Anaheim, CA
In addition to Coastline’s Math Chair: Fred Feldon, the 23rd South Annual Math conference was attended by more than half of the part-time math staff at Coastline Community College. The fact that a conference has enough popularity to be in its 23rd year is a clear indication that its content is well received by all attendees.
This is my third year in teaching math at Coastline and the third conference that I have attended. Similar to the first two, this year’s conference was no disappointment. The three key aspects of this conference are:
• Networking: It provides a great forum to meet and network with math instructors from all over the southern California community college system. The willingness of all participants to share their teaching ideas with their piers is overwhelming. To me personally, I have come away each year with ideas to help make my courses more interesting and fun for the students.
• Break-Out Sessions: Every year, over twenty break-out sessions are offered by very enthusiastic educators that are again willing to share their ideas freely. This year, I was able to attend three sessions that provided very useful information to both our Math Chair and me.
➢ Practical Intermediate Algebra: This is a new course requirement for community college math departments. Scott Guth from Mt. San Antonia College presented a very detailed presentation on his college’s effort to create this course. I was able to bring back valuable information for our math chair, who was presenting at the same time: “Tablet PC: The Ultimate Tool for Teaching, Learning and Communicating in mathematics.
➢ Teaching Beginning and Intermediate Algebra Using Story Telling: Anne Hauscarriague at Santiago Canyon College should be in show business. She has a dynamic and bubbling personality and has the ability to create and tell fun stories related to mathematics that help students remember. Anne is going to publish a book on this subject and every math instructor should have a copy in their repertoire.
➢ Statistics: More Fun Than You May Think: As a Statistics instructor for Coastline, I am always interested in how to break the lecture routine with something that will not only get the students involved but help them retain this subject. Francois Bereaud from SD Miramar and Mario Martinez an adjunct at several colleges apparently have this session every year. This was my second year to attend their session and there was no repetition. Again, for a second year, I walked away with several new ideas to help me in my Statistics classes.
• Publisher’s Area: Each year, the publishers come in force to show new texts that they have published and other education tools that they provide. Where else can part-time instructors get so much exposure to the products available to perform our profession?
In closing, I highly recommend the cMc3 annual math conference to any part-time or full-time math instructor. It is held around the beginning of March and next year’s conference will again be at the Doubletree Hotel in Anaheim.
Dick Shiring, PhD
Math Instructor
Coastline CC