STEM Active Learning Vignette Series: Weaving More Effective Teaching and Learning Practices in Mathematics and Beyond

As the STEM Active Learning Networks evaluation and learning partner, Equal Measure is tracking the impact of the Helmsley Charitable Trust's postsecondary grantmaking on faculty, departmental, and institutional change across networks. Since 2014, Equal Measure has used qualitative research methods to examine the results of network efforts as well as conditions that support progress at the educator, department, and institution levels. In 2017, Equal Measure visited five campuses representing four of the initial seven networks to delve into site-level implementation.In May 2017, Equal Measure conducted a one-day site visit to Pasadena City College (PCC) Main Campus to explore the implementation of the Reading Apprenticeship model across the campus. A key component of WestEd's Strategic Literacy Initiative (SLI), the model integrates four dimensions (social, personal, cognitive, and knowledge-building) and is rooted in an understanding of how students learn and how to empower them to become independent learners. Instructors model metacognitive thinking related to discipline-specific literacy, and use scaffolding techniques (e.g., "talking to the text," "chunking," and "think-pair-share") to support student learning. Students experience a combination of guided, collaborative, and individual practice to build upon their background knowledge and increase understanding of new content. Productive persistence is a strong element of Reading Apprenticeship, and framework developers draw connections between Reading Apprenticeship and growth mindset theory. This teaching and learning model was the focus of the Reading Apprenticeship Community College STEM Network