A Sing-ular Aid: Using Song to Help Teach Solution Set Cases for Systems of Linear Equations

Abstract

A multi-section coordinated math for social sciences course at a Hispanic-Serving Institution went through a major revision which included the addition of many resources. One resource was educational songs, including a lyric video on the three possible outcomes when solving a system of linear equations. The learning objective associated with this topic is one where learning (if not also teaching) may fall short, thus motivating a creative way to increase engagement. We discuss results from anonymous surveys of students and instructors to assess this educational song’s potential to support student engagement (and hopefully learning), contextualized with qualitative data such as classroom observation. Recommendations for future assessment and class use are provided.

KEYWORDS:

• Song
• lyric video
• edutainment
• system of linear equations
• precalculus
• math for social sciences

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The lead authors gratefully acknowledge 2022–2023 funding support from their institution’s Office of Academic Affairs for the course redesign project.

Notes on contributors

Lawrence Mark Lesser

Lawrence Mark Lesser is a Professor of Mathematics Education in the Mathematical Sciences Department of The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). His work has won awards within and beyond his discipline (e.g., ASA’s 2021 Waller Distinguished Teaching Career Award) and is informed by diverse experiences, including state agency statistician, statistical consultant, high school math department chair, textbook author, journalist, songwriter, poet, and father of a computer engineering graduate. His STEM songs and poetry have led to NSF-funded grants, national contest awards, and co-founding the VOICES network. For more Lesser, see LarryLesser.com or the interview in the March 2020 Journal of Statistics Education.

Samantha Patterson

Samantha Patterson, the MATH 1320 coordinator since spring 2021, has been teaching at UTEP for 6 years with excellent evaluations. She has a master’s degree in statistics and her UTEP work is further informed and updated through her current doctoral studies that emphasize statistics and mathematics education. She is certified by UTEP for online teaching and also took extensive additional training to earn a Certificate in Effective College Instruction from the Association of College and University Educators. She has consulting experience in statistics education, has mentored a variety of instructors, and created an online multi-section course.

Julio H. Solis

Julio H. Solis recently obtained his PhD in Teaching, Learning, and Culture at The University of Texas at El Paso, where he also earned a master’s degree in computational science and a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics. He has taught or tutored mathematics courses at a high school, El Paso Community College, and UTEP.

Rafael de Andrade Moral

Rafael de Andrade Moral is an Assistant Professor of Statistics at Maynooth University. With a background in Biology and a PhD in Statistics from the University of São Paulo, Rafael has a deep passion for teaching and conducting research in statistical modeling applied to ecology, wildlife management, agriculture, and environmental science. As director of the Theoretical and Statistical Ecology Group, Rafael brings together a community of researchers who use mathematical and statistical tools to better understand the natural world. Rafael has been producing music videos and parodies to promote statistics in social media and in the classroom.