Foundations Newsletter

Students studying Foundation Maths course at HCT have the opportunity to experience differentiated learning using intelligent software called ALEKS.   The software allows students to work at their pace and the assessment strategy provides an option to the high fliers to exit the course early in the first twelve weeks.

Seven ADWC students who finished Foundation Mathematics course in 5^th week share their experiences for others to emulate.

Four key questions were used by ADWC FND Maths faculty to receive student’s reflection on the approach used by them.

How did you manage your study time effectively?

According to these students hard work in and out of the class was the key strategy that helped them achieve the success.  The highlights shared by them about the class time were the explanation provided by their teacher helped them build the concepts and the individual support extended to them was fruitful in addressing their doubts in problem solving.  The early exit option motivated to spend additional hours outside the class and improve their pie score.

A mother of two, expecting a third child was overjoyed that she could finish the course early.  It was very challenging for her to balance her studies and her personal life.  As finding the time to study at home was a huge constraint for her, she strategically used the class hours and break times to learn new topics and get qualified for the early exit exam.

Share a few tips, which helped you to be successful.

Students suggested that everyone must take ALEKS Maths course seriously, develop and apply good time management skills and set achievable targets as a part of the daily study plan. They said it is a good idea to use independent time for learning basic topics and practicing them, but use the class time to understand harder concepts.  According to the students developing good note taking skills for teacher’s explanation and using the notes for independent learning is important. They stressed on the importance of reviewing the concepts and processes.

Do you think that the periodic progress tests generated by ALEKS, helped in reaching your goal?

Students found auto generated progress test administered after they learn 25 to 30 new topics, very useful in terms of feedback on their knowledge development.  Incorrect topics were added back to the ALEKS pie, which forced them to learn these topics again. The drop in the pie score after the progress test was seen as a blessing by these students.

Do you find the new practice of teaching and learning Maths at individual student’s pace a challenge?

The views given by students varied.  Some students felt grouping the sections according to math ability of the students will make the learning process more effective. The other view point about the current approach shared by the students was the opportunity to provide peer support to average or below average students helps them reinforce the concepts in turn improve their own performance. Students mentioned that group learning and motivating each other was the highlight of the current approach and that the resources provided by the ALEKS in terms of reviews, practice sheets, homework and the constant feedback helps them to develop independent learning skills.

Let us hope that some of the strategies and experiences shared by these high fliers will be instrumental in motivating others to follow the suit in future too.

Anju Dhamija with ADWC Team