CCCAOE Fall 2002 Conference

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CCCAOEFall 2002 Conference
Do Our Occupational Students Know English and
Math?

• October 9, 2002
• 2-3 pm

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Do Our Occupational Students Know English and
Math?

• Introduction
• College of the Canyons
• Dr. Gina LaMonica Dean of Occupation Programs
• Mr. Charles Johnson Math Professor
• Mr. Tim Baber Welding Professor
• Dr. Leslie St. Martin English Professor
• Mr. Kevin Anthony Hotel/Restaurant Management
  Professor
  

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VTEA Mini-Grant

• Chancellors Office Statewide Special Populations
  VTEA Mini-Grant for 2001-02
  
• Money awarded 5,000
• Title of grant project The Integration of
  English and Math in Occupational Programs

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Purpose

• Purpose of Mini- Grant Project
• To explore the aptitude and attitude of
  occupational students toward English and math
  along with the integration of curriculum into
  occupational programs.

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Background Information

• Many of our occupational students come to the
  community college to obtain specific skill sets
  for immediate job placement in business and
  industry, and therefore, leave the community
  college never completing an English or math
  course.

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Integration of English and Math

• Occupational instructors know that integrating
  English and math into their curriculum is
  important, but do not know how to accomplish this
  task especially how to teach a group of students
  with varying levels of English and math
  proficiencies.

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English and Math

• The students and occupational instructors
  struggle to learn/teach the English and math
  requirements of their occupational trade.
  
• Not only does the lack of English and math
  knowledge affect the students academic
  achievements, it also affects the quality of
  their work once they are placed in a job.
• For example, many of the occupational students do
  not know how to write an interoffice memo or
  perform basic percentage calculations.

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English and Math

• This project introduced the occupational
  students to English and math presented within the
  context of the occupational courses being studied
  along with assisting the occupational instructors
  in developing curriculum for their courses.

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Occupational Courses

• The occupational courses involved in the project
  were the following
  
• Welding
• Hotel/Restaurant Management

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Math in Welding

• Presented by
• Tim Baber -Welding
• Charles Johnson - Math

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Project Intentions

• Integrate Math into the Welding program

Develop curriculum
Create a greater awareness of students math
skills
Illustrate the importance of math so that
students are better prepared for the
workforce
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OUTLINE
Evaluation and Process Class Assignments and Stud
ent Interaction Curriculum Development End Resul
ts and Future Projects

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Evaluation and Process

• Assessment Test (College Placement Test)
• Provided students a greater awareness of their
  current math level
  
• Formulated students eligibility in the math
  program
  
• Established a baseline range for the design of
  the project
  

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Evaluation and Process (cont.)

• Attitude Survey
• Survey outcome results displayed students
  attitude toward math
  
• Their past experiences in school
• How important math is in their life

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Student Survey
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Evaluation and Process (cont.)

• The Process
• Lectures followed by in-class assignments

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Class Assignments and Student
Interaction

• Class assignments were given to the students
  after each lecture
  
• The assignments were finished in class
• Students were encouraged to work together in
  groups on the assignments
  
• The assignments were designed using real life
  examples
  

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Curriculum Development

• Development of theory and working skills in the
  following math disciplines
  
• Basic fractions
• Decimal equivalents
• Weights and volumes
• System conversions Standard to SI Metric

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Curriculum Development (cont.)

• Development of using math with the following
  measuring devices
  
• Standard tape measure
• Verneer 6 dial calipers
• Micrometers
• Height gauges
• Fillet weld gauges

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Curriculum Development (cont.)

• Applying updated math and measuring skills
• Hands-on measurement of objects of various shape
  and size
  
• Transmit results of measurements into solving
  various word problems
  
• Convert all measurement results from standard to
  metric and metric to standard
  

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End Results and Future Projects

• Students became matriculated into college math
  system
  
• Students gained greater knowledge in various
  methods of measurement
  
• Established standard for implementation into
  current welding curriculum
  
• Set ground work for future blueprint reading
  course

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Hotel/Restaurant Management 101

• English Component

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Evaluation and Process

• Student Attitude Survey
• Writing Placement Test
• Redesign of Course Offerings

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Class Assignments and Student Interaction

• The following assignments and activities were
  incorporated into the curriculum
  
• Grammar diagnostic quiz and group discussion
• Complaint letter
• Thesis statement workshop
• Resume workshop
• Argumentative essay workshop
• Job application cover letter
• Term paper critique
• Instructor feedback

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End Results

• Improved term paper results when compared to
  previous semesters
  
• Improved general attitude towards writing
• Built confidence
• Real life applications

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Curriculum Development

• Modified curriculum for subsequent courses
• Developed resource for support
• Curriculum is more focused on process and less on
  retention

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End Results and Future Projects

• Results of retests
• Survey 2
• Writing Placement Tests
• Continue to work with Dean of Occupational
  Programs to incorporate English into other
  courses
  
• Maintain ongoing relationship between
  occupational programs and English department
  
• Promote technical writing course to vocational
  students

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Project Summary

• The project results fulfilled our expectations in
  what we were seeking to accomplish
  
• To increase awareness in English and math among
  the students in the two occupational courses.
  
• To show the students the applicability of English
  and math to their occupations
  
• To integrate English and math curriculum into
  Hotel/Restaurant Management and Welding
  
• To assist the occupational instructors in
  developing various teaching methodologies for
  English and math
  

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Future Plans

• To assist other occupational programs e.g.
  Biotechnology Math and Child Development
  English.
  
• Questions!!??
• THANKS!!