How one professor eases the anxiety of gateway math courses

Milena Cuéllar has been a professor of mathematics, engineering and computer science at LaGuardia Community College, part of the City University of New York, since 2012, teaching college mathematics and advanced courses for more than a decade. And in every classroom, there is a student who hates math.

“In all my classes, from basic math to differential equations, I meet students who experience stress and anxiety in math class,” Cuéllar said.

In 2013, Cuéllar began using Statway, developed by Carnegie Math Pathways, a college math course with developmental foundations. Over the years, he has seen how the guiding principles of the course have influenced student learning, his teaching courses and overall results among participants, improving student success throughout the department.

“This teaching method really motivated me to see and know the students in my classes,” said Cuéllar. “Because of this, it has made me even more intent on creating a welcoming, open classroom experience and an effective learning environment for everyone to succeed.”

How does this work: The course uses a contextual and coherent curriculum, which helps to make mathematics more inviting to students, and adds social emotional support and collaborative learning to engage. All Statway resources are available as OER materials as well.

An assignment asks students to make a mathematical research proposal to a New York City official about an issue that is important to them and the city as a whole. Over the years, students have chosen topics including childcare options for children with autism, understanding train delays and poor air quality.

“We always take a breath every time we read these books, because the students bring things they like and are very interested in the work they do.”

With this curriculum, Cuéllar says he uses a welcoming and open approach to teaching math, which helps create a safe learning environment for students that supports them and reminds them that they can succeed.

“This approach is very important for our students at LaGuardia, who live very challenging lives in New York City but at the same time bring with them a wealth of diverse experiences and perspectives shaped by their backgrounds and lives in this city,” said Cuéllar. .

Often, the students in the class are non-STEM, liberal arts majors who declare they hate math, don’t want to be in the course and try to get through it and never take math, Cuéllar shares. These students are also often determined, resourceful and able to thrive in dynamic environments but do not know how to use those tools to support their math learning.

“Having faith in your students and their abilities is important,” said Cuéllar. “I start my studies by saying that I don’t want anyone to fail this class.”

Results: Since LaGuardia teachers began implementing the curriculum in the fall of 2013, more than 7,000 students have engaged with Statway. Non-STEM students have higher success rates in their math courses and are more likely to complete their math requirement in one semester, saving them time and money.

Student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many students sharing that they value the course structure and content and carry the life lessons they learned into their other courses.

Some colleagues who use Statway have seen it change the way they interact with students across courses. Cuéllar will use techniques from Statway in group work across the colleges and has since embedded experiential learning into her math class.

“Even my research has moved from math research to, increasingly, more work on how to provide equal access to a safe environment for learning math, equity math for student achievement and learning the impact of how we interact with students. [affect] their success,” said Cuéllar.

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