By: Jana Talley, Co-Editor of DUE Point, Jackson State University

The Reshaping Mathematical Identity Through Valuing Creativity in Calculus project aims to place students with more creative thinking skills in the STEM workforce. To do so, it focuses on training undergraduate mathematics faculty to cultivate mathematical creativity in introductory calculus courses. More specifically, our team assists faculty in creating tasks that help students develop their own mathematical identities, take risks in problem solving, and make connections between concepts. These indicators of mathematical maturity are not only applicable to a wide range of careers within the STEM fields, but are also anticipated to increase persistence through calculus courses that tend to serve as gatekeepers to more advanced mathematics. 

What was the inspiration behind this project?
As a team we identified a need to fortify what some refer to as “soft skills” among undergraduate mathematics students. In particular, mathematical creativity is a skill that is highly necessary for success in advanced mathematics, yet is rarely the focus of teaching and learning activities at the postsecondary level. Though it is not a specific goal of many mathematics courses, we found that mathematicians hoped that their students would develop the skills needed to define their own mathematical identity, boldly engage in problem solving activities, and recognize the relationships between mathematical ideas and processes. 

In a previous project, we began the work of cultivating mathematical creativity in undergraduate classrooms by developing the Creativity-in-Progress Rubric (CPR) on Proofs, a metacognitive tool for students to use while writing proofs. The tool supports students in developing their ability to make connections and take risks. With the success of the CPR on Proofs project we decided to expand our work to the teaching and learning of calculus. Thus, the CPR on Problem Solving was created for implementation in entry-level mathematics courses. 

What new innovation(s) make your project stand out among other NSF proposals?
Focusing on creativity within mathematics is indeed a novel idea. Mathematics is traditionally seen as a rigid subject with little to no room for learners to express their own personality, so to speak. However, we recognize that mathematicians incorporate a great deal of creativity in their work that is generally undervalued in the teaching and learning process. Our project formalizes the practice of training students to use creative thinking to explore mathematical ideas in ways that build confidence needed to fully engage in the subject.

The Reshaping Mathematical Identity Through Valuing Creativity in Calculus project is also unique in that, unlike most professional development programs, the professors who participate take the lead in designing new learning tasks. Our team collaborates with each professor to determine how best to implement six creativity-focused tasks and utilize the CPR on Problem Solving in their classrooms. One such task prompts students to evaluate a given limit in as many ways as possible, thus encouraging them to think beyond standard algorithms and use their imagination to explore the problem.

Tell us about the people involved in the project and the strengths of your team.
Our team consists of six faculty researchers with a range of expertise in the development of mathematical creativity and its influence on student self-efficacy, the impact of inquiry based teaching on student proof construction, active learning methodologies, and the ways in which learners make connections between topics in mathematics. Collectively, we speak five languages and represent multiple countries of citizenship. Our widely diverse backgrounds, both professionally and culturally, have uniquely positioned us to collaborate in strengthening the level of creativity encouraged in mathematics classrooms at the post secondary level and beyond.

How will students, your institution, and the broader community of mathematics learners be better off as a result of your project?
In addition to the obvious student benefit of developing mathematical maturity, our project stands to enhance the overall learning environment for entry-level mathematics classrooms and likely further student interest in mathematics and other STEM fields. The professional development aspect of our project is a mechanism for professors to transform classroom environments across their curriculum and to extend teaching strategies in meaningful ways. Research concerning minority-serving institutions has shown that teaching for creativity empowers students to demonstrate originality, thus adding to their mathematical power and identity. We therefore recognize that participation in our project will also enhance professors’ ability to cultivate more equitable learning spaces on their campuses. 

Learn more about NSF DUE (Award #):  1836371
Full Project Name: Collaborative Research: Reshaping Mathematical Identity by Valuing Creativity in Calculus
Abstract Link: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1836371
Project Contact: Emily Cilli-Turner, University of La Verne, ecilli-turner@laverne.edu

*Responses in this blog were edited for length and clarity.

Jana Talley is a co-editor of DUE Point and an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Jackson State University. Her work is focused on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education (RUME) and the inclusion of underrepresented groups in the mathematical sciences.