SUNDAY,MARCH 6,1994
Instructor's Formula for Success: Expect the Best
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As a freshman at Southern University in New Orleans, Terry Caliste was failing algebra. Today, Mr. Caliste, a mathematics adjunct instructor at Monmouth College, produces and is host of "Knowledge Base," a 30-minute weekly math program broadcast statewide on the Cable Television Network that is drawing a legion of devoted fans. Mr. Caliste, who makes Tinton Falls his home, has calculated a formula for success in teaching mathematics. On his show and in the classroom he teaches students to "trivialize" mathematics and helps them build a "broad analytical repertoire." Add to the equation, the students' acquiring a hefty dose of self-esteem. Mr. Caliste's approach is based on the theory of expectancy. "My approach is rooted in psychology," he said. "We all live up to what people expect of us. I tell everyone in my class that they all have an A. Their objective is to keep that A and they can do it. It's a lot different than telling them that it is a rough course or that a lot of them will fall by the wayside. It's basic positive thinking and it works." Robert Jameson is a freshman at the University of Maine. Last year he completed a Scholastic Assessment Test course taught by Mr Caliste, and he increased his score by 200 points. "It's because he made it like a game," Mr Jameson said. "He sits and works with you as a team. He doesn't give up on you like other teachers do. He's a confidence builder." Mustafa Bardstdale is a shooting guard on the Monmouth College basketball team and a student in Mr. Caliste's algebra class. "My high school teachers never broke down the problem so I could grasp the concept," he |
 Terry Caliste, right, the producer and host of "Knowledge Base," a weekly math program on Cable Television Network, as show was taped. Behind camera was Mike Stevens. |
generates enthusiasm. said. "It was confusing. Terry explained everything. I hated math, and he helped me to learn to love it." In high school, Mr. Caliste said, he was bored by most of his mathematics teachers. "Many teachers actually teach only two or three students," he said. "The rest are residual or passive learners. Teen-agers are the hardest audience because they are raging hormones. You have to keep their intrest or you lose them." Self-motivational is another factor in a students success. "Those who merely desire an A may not get it, because it costs nothing to desire for something," Mr. Caliste said. "But those who intend to get it are expressing a commitment. " Mr. Caliste said there was a void in educational television. "The young children have 'Mr. Rogers,' the older children watch 'Mr. Wizard' and I want to be the one they turn into for mathematics," he said. The 36-year-old instructor writes, directs and produces "Knowledge Base," assuming the production costs of each show, which he estimates at $300 a taping. He spends one hour commuting from the Monmouth station to the taping site at Monmouth College just to borrow camera equipment. The trek, he said, has been worth it. "Everyone laughed when I said I wanted to fo a math show," he said. "People want escapism, not math, they said. Now I |
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get letters and requests for 'Knowledge Base' T-shirts, and people tell me I'm turning a whole new generation
on to math. That's exciting." At Southern University, Mr. Caliste was like many of his students. He did not like math. "I begged my teacher to let me drop the course," he said. "I cried. I wanted to give up, but she wouldn't let me. Now I won't give up on anyone. I believe everyone can do math." Mr. Caliste finished his degree in mathematics in three years and went on to earn a master's degree in statistics from Iowa University. it was while he was working as a statistician at the American Telephone and Telegraph Company that he began tutoring high school students in preparation for the S.A.T.'s. 4 Reasons for Failure There are four basic reasons, he said, that many students so poorly in math. Students suffer from negative self-esteem, they are stifles by teach- |
ers who limit them to "my way is the way" to solve a problem, they work with uncreative teachers and finally they face the
stereotypical image of being called a math "nerd." Athletes, for example, feed right into the image that they are supposed to do poorly in math. "Last year, I worked with several football players at Monmouth College and showed them how they were already using math to learn 30 plays and geometric patterns with two or three variations," Mr. Caliste said. "That's math!" Students taking the S.A.T.'s are prone to several errors. Out of the 60 seconds they spend on each problem, 20 of those are spent just sitting there, he said. Mr. Caliste said students have to identify what concept the test is asking. Once they do that then they can work it out. Many of the students say their teachers want the problems worked only one way. "That's stifling," Mr. Caliste said. "I show them three or four alternatives so something always works. You have to work not only hard, but smart." |
Not all of Mr. Caliste's students have doon poorly in class. Michael Luzio of Matawan did well in mathematics in high school
but did not score highly on his S.A.T.'s. His solution was to enroll in Mr. Caliste's workshop and watch the television
show. His math score increased by 200 points. "Terry really cares about his students," said Mr. Luzio, a senior at Matawan High School. "Word problems were difficult for me. When I looked at a problem, I would focus only on the hard parts of it instead of looking for something easy which I could understand. You learn little methods like that." Far-Reaching Audiences "Knowledge Base," though intended for the high school-age student, is having far-reaching audiences. Andrew Hokenson, Carl Chaker and four of their eighth-grade friends from Mountain Lakes rush home every Monday to watch the show. "I was flipping channels one day and discovered Terry," said Andrew, 13. "He makes math interesting and under- |
standable." His friend, Carl, 14, shares the sentiment. "I'm not very good in math; actually, I've been afraid of it," he said. "But since watching the show I'm getting interested in it, and I see it doesn't have to be that hard. I only wish it were on every day." Dressed in a pullover sweater, Mr. Caliste projects a relaxed image to his students. It's not like the usual mthematics professor, and of that he is quite proud. "I want kids to alter their view of what professors do," he said. "I'm also proud to be one of the few black mathematics professors and feel that I'm a role model for others." His students and fans are continually growing. When the show began, it was available to 42,000 subscribers of Monmouth Cablevision. Now it is on 35 cable companies with a 1.8 million potential audience. This fall, it will be broadcast nationally on the Black College Satellite Network. "It's easy to see why he's so popular," Mr. Jameson said. "I was never bored, and loved the class. What else can you say?" |
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