Quantitative Reasoning at
Evergreen!
In this workshop, we will:
•Get ready to talk about justice and numbers
•Do an activity together in small group
•Debrief the activity
•Learn about resources available at
Evergreen around math and science
Thinking about ourselves as learners: Self Theories
Derived from the work of Carol S. Dweck
Which of the following do you believe are true about yourself?
1. My intelligence is predetermined by my genetics.
2. My intelligence is going to stay the same throughout my life.
3. My intelligence changes as I engage in new experiences.
4. My success in college depends mostly on my intelligence.
5. My success in college depends mostly on my effort.
6. I would rather learn a lot in a class than get full credit and not learn very
much.
7. If I get in a class that feels too hard I will withdraw instead of going to a
tutoring center or getting other kinds of help.
8. I would rather have homework that I can do perfectly than homework that
makes me think hard.
9. I feel smart when things come easily for me and not so smart when things
are difficult.
10. I feel smart when I spend a lot of time and finally work through a difficult
problem or become proficient in a new skill.
11. I love being challenged!
12. I want to avoid classes or faculty who have a reputation for being easy.
13. I don’t expect to know everything the first day of class.
14. I want to take classes or faculty that have a reputation for being easy.
Two Theories of Learning
“Entity Theorists” believe that:
•Intelligence is fixed (IQ score, SAT score)
•Some people are just good at certain things
“Incremental Theorists” believe that:
•Intelligence is malleable
•Effort matters more than ability
Getting Ready to Talk About Math:
•People come to math with set ideas about how
good they are at math.
•Research tells us that:
•Our brains grow throughout our lives.
•Once you have scaffolding, it’s easier to learn.
•That feeling of confusion is your brain
growing and changing!
•How can we learn to be open to being confused?
Getting Ready to Talk About Race:
•Talking about race can be uncomfortable.
•Mainstream American culture doesn’t talk about
racial differences.
•Even when a conversation is uncomfortable, you
can still learn a lot.
•How can we stay open to expressing our
confusion about race and difference, while still
being mindful of the impacts that our words and
actions might have on those around us?
Making a “safer” space:
•We call it making a “safer” space
because what feels safe to some people
might not feel safe to other people
•What does respectful conversation
look and sound like?
Questions you should always ask
about data and statistics
•Can you compare these things?
•Can you draw a conclusion from the data provided?
•If this is a percentage, what is it a percentage of?
•Is the claim of causation just correlation?
•Is the population studied big enough to draw conclusions
from the data?
•How was the data collected?
The QuaSR
Center
The QuaSR Center is a great place to work on your homework, and get help
from tutors if you want!
The QuaSR
Center:
Promoting
Excellence and
Monday – Thursday:
Empowerment
in 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Friday and Sunday: Noon – 5:00 pm
Math and Science
Library 2304
that leads to
www.evergreen.edu/mathcenter
Social Justice.