1202 W. Thomas Road
Phoenix, Arizona 85013
602–285–7500

Math is From Mars – English is from Venus

Two Instructors Present Unique Concept at National Conference

Phoenix College instructors, Ginny Simmon, English, and Tom Adamson, Math, teamed up to present Math is From Mars – English is from Venus at the 28th Annual American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges: You’re Wanted for a Perfect Conference.

Their presentation, Math is From Mars – English is from Venus, is a small glimpse of what students can expect when they enroll in Math 033 AA, a course that combines the subjects of Math and English, at Phoenix College. This unique class has produced positive results for those students who struggle with Math terminology and the overall language of Math.

"In our presentation, we will reveal how our innovative class is designed to help students bridge the gap between their Math knowledge and their ability to communicate with the language of Mathematics," said Simmon. "When students overcome this language barrier, they have a better chance to succeed in future Math classes, which is our ultimate goal."

Co-instructor Adamson agrees.

"By having our students write out the word problems in addition to doing the basic arithmetic, we have found that their language skills improve a great deal," said Adamson. "This concept works and has been extremely successful at Phoenix College. By having this opportunity to present at a national conference, which attracts more than 1,000 Math instructors from across the country, we can share our success and encourage others to use this unique method of teaching."

The Math 033 AA course not only helps those who struggle with word problems or vocabulary, it is a great course for students who speak English as a second language. This class actually explains the reasoning behind various Math functions including addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Also as a basic Math class, Math 033 AA is ideal for students with low ASSET or COMPASS scores.

Phoenix College will offer Math 033 AA during the Spring 2003 semester. The class will begin Feb. 25.

For more information regarding the class at Phoenix College, please call (602) 285-7164 or (602) 285-7818. For more information regarding the conference please call (623) 845-3389.