September 4, 1998

Professor Matthew Collins lauded as "Math Evangelist"

by Anna Landreneau, A’98 former intern in the Office of Public Affairs

“Some people swim,” relates Professor Matthew Collins, instructor of mathematics at City College. “I teach math. I see it as my mission in life.” Graduate student Anne Code says Collins is a math evangelist. Indeed, his revolutionary method of teaching math through the memory recall system is making math easier for both traditional and nontraditional students to learn.

This system, currently being incorporated into book form by Collins and his assistant, Professor Keely Britton, at Florida A&M University, works by placing mathematical formulas and equations in the student’s long-term memory by connecting them to illogical associations. This is done by establishing the “given” object, identifying the “data” object, visualizing the object in its normal place, and associating the data object with the given object. Illogical or silly associations are connected to things which are personal to the student and make the equation or formula easy to remember because they are affiliated with an object in the student’s long-term memory. The 10 basic sounds which form our alphabet are linked with the number system which is based on 10 digits (vowels in words have no number value) providing an easy and quick method of encoding needed information. He presents his memory system concepts both locally and as far away as Florida’s A & M University.

In today’s world, where technology has literally exploded, a knowledge of math has become essential and by using this system of learning, students who are not math majors can excel using the memory recall system. A course which formerly took three semesters to comprehend can be absorbed in one. This is particularly helpful for those with time constraints and those returning to the classroom after a long hiatus. Collins likes to survey his students at the beginning of each semester so he can help serve their individual goals in learning, whether those are to fulfill course requirements, do better on the GRE, or improve employment prospects.

L. Jules Hoffmeister, a senior and criminal justice major, says because of a dislike for math, he put off taking math requirements until the last minute. After taking Collins’ class, he now boasts complete confidence in his math skills. Mike Champagne, who had not taken a math class in 30 years, remembers, “When I walked into class, I was as lost as you could get. Now I know that math is as hard as you make it or as easy as you let it be.” Former students agree, for in 1995, Collins was distinguished by earning the Anthony Waters Outstanding Teacher Award. The recipient of that award is chosen by students who are polled two to five years after graduation to name the teacher whom they feel best provided them with an exceptional experience in learning.

Collins likes to tell his students to relax, to leave their cares at the door before walking into class. He is a firm believer that a person has to make a mental shift in order to learn the subject at hand. Stress, he says, can only hurt one’s health and prevent one from learning. And he is a firm believer in learning. He once carried a book bag with an inscription by John Dewey which emulated his philosophy: “Education is not preparation for life, it is life itself.” After many years of teaching, Collins, who has taught at Loyola both part time and full time for more than 30 years, is positive that anyone can become competent at math. He doesn’t put much stock in whether a person has had prere-guisites are not. “A lot of the time, having the prerequisites doesn’t mean a whole lot, because students forget what they have learned before. That is why it is so important to teach math using the memory recall system; you encode it into your long­term memory and are able to recall the information at will for the rest of your life. Students can use the system in other classes as well; that’s what’s so revolutionary about it.”

He incorporates the learning-by-association concepts in all of the classes he teaches at Loyola–Concepts of Math/Algebra, College Algebra, Introduction to Finite Math, and Survey of Calculus. This fall the calculus class will have an equivocal of the class offered on a CD­ROM which can be used on campus or at home.

Collins is fond of humorously equating himself with Einstein, who sometimes had to have his students do his arithmetic for him. However, his students know better. They attest to both Collins’ ingenuity and his mathematical abilities. In addition to his time at Loyola, he has taught in the Orleans Parish Public School System and has been involved with the Scope Program, Upward Bound, and PIP (Professional Improvement Program for Teachers).