoralizing times in two-year college education. This is especially true in my home state of Tennessee, where what happens in our classrooms has been seriously impacted by top-down policies influenced by outside education “reformers” with very deep pockets. It would be easy to allow this difficult professional environment to extinguish my inner fire. Fortunately, I have had the opportunity to work with an exceptional group of human beings who have consistently rekindled my inner flame. Why RMETYC? There are many reasons, but for me personally, as a practitioner and a doctoral student, none is more important than the inspiration this group provides. My involvement with RMETYC has been the foundation on which my teaching practice and my approach to research has been built.

My RMETYC colleagues have produced some great work through different collaborative projects in the four plus years I have been involved. Vilma Mesa, Claire Wladis, and Laura Watkins did a phenomenal job articulating the problems of mathematics instruction at two-year colleges. Their 2014 Journal of Research in Mathematics Education (JRME) Research Problems in Community College Mathematics Education: Testing the Boundaries of K-12 research should be required reading for all practitioners and researchers working in the arena of two-year college mathematics education.

Recent projects involving RMETYC committee members are listed below:

1)    Several members of RMETYC and new collaborators met prior to the RUME
(Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education) meeting in February for
a working group. There were two outcomes of this work: (1) Develop a
proposal to obtain funding for a pre-session at AMATYC (see below), and
(2) Develop a proposal to organize a symposium on community college
mathematics teaching at next year’s NCTM Research Session. See the Working
Group Report available through the following link for more information. RUME 2015 Working Group Report

2) Ann Sitomer (Oregon State University), April Strom (Scottsdale
Community College), Kelly Mercer (Clackamas Community College) and John
Smith (Pellissippi Community College/University of Tennessee) are finalizing an NSF proposal for funding to offer a one-day pre-session to AMATYC called, RMETYC: Linking Research to Practice. If funded, the pre-session will be an opportunity to
dialogue and form collaborations between community college mathematics
instructors and mathematics education researchers engaged in research on
teaching and learning mathematical topics at the core of community college
mathematics: proportional and statistical reasoning, and the understanding
of functions.

3) Ann Sitomer (Oregon State University) and Susan Stein (Portland
Community College) are writing a grant proposal to the Spencer Foundation
to use design research methodology to develop a model of a high-quality
and sustainable professional learning community for community college
mathematics faculty.

4) AERA’s Division J (Post-Secondary Education) offered a session on “Key
Emerging Topics in the Study of Higher Education” at the annual AERA
meeting in Chicago. After a keynote, participant separated into groups to
discuss emerging topics. One of these topics was developmental education.
One outcome of this discussion was bringing together researchers
interested in a variety of research areas around developmental education
such as, access and equity, high-quality models of reform, and teaching
and andragogy in developmental education classrooms. Stay tuned for
further developments from this conversation.

5) Irene Duranczyk (University of Minnesota), is undertaking with a colleague a meta-analysis of quantitative studies conducted between 2001 and 2010 that focus on questions in community college mathematics education. This research is in progress and should be completed this year.

6) Other accomplishments include a revision of an IES proposal submitted by Vilma Mesa, April Strom, Irene Duranczyk and Laura Watkins to be submitted to the NSF; the working title of this proposal is An Exploration of Characteristics of Algebra Instruction at Community Colleges and their Relationship with Student Learning and Performance/Success.


7) RMETYC members have at least five articles published or in press. A list of these articles is provided in the linked report of the 2015 RUME working group.

Why RMETYC? Our purpose statement reads: To encourage quality research in mathematics education in two-year colleges by…

1. ...providing organizational support and mentoring for faculty researchers and institutions conducting research in mathematics education and its application in promoting effective teaching strategies
2. ...providing support for the dissemination of findings and results emerging from research conducted with two-year colleges.

However, as changes in the education landscape has resulted in an expanded focus on community college mathematics education, the purpose of our committee is likewise expanding. The work of RMETYC has effectively made the case that the two-year college mathematics is unique and thus requires a focused contextual based research approach that is accessible to practitioners, as well as researchers.  Not only is there is a need for more studies linking research to practice, but there is also a need for a cadre of researchers who can evaluate claims made as to the quality of research studies that are the basis of policy and curriculum decisions. All too often decisions are made on sketchy research where the voice of two-year college students, faculty, and researchers are absent. One of the ideas that I heard in Pittsburgh was the importance of extending our reach as we move forward. Why RMETYC? Because, now is the time to extend our reach.

2015 Research Session-Thursday November 19th-New Orleans

Come join us! The Research Committee will be hosting our annual Research Session in New Orleans, Louisiana at the 41st Annual AMATYC Conference on Thursday, November 19th at around 6:00 PM (exact start time is TBD).

While you are in New Orleans don's miss this opportunity to learn about exciting research that is currently being conducted. Preliminary findings about student learning and teaching innovations will be shared with the audience, along with practical advice for both novice and experienced researchers.

The purpose of the pre-session is for presenters to report on preliminary research in which they are currently engaged and provide opportunities for discussion with the audience. Sessions will be 30 minutes, including 10 minutes for discussion, so feel free to drop in on one or several sessions. We will offer a broad range of research reports – from quantitative to qualitative studies – as well as general sessions about what you can expect from mathematics education research at the community colleges.

Check back with this site for more details of the Research Session and in the AMATYC Conference Program coming later this year. We will also send email notifications out to the Research Committee. If you are interested in joining the Research Committee’s email distribution list, contact April Strom (Committee Chair) at april.strom@scottsdalecc.edu