Programmed instruction (fwd)

On 4/11/02, Jonathan Cooke sent the following which opened a very
educational exchange.

W.S.V.


>Dear Behav-An,
>       I recently read an article by B. F. Skinner, "Teaching Science in
> High School - What is Wrong?"  What struck me as profound was the
> applicability of Skinner's analysis to science today not only in high
> school but also in university settings.  As a student with an interest in
> mathematics, I have been dismayed by the punitive methods employed by
> math educators at my university.  Restricting the following to
> mathematicians at my university, mathematicians seem to know math but
> little about the learning process to effectively teach their subjects.
>
>Would anyone know about the implementation of programmed instruction to
>lower division calculus?  The only reference I could find was Kleppner,
>D.  Quick Calculus: A Self-Teaching Guide. 2nd Ed.
>
>This part is addressed to anyone with a substantial math background.
>
>Has any work been done with programmed instruction for advanced courses in
>real analysis, differential equations, or abstract algebra?  If so, what
>are the references?
>
>How would someone go about the preparation for a course in discrete
>variables or a bridge course for proofs in upper division math classes?
>
>The best work that I have found in programmed math instruction is
>"Engineering Mathematics" 5th Edition by K. A. Stroud and Dexter J.
>Booth.  The book is roughly 2000 pages long and consists of 40
>programmes.  It is almost a self-contained book starting with elementary
>mathematics to 3rd semester calculus, topics from linear algebra, and some
>differential equations.  From the preface of the first edition:
>          "The book is the outcome of some eight years' work undertaken in
> the development of programmed learning techniques in the Department of
> Mathematics at the Lanchester College of Technology, Coventry.  For the
> past four years, the whole of the mathematics of the first year of
> various Engineering Degree courses has been presented in programmed form,
> in conjunction with seminar and tutorial periods.  The results obtained
> have proved to be highly satisfactory, and further extension and
> development of these learning techniques are being pursued.
>           Each programmed has been extensively validated before being
> produced in its final form and has consistently reached a success level
> above 80/80, i.e. at least 80% of the students have obtained at least 80%
> of the possible marks in carefully structured criteria tests.  In a
> research programme, carried out against control groups receiving the
> normal lectures, students working from programmes have attained
> significantly higher mean scores than those in the control groups and the
> spread of marks has been considerably reduced.  The general pattern has
> also been reflected in the results of the sessional examinations.
>             The advantages of working at one's own rate, the intensity of
> the student involvement and the immediate assessment of responses, are
> well known to those already acquainted with programmed learning
> activities.  Programmed learning in the first year of a student's course
> at a college or university provides the additional advantage of bridging
> the gap between the rather highly organised aspect of school life and the
> freer environment and greater personal responsibility for his own
> progress which faces every student on entry to the realms of higher education."
>      K. A. Stroud wrote these insightful words over 30 years ago.  Why
> are these behaviorally based methods of instruction not in greater
> use?  What is it going to take for these proven methods of instruction to
> be implemented on a large scale in educational establishments?
>
>       Books like the aforementioned give me a shred of hope for math and
> science education in the United States.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Jonathan Cooke

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    William S. Verplanck          [email protected]
  An award-winning site: http://web.utk.edu/~wverplan/
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