This volume contains papers from the Second International Curriculum Conference sponsored by the Center for the Study of Mathematics Curriculum (CSMC). The intended audience includes policy makers, curriculum developers, researchers, teachers, teacher trainers, and anyone else interested in school mathematics curricula.
Designed to support both teachers and university-based tutors in mentoring pre-service and newly qualified mathematics teachers at both primary and secondary levels, Mentoring Mathematics Teachers offers straightforward practical advice that is based on practice, underpinned by research, and geared specifically towards this challenging subject area. Developed by members of The Association of Mathematics Education Teachers, the authors draw upon the most up-to-date research and theory to provide evidence-based practical guidance. Themes covered include: the recognition of the importance of pedagogical content knowledge building upon subject knowledge developing skills of self-evaluation in order to reflect and develop your own practice the on-going need to address issues of equity and diversity within the profession the need for pre-service teachers and their mentors to work together effectively as a partnership the importance of collaboration, shared goals, mutual benefit and growth. Addressing issues of mentoring for all trainee and practising mathematics teachers, Mentoring Mathematics Teachers demonstrates both the importance of mentoring in the development of new teachers of mathematics, but also the benefits to all those who involve themselves in this challenging and rewarding task.
This book provides an international platform for educators from different STEM disciplines to present, discuss, connect, and develop collaborations in two inter-related ways: (1) sharing and discussing changes and innovations in individual discipline-based education in STEM/STEAM, and (2) sharing and discussing the development of interdisciplinary STEM/STEAM education. Possible relationships and connections between individual disciplines (like mathematics or physics) and STEM education remain under explored and the integration of traditionally individual discipline-based education in STEM education is far from balanced. Efforts to pursue possible connections among traditionally separated individual disciplines in STEM are not only necessary for the importance of deepening and expanding interdisciplinary research and education in STEM, but also for the ever-increasing need of reflecting on and changing how traditional school subjects (like mathematics or physics) can and should be viewed, taught, and learned. Scholars from eight countries/regions provide diverse perspectives and approaches on changes and innovations in STEM disciplinary and interdisciplinary education. Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Education in STEM will be a great resource to students and researchers in STEM education as well as STEM curriculum developers and teacher educators internationally.
In response to No Child Let Behind, states have developed mathematics curriculum frameworks that outline their intended curriculum for grades K–8. While some have indicated that districts or individual schools may use their framework as a model for specific curricular programs, others have taken a more prescriptive or even mandatory stance. Collectively, these frameworks present a sense of the national mathematics program and what we expect students learn. This volume follows The Intended Curriculum as Represented in State Mathematics Curriculum Standards: Consensus or Confusion? (Reys). While the Reys volume focused on number and operations, algebra and reasoning strands, the Smith volume analyzes geometry, measurement, probability, and statistics strands. It also presents an analysis what verbs used tell us about the cognitive demand of grade level expectations. This volume, even more than the Reys volume, emphasizes the theme of variability in the content, expression, and clarity of grade level expectations across the states. As the nation moves toward implementation of the Common Core Standards, this volume highlights some of the challenges teachers and other school personnel face in interpreting mathematics grade-level standards as goals for classroom teaching. The shift from 50 state standards to one document does not resolve this basic challenge.
Big ideas in the mathematics curriculum for older school students, especially those that are hard to learn and hard to teach, are covered in this book. It will be a first port of call for research about teaching big ideas for students from 9-19 and also has implications for a wider range of students. These are the ideas that really matter, that students get stuck on, and that can be obstacles to future learning. It shows how students learn, why they sometimes get things wrong, and the strengths and pitfalls of various teaching approaches. Contemporary high-profile topics like modelling are included. The authors are experienced teachers, researchers and mathematics educators, and many teachers and researchers have been involved in the thinking behind this book, funded by the Nuffield Foundation. An associated website, hosted by the Nuffield Foundation, summarises the key messages in the book and connects them to examples of classroom tasks that address important learning issues about particular mathematical ideas.
