Individualized Learning Stories
New Methods
Professor Joy Jordan, Brandon Van Zeeland '13 and Joyce Lambert '11
While Associate Professor of Statistics Joy Jordan may wish more students were interested in the fascinating topics the world of statistics holds, having just two students in her Applied Statistical Methods course is giving her a new degree of freedom.
As a member of the ACM-Teagle Collegium Group, Jordan had just finished two years of in-classroom research studying the ways in which students learn. Based on her findings, she was eager to implement some new ideas into her teaching. Her class of two was the perfect place to begin. Setting aside her lecture notes, Jordan became a guide to her students — instead of a talking textbook. It is an example of individualized learning at Lawrence in its purest form.
“Instead of worrying about covering a certain body of material, or working through stale applications, the students engage with the reading, ask questions, work through the concepts and applications, and, in the end, own the material for themselves,” Jordan said. “Our class discussion develops organically from student questions. I respond in the moment, modeling my thought process for the students.”
Students Brandon Van Zeeland '13 and Joyce Lambert '11 find Jordan’s approach refreshing. “It’s nice to have the one-on-one attention,” said Van Zeeland. “I feel like I learn a lot more, and I’m going to remember a lot more, because it’s not just memorizing for a test and going on.”
Lambert especially enjoys the freewheeling nature of each class. “I like to talk and there are a lot of opportunities for discussion,” she said. “You do the reading, talk about it, apply it and build on what you’ve applied.”
Other elements of the course include student presentations, reviews of published research articles, analyzing case studies and data analysis.
Jordan said that changing the classroom experience has been invigorating and has allowed her to reconnect with her passion for statistics. The work the three of them do and the bonds they’ve formed are a testament to the benefits of individualized learning.
“My students work exceptionally hard,” Jordan said. “There is no place to hide in a class of two. We have a learning community where all of us benefit. It’s a hoot!”
