Margaret Flores helps students see the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of math

When Margaret Flores was a kid, math was her least favorite subject. It was focused on rules and procedures, and as soon as it was allowed, she stopped taking math courses.

Fast forward to the summer before her freshman year at Auburn University. Based on SAT scores, Flores was placed in a calculus class, and despite her protestations, there was no changing her schedule. Prior to her first semester at Auburn, Flores took a pre-calculus class to prepare and was delighted to be taught by an instructor who led her to understand how and why things worked in math. Suddenly, math wasn’t so bad.

It was her humble beginnings with mathematics that inspired Flores to become the educator she is today with a focus on math. 

“As a teacher, I wanted to give that same experience to my students,” said Flores, professor and Special Education Program Director in the College of Education. “In my preparation as a special education teacher and in my classroom teaching students with learning disabilities in mathematics I discovered how and why mathematics works using hands-on and visual representations.”

That how and why is an instrumental part of Flores’ research, which focuses on studying the use of the CRA-I Method with students at Loachapoka Elementary School over the past few years. During this school year, Flores and her colleagues have been working with students in 20-minute sessions using schema-based instruction, which entails teaching students about different types of mathematical situations using visual representations. Diagrams are used to map out students’ thinking and identify the needed operation to solve the math problem.

“We are collecting qualitative data on students’ explanations of their problem-solving process and hope to find that our intervention changes their problem-solving approach,” said Flores.

Last year, the research project focused on fraction interventions with students from Loachapoka, and the data showed the CRA-I method was effective. Students who received the intervention improved their fraction and decimal operations significantly.  

Moving forward, Flores hopes to expand the CRA-I rational number research and collaborate with other researchers in different regions of the country. Rational numbers, multi-digit operations and problem-solving are critical to success in algebra, which is the gateway to higher-level mathematics and STEM. For Flores, it’s all about helping students understand they can succeed in math.

“I love watching my university students discover that they can be successful when they understand the concepts and procedures that they use to solve problems,” said Flores. “This continues as a researcher.  I want elementary students who struggle in mathematics to be successful as early as possible.”

To learn more about Margaret Flores and her research, visit her page on our website.