32 nd International Conference on Technology in Collegiate Mathematics VIRTUAL CONFERENCE ictcm.com | #ICTCM
32 nd International Conference on Technology in Collegiate Mathematics VIRTUAL CONFERENCE #ICTCM Spreadsheets for Quantitative Reasoning: An Excel-lent Way to Engage Students Eric Gaze Outline: • Why QR? Director of the QR Program • QR Course: Bowdoin College • Proportional Reasoning • Spreadsheets egaze@Bowdoin.edu • Examples
32 nd International Conference on Technology in Collegiate Mathematics VIRTUAL CONFERENCE #ICTCM Why QR? 87% of U.S. Adults Cannot Read or Write… …With Numbers. They are Quantitatively Illiterate.
Only 13% U.S. Adults Proficient In QL
National Assessment of Adult Literacy: Proportional Reasoning Only 13% of U.S. Adults can: • Calculate annual from monthly costs Determine flooring units per square foot • Over half of U.S. adults cannot: Calculate cost of child as % of budget • • Determine if car has enough gas Calculate total cost of ordering supplies •
Current State of Affairs: U.S. is Numeracy (OECD 2013 PIAAC) Significantly Last (p < .05) Proportional Reasoning
Current State of Affairs: U.S. Technology Problem Solving beat Poland Modeling with Spreadsheets
Proportional Reasoning in Action! Working with Data: 10,000.0 15,000.0 20,000.0 25,000.0 5,000.0 - 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 Over 85 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 75-84 1980 Mortality Rates per 100,000 1981 1982 1983 65-74 1984 1985 1986 1987 55-64 1988 1989 1990 1991 45-54 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 25-44 1997 1998 1999 2000 Below 25 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Proportional Reasoning in Action! Working with Data: 10,000.0 15,000.0 20,000.0 100.0 120.0 25,000.0 20.0 5,000.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 - - 1968 1968 1969 1969 1970 1970 1971 1971 1972 1972 1973 1973 1974 Over 85 Over 85 1974 1975 1975 1976 1976 1977 Mortality Rates per 100,000 (1968 = 100) 1977 1978 1978 1979 1979 75-84 75-84 1980 1980 1981 Mortality Rates per 100,000 1981 1982 1982 1983 1983 65-74 65-74 1984 1984 1985 1985 1986 1986 1987 1987 1988 55-64 55-64 1988 1989 1989 1990 1990 1991 1991 1992 45-54 45-54 1992 1993 1993 1994 1994 1995 1995 1996 1996 = B4/B$3*100 25-44 25-44 1997 1997 1998 1998 1999 1999 2000 2000 Below 25 Below 25 2001 2001 2002 2002 2003 2003 2004 2004 2005 2005 2006 2006 2007 2007 2008 2008 2009 2009 2010 2010
Rationality quotient Are “smart” people good at reasoning correctly? Three forms of intelligence: Analytic (Intelligence Quotient) IQ scores, SAT , emphasized in school education, how to run a statistical test Practical Knowing when to run the statistical test and why ! Communicating results. Creating graphics using spreadsheets! Creative Questioning assumptions. What-if analysis. Modeling with Spreadsheets!
Quantitative Reasoning (QR): Mathematics and Democracy (2001) “Quantitative reasoning empowers people by giving them tools to think for themselves, to ask intelligent questions of experts, and to confront authority confidently .”
Quantitative Reasoning (QR): A Program for Student Success “I came to a drastic realization, I actually enjoyed doing math ! Thank you. Last semester was the first time in my life that I looked forward to a math class, and applied what I learned outside of the classroom. Therefore, I REALLY want to take another math class like this .” -Fiona
Quantitative Reasoning (QR): A Program for Student Success “Tonight at dinner my brother and relatives were discussing the time value of money. After hearing my businessy-brother compare fund quotes over different years I whipped out my CPI’s and apples to oranges argument and supported it with equations and QR logic snippets.” -Fiona
Quantitative Reasoning (QR): A Program for Student Success “As the (very -labeled) humanities and arts child, it got me quite a few points. So THANK YOU, for enabling me to argue with my brother on his own playing field. That aside I learned a LOT this semester.” -Fiona
The Wrong Way to Teach Math - Andrew Hacker Professor Emeritus CUNY New York Times February 27, 2016 “ Ours has become a quantitative century , and we must master its language. Decimals and ratios are now as crucial as nouns and verbs .” - http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/opinion/sunday/the-wrong-way-to-teach- math.html
Modeling as Business Math Circa 2015 CE
The Right Way to Teach Math - Keith Devlin February 29, 2016 “ For there is a much more recent implementation of al-Khwarizmi's method of algebra --one of immediate use to everyone in today's world: the electronic spreadsheet . A perfectly correct description of Microsoft Excel is that it is a computer implementation of algebra…” - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-keith-devlin/andrew-hacker-and-the- cas_b_9339554.html
Algebra as Business Math “Mathematical reasoning in workplaces differs markedly from the algorithms taught in school.” “ The spreadsheet changes the way people in business think about and approach problems as well as the way they work through results. It enables them to quantify a whole new range of problems .”
Quantitative Reasoning (QR): A Program for Student Success “QR was one of the most useful courses I have taken at Bowdoin. I am interning at IBM this summer as a part of their Watson Sales Enablement team and constantly use spreadsheets and QR . Thank you for bringing in and teaching this course !” -Daniel
32 nd International Conference on Technology in Collegiate Mathematics VIRTUAL CONFERENCE #ICTCM Contact Information Name: Eric Gaze Title: Director of QR Program Institution: Bowdoin College Email: egaze@Bowdoin.edu Social Media handle/name
Modeling Car Cost: Proportional Reasoning in Action! Focus Prius Cost $ 20,000.00 $ 33,000.00 Gallons per 100 miles MPG Hway 28 45 3.571 2.222 MPG City 22 37 4.545 2.703 Gallons Used Miles Hway 285.71 177.78 8,000 Miles City 545.45 324.32 12,000 Price per Gallon Total Gallons: 831.17 502.10 $ 3.86 Cost: $ 3,208.31 $ 1,938.11 Gas Savings per year: $ 1,270.20 Extra Cost: $ 13,000.00 Years to recoup: 10.23 years
Modeling Car Cost Focus Prius Cost $ 20,000.00 $ 33,000.00 Which parameter has the Gallons per 100 miles greatest impact on the years to MPG Hway 28 45 3.571 2.222 MPG City 22 37 4.545 2.703 recoup extra cost of the Prius? Gallons Used Miles Hway 285.71 177.78 8,000 Miles City 545.45 324.32 12,000 Price per Gallon Total Gallons: 831.17 502.10 $ 3.86 1. Cost of Prius Cost: $ 3,208.31 $ 1,938.11 2. MPG City Focus 3. Cost of Focus Gas Savings per year: $ 1,270.20 Extra Cost: $ 13,000.00 4. MPG City Prius Years to recoup: 10.23 years Is Algebra Necessary? Yes! And we can use spreadsheets and modeling to help teach students why. Handouts have more examples
Scaffolding Student Success Math 1050: QR is an ENTRY point Math 1050: QR as a foundation for Calculus and Social Science Math 1050: QR is an EXIT point Strong Foundational Future Work Knowledge Successful Students Low QR skills High QR skills Underprepared Note that IQ is not on this Students chart! We can build the skills and knowledge needed for success. Weak Foundational THANK YOU! Knowledge Questions?
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