Teaching Mathematics in the Middle School

Catalog description

This course has been designed to guide both in-service and pre-service teachers towards growth in teaching mathematics in middle school classrooms, according to the best of current practices. It is accepted that teaching and leraning is an ongoing process throughout our careers. Teaching math well requires: a) Deep undertanding of the mathematics content, b) Understanding of how students develop mathematical ideas, and c) The ability to shape appropriate learning environments and tasks. Realistically, the process of teaching mathematics, how student learn it, and how to build appropriate learning environments in courses like this one is only the first step towards developing the content and pedagogical skills needed to teach in the 21st century. The objective is to help students construct ideas that take them in the right direction, providing models for the continued long-term learning they will develop with their own classrooms clearly in mind. According to the best of current practice, this involves learning through exploration, inquiry and discovery. As students communicate and then reflect on teaching situations, they will form what has been described as a community of practice, a prototype for how groups of educators join forces, over months and years, to strenghten both their understanding and school practice.