Exploring the Challenges of Designing A Program for Middle Grades Mathematics Licensure Ron Benbow Mark Colgan Mathematics Dept. Mathematics Dept. Taylor University Taylor University Upland, IN 46989 Upland, IN 46989 rnbenbow@taylor.edu mrcolgan@taylor.edu PMET Conference Kent State University June 3, 2006 I. Introduction: Taylor University, math department, and math education program II. Creation of Middle School program A.. PMET workshops B. Professional Standards C.. TU middle school math program curricula III. Mathematics in the Junior High/Middle School (new) course (MAT 280) A. Overview and objectives B. Field Experience component C. Sample activites/assignments IV. Course Assessment Research results V. Lessons Learned: what went well and what we would do differently VI. Questions/Comments?
I. Course Overview MAT 280 MATHEMATICS IN THE JUNIOR HIGH/MIDDLE SCHOOL MWF – Spring 2006 3 Credit Hours Course Description: An integrated content-methods course for middle school and introductory high school preparation. This course is a study of the mathematics taught in the middle grades (grades 6-8 with extensions to grades 5 and 9) with special reference to teaching aids, laboratory methods, and pedagogy, including classroom use of manipulatives and technology. Corequisite: MAT 180 or permission of the instructor. Objectives: 1) To help prospective teachers develop an adult-level understanding and conceptual knowledge of the mathematics content taught in the middle grades, particularly algebra, rational numbers, geometry and measurement, and data analysis and probability. 2) To involve prospective teachers in mathematical activities that will equip them with the skills and resources needed to effectively teach mathematics to a wide range of diverse learners, including experiences with a variety of manipulative materials. 3) To give prospective teachers opportunities to experience working with middle-grades students so they can appreciate the joys and challenges of working with these students. 4) To provide opportunities to develop, analyze, reflect on, and teach mathematics lessons appropriate for middle-grades students. 5) To involve prospective teachers in reflection and discussion of current issues in mathematics education so they can further develop their philosophy of teaching mathematics, particularly as it relates to active learning, fun, technology, connections, communication, and teaching from a problem-solving perspective. TEMP Program: Prospective teachers will participate weekly in the TAYLOR- EASTBROOK MATHEMATICS PROJECT (TEMP), which gives Taylor students an opportunity to teach mathematics lessons at local schools. Students will work in teams to develop an appropriate lesson each week (like team homework) and then teach the lesson in teams at a nearby school. Team lesson plans will be submitted in advance for assessment, and then a one-page, individual reflective report will be due following the teaching experience. More specific information will be provided early in the semester.
EACS TU Partnership: Prospective teachers will have the opportunity to participate in the East Allen County Schools TU Partnership, which involves Taylor students and faculty meeting twice with EACS 5 th grade students, once in Ft. Wayne and once at Taylor. The purpose is to help these young students begin thinking about attending college and provide positive role models for them. Between visits, Taylor students are encouraged to communicate with their EASC students by e-mail. This experience will provide additional valuable insight into the thinking of young middle-grades students. You will be asked to write a short paper summarizing your experience with your EACS student. Text: Rubenstein, R., C. Beckmann, and D. Thompson. Teaching and Learning Middle Grades Mathematics. Key College Publishing, 2004. Grades: 1. 2 Exams 30% 90 - 100% A's & Requirements 2. Quizzes 15% 80 - 89% B's 3. Notebook & Papers 20% 70 - 79% C's 4. TEMP & EACS 25% 60 - 69% D's field experiences 5. Resources File Project 10% 3) Notebooks will be graded 3 times during the semester. They should be organized by sections of a loose-leaf notebook and should include class activities, notes, homework, reflections, and one Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School (MTMS) paper. 4) Students will receive credit for their participation each week in the TEMP field experience. Feedback from your schoolteacher, instructor observations, and the quality and timeliness of TEMP reports will all contribute to the score for TEMP lessons. 5) Students will create a file of mathematics activities suitable for use with middle-grades students. The file should include activities sorted into the four categories of 1) algebra, 2) rational numbers and other number operations, 3) geometry and measurement, and 4) probability and statistics. Students should document how each activity involves the various NCTM process standards of problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication, connections, and representation. The file should include at least 5 quality activities for each of the four categories. You may work together in groups to find the activities, but each student should have his/her own file for future use.
II. Sample Activities A. We studied the textbook's 7 cooperative learning strategies by having the students in the course involved in an activity that fit each strategy: • Think-Pair-Share • Round Table • Co-op • Learning Stations • Random Reporting • Pairs Check • Jigsaw Various activities in the textbook linked a different cooperative learning strategy with a different concept in algebra. Students were able to experience each strategy while also learning effective ways to teach algebra. B. We also did a variety of activities to help students experience multiple representations of concepts, particularly with rational numbers (candy bars, fraction strips or bars, pattern blocks, Cuisenaire Rods, tangrams, decimal squares, Base-10 blocks, etc.) C. We did activities to help students go beyond simple procedural knowledge to more conceptual knowledge, so they could understand the concepts in a deeper way. This included activities where we discussed the rules for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of both fractions and decimals, and why the rules work. See the excellent textbook for more details: Rubenstein, R., C. Beckmann, and D. Thompson. Teaching and Learning Middle Grades Mathematics. Key College Publishing, 2004.
III. MAT 280 Course Assessment—Spring 2006 A. Please answer the following concerning the extent to which the 5 main objectives of the MAT 280 course were met. Please comment if you have particular thoughts or suggestions. Key: SD–strongly disagree D–disagree N–neutral A–agree SA –strongly agree Was this objective met? 1. To help prospective teachers develop an adult- SD D N A SA level understanding and conceptual knowledge 8 8 of the mathematics content taught in the middle grades, particularly algebra, rational numbers, geometry and measurement, and data analysis and probability. Comments: This is the methods class I have been waiting for! It was very helpful to actually do the activities that the students would do. Yes, it was done very well. I am disappointed there aren't classes like this for the high school level. 2. To involve prospective teachers in mathematical SD D N A SA activities that will equip them with the skills and 1 5 10 resources needed to effectively teach mathematics to a wide range of diverse learners, including experiences with a variety of manipulative materials. Comments: Showing how to use manipulatives effectively is great because mostly we just hear about them. All the sheets and manipulatives will be so helpful to have! I really liked that we used the manipulatives and did not just talk about them. I used and learned a lot about different mathematical teaching materials that I had never seen before (Fraction strips, tangrams, etc.) Our use of multiple manipulatives and activities introduced numerous methods of teaching various concepts. SD D N A SA 3. To give prospective teachers opportunities to experience working with middle-grades students 6 10 so they can appreciate the joys and challenges of working with these students. Comments: I loved the field experience. Being able to teach has been a huge step for learning about teaching. The lab was frustrating to me at times because of the time it took and trying to do it in a group. However, I did learn some valuable lessons from it.
Recommend
More recommend
