Roberta L. Dees 
1938-2015
Mathematics Educator in secondary schools, community colleges, and universities, including University of Illinois at Chicago, Purdue University Calumet, and University of Chicago
Ph.D., Mathematics Education, University of Florida, 1980
PUBLICATIONS
Cooperative Learning to Support Thinking, Reasoning, and Communicating in Mathematics (pdf), Laurel Robertson, Neil Davidson, and Roberta L. Dees.
"Instead of teaching by telling or by demonstration, a blend of instructional methodologies is recommended that includes individual and group work and direct instruction. The focus is to provide frequent opportunities for students to explore and solve problems, individually and with others; and to develop their mathematical skills in the context of this exploration. The teacher is a facilitator of learning, guiding students’ explorations, asking questions that extend their thinking, and encouraging students to communicate their thinking. Direct instruction is provided as the need emerges during this process."
An American Example of High School-University Cooperation, John Baldwin and Roberta L. Dees. [Proceedings of Conference in Kobe, Japan, March 1994]
Handbook of cooperative learning methods, Shlomo Sharan, editor. Laurel Robertson, Neil Davidson, Roberta L. Dees -- "Cooperative learning and computers." Greenwood Press, 1994. [On Amazon.com]
Encouraging cooperative solution of mathematics problems, John Baldwin, Roberta L. Dees, David Foulser, and David Tartakoff. [Primus, III (1993), 198-206]
The Role of Cooperative Learning in Increasing Problem-Solving Ability in a College Remedial Course, Roberta L. Dees, Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Vol. 22, No. 5, Nov. 1991; pp. 409-421.
Cooperative Learning in Mathematics: A Handbook, Neil Davidson, editor. Roberta L. Dees -- "Small-group learning in the secondary mathematics classroom." Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., 1990.
Sex Differences in Geometry Achievement (pdf), Roberta L. Dees. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (New York, NY, March 23, 1982).
Van Hiele Levels and Achievement in Secondary School Geometry (pdf), Zalman Usiskin, 1981. -- As Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Roberta L. Dees wrote the computer programs to analyze the research data in this study.
THESIS
Selected Piagetian tasks and the acquisition of the fraction concept in remedial students, by Roberta Lea Dees. Ph.D Thesis, University of Florida, 1980. Complete dissertation online (pdf) at University of Florida;
Link to printed library copies via Worldcat includes abstract.
For more resources on using cooperative learning in mathematics,
see these Google Scholar results for Cooperative Learning in Mathematics.
College Preparatory Mathematics Program (CPMP) at University of Illinois at Chicago:
Roberta Dees was one of the original directors (with Dr. John Baldwin) of the NSF-funded CPMP project at UIC. This was a comprehensive program with a major goal of increasing minority representation in the mathematics and science pipeline. The primary strategy was cooperative learning. Teachers learned to work together to form a peer support group; they then enabled their students to do the same in CPMP classes. University staff provided innovative and exemplary curricular materials, training in cooperative learning, and year-round support for the teachers. A Summer Institute provided in-service sessions and a teaching laboratory, where teachers could team-teach and practice with students who would be attending their schools. Here is the final report on the CPMP project to the NSF (1996).
Contact Roberta L. Dees at rdees@robertadees.com
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Math Club, Lake City Community College, 1967. |