The mathematics curriculum – what mathematics is taught, to whom it is taught, and when it is taught – is the bedrock to understanding what mathematics students can, could, and should learn. Today’s digital technology influences the mathematics curriculum in two quite different ways. One influence is on the delivery of mathematics through hardware such as desktops, laptops, and tablets. Another influence is on the doing of mathematics using software available on this hardware, but also available on the internet, calculators, or smart phones. These developments, rapidly increasing in their availability and decreasing in their cost, raise fundamental questions regarding a mathematics curriculum that has traditionally been focused on paper-and-pencil work and taught in many places as a set of rules to be practiced and learned. This volume presents the talks given at a conference held in 2014 at the University of Chicago, sponsored by the Center for the Study of Mathematics Curriculum. The speakers – experts from around the world and inside the USA – were asked to discuss one or more of the following topics: • changes in the nature and creation of curricular materials available to students • transformations in how students learn and how they demonstrate their learning • rethinking the role of the teacher and how students and teachers interact within a classroom and across distances from each other The result is a set of articles that are interesting and captivating, and challenge us to examine how the learning of mathematics can and should be affected by today’s technology.
Help young minds explore algebraic concepts This book shows teachers how to create a strong foundation in algebra for very young children. Using in-depth math “explorations,” the author unpacks—step by step—the hidden connections to higher algebra. Each exploration contains an elegantly simple grade-banded lesson (on addition, subtraction, patterns, and odd and even numbers), followed by a discussion of the lesson's algebra connections, as well as suggestions for additional problems to explore. Throughout, readers will find: Clear explanations of algebraic connections Specific strategies for teaching the key ideas of algebra Lesson modifications for older or younger students An array of age-appropriate problems and games
by Donald J. Albers ix INTRODUCTION In July of 1984 the first national conference on mathematics education in two-year colleges was held at Menlo College. The conference was funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Two-year colleges account for more than one-third of all undergraduate enrollments in mathematics, and more than one-half of all college freshmen are enrolled in two-year colleges. These two facts alone suggest the importance of mathematics education in two-year colleges, particularly to secondary schools, four-year colleges, and universities. For a variety of reasons, four-year colleges and universities are relatively unaware of two-year colleges. Arthur Cohen, who was a participant at the "New Directions" conference warns: "Four-year colleges and universities ignore two-year colleges at their own peril." Ross Taylor, another conference participant, encouraged two-year college faculty to be ever mindful of their main source of students--secondary schools- and to work hard to strengthen their ties with them. There are many other reasons why it was important to examine two-year college mathematics from a national perspective: 1. Over the last quarter century, rio other sector of higher education has grown so rapidly as have two-year colleges. Their enrollments tripled in the 60's, doubled in the 70's, and continue to increase rapidly in the 80's. x 2. Twenty-five years ago, two-year colleges accounted for only one-seventh of all undergraduate mathematics enrollments; today the fraction is more than one-third.
Give your students a foundation of algebra for math success – now and in the future! Algebra is not something to be feared, but something to be embraced with a sense of wonder. Planting the Seeds of Algebra, 3-5, introduces algebra as an accessible way of seeing the world that is necessary to our students’ futures. Students and teachers must become friendly with algebraic foundations, as they have increasingly become the gateway to careers in the STEM fields. Monica Neagoy empowers teachers with theoretical and practical ways to introduce Algebra to 3-5 grade students, making vital connections to concepts they will encounter in middle school and beyond. You’ll discover Four explorations to help you weave key algebraic ideas into everyday mathematics Step-by-step lessons from real classrooms that will guide you in teaching concepts and in establishing their relevance and applicability New teaching methods that break down difficult algebraic concepts and build a critical foundation for higher math Awaken new awareness and change attitudes by sowing the seeds for a vibrant, useful, and rich experience with mathematics. "While reading this book I experienced the sense of wonder and aha moments alongside the students themselves. This book will move your faculty to new depths of understanding about mathematics and will instill the passion to explore a myriad of algebraic concepts." — Bob Weiman, Director St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School "She’s done it again! Monica Neagoy has authored another book that deftly presents important foundations of algebra while celebrating mathematics through carefully crafted explorations, all of which include student and teacher vignettes and comments about the mathematics they have learned and are teaching. Wow. When I read this book I felt like I was in a classroom!" — Francis (Skip) Fennell, McDaniel College Past President of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics