Hawkes Student Ambassador Kristin Jellison recently sat down with Associate Professor of Mathematics Paul Patison to learn more about his experience using Hawkes Learning at Navarro College. Professor Patison, a Navy veteran, embarked on a teaching career after completing a program sponsored by Texas A&M University-Commerce. He later earned a Master’s degree and found his passion for teaching at the college level.
In this interview, Professor Patison shares insights into his Hawkes journey – from first adopting the platform in his classes to the impacts he’s observed on his students’ learning outcomes. Learn more about Professor Patison’s experiences below.
Please describe your academic journey and what made you fond of the academic system.
I graduated high school at 18 and I didn’t go straight into a college or a preparatory program. I was in the Navy from 18 to 22, and then when I left the Navy, I already had a family. That said, I had to work to support my family and therefore was only able to attend school part-time. As I approached 30, I found an educator preparation program at Texas A&M University-Commerce that was on the Navarro College campus and started taking the classes.
I thought, “You know what? This might be my calling.” After I got my certification, I taught in the ISDs for 15 years from elementary to junior high and even high school with some dual credit classes. I had already worked to achieve my Master’s degree. I started teaching at Navarro for 7 years and have loved every minute.
When you teach, do you take inspiration from anywhere or anyone?
I had an instructor when I was working on my teaching degree at Texas A&M University-Commerce who inspired me. She challenged me on the very first night of class when I had to take a competency exam. When she was passing out the test, she stopped right in front of me, looked at me, and said, “I bet you $10 that you can’t pass this.” I would say that pushed me to seek and learn. So, I would say that instructor definitely inspired me to always continue to be better.
As we reflect on your academic journey, is there a specific moment you recall working with a student where you were reminded of why you love teaching?
I’ll just put this in a general sense, wrapping up more than one story or one person into one. Students will come to you for tutoring, but they’re reluctant. They’re like, “I don’t know why I’m not getting it, but if this is going to help me, then I’m going to come to you.” As they build that relationship with you, they start to trust you. Then they’re like, “You know what? I am gaining a little bit of confidence here. Yes, I can do this!”
I think that is key, even at the college level. They can show their work to a professor and ask, “Am I doing this right?” and when they get the confirmation that yes, they are getting it, it just boosts that confidence to do it on their own, especially through the Hawkes program.
How have you seen the Hawkes program support students?
Hawkes supports the students simply because if they are not ready to demonstrate mastery of the lesson, they can get into the practice section and work on it. What I like about Practice is that students can skip lessons they have a firm grasp on already. For example, if there are five objectives in a lesson, and they are confident in two out of the five, they can just work on the three objectives. They don’t have to keep working over and over again on concepts they already mastered; instead they can simply focus on the three objectives that they’re struggling with. Also, the step-by-step solutions – I mean, you couldn’t ask for anything better! Really it’s a guided solution that the students can work through.
How do you incorporate Hawkes into your teaching style and how you approach math?
Typically, the problems are presented in Hawkes mirror how I teach. I’ve tried other products, but the problems are just not structured the way I teach. I use the Webtest tool to help my students, so students can mimic the testing environment and help ease their test anxiety.
What classes do you teach?
I teach College Algebra 1314, and NCBM 0314, which is the support class for College Algebra. I teach 1324 which is Elementary Statistics, Business Math I, and Business Math II. Business Math II is sometimes referred to as Business Calculus.
You mentioned that you like how Hawkes allows Practice before doing the Mastery; therefore, students can get comfortable with the subject before moving on. Would you say that the Practice feature in Hawkes is your favorite?
Yes, Practice is my favorite because of the tools that are built-in to help students. I hear from students that working in Practice is very encouraging, instead of jumping straight into Certify.
There are so many students that come to us with math anxiety, and I think Hawkes does help relieve a little bit of anxiety with mathematics. Ultimately, it takes away the pressure of getting a grade.
Meet the Writer
Kristin Jellison is a Hawkes Student Ambassador for the Fall 2024 semester. Kristin is a sophomore at Navarro College where she is majoring in chemistry and plans to transfer to a 4-year university for forensic chemistry. Her academic interests include math and sciences, but outside her studies she enjoys reading and writing. After graduation, her career goal is to work in a forensic chemistry lab.
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