SED 525 MA/L Methods for Teaching Secondary Mathematics Spring 2009

“Car Race” Activity[1]

Step 1: In your group, discuss and come to consensus about each question.

Step 2: Discuss with your group:

· What do you think would Gary Tsuruda say about this student activity?

· Where, on this continuum, would you place the kind of understanding this activity seems likely to promote in students? Why?

Extremely relational Extremely instrumental

· How could you modify this activity to promote more instrumental understanding?

· How could you modify this activity to promote more relational understanding?

Please answer these questions to help me get to know you and plan an appropriate course.

Your name (what you like to be called):

Briefly describe any teaching experience. Tell how many years, what levels you taught, and if this was full-time teaching, student teaching, tutoring, assisting, volunteering, etc. If local, at what schools?

Are you student teaching now? If so, where, what, and to what age students?

Is this (circle one) SED 554 SED 593/594 (interns) SED 555 SED 555I (interns)

If you are not already a fulltime teacher, at what level do you hope to teach after earning your credential: a middle school, high school, or some other level?

How familiar are you with the NCTM Standards?

How aware are you of a reform movement in math education? Have you personally been involved in math reform in any way (e.g., used a “reform” textbook)?

Do you own a graphing calculator? If so, how familiar are you with its use?

Have you used technology (e.g., graphing calculators and software) or manipulatives in your math teaching? Please list each kind you have used and describe how familiar you feel with each.

A few times in this course, you will “practice teach” your classmates. How nervous does this prospect make you feel?

What else would you like me to know about you that would help me teach you?

SED 525 Activity “Into” Assignment Due 2/9, 16, or 23, 2009

Step 1: Think of an activity for secondary students (you choose the grade level) that would help deepen their understanding of an important math concept. Listening to you talk is not considered an activity! The activity should be a task or project that students find interesting, that they can work on with relative independence from you (alone, in pairs, in small groups, or as a whole class), and that engages them in high-level thinking or problem solving about the concept. Consider using hands-on materials, real-world connections, experiments, games, calculators, etc. Since you won’t actually run the activity for this assignment, you can let your imagination run wild! Feel free to use published, online, or human resources for ideas.

Step 2: Plan in detail only the introduction to this activity. You will have 4 minutes from the time students enter class to get them started on the activity. In these 4 minutes, you must introduce the activity, hook students’ interest, organize them into the appropriate configuration, distribute materials, and make sure they have enough information to proceed.

Step 3: On your designated night, you will play the role of the teacher of our class, as if we were students at the appropriate level, and you will deliver this introduction. In 4 minutes or less, you must introduce the activity to us as students, hook our interest, organize us into the appropriate configuration, distribute materials, and give us enough information to proceed. Stop your presentation at the point when we are ready to begin the activity (or when 4 minutes are up and you get “gonged,” whichever comes first!).

The point of this assignment is for you to plan for and practice actually

setting up students for a learning activity. As you prepare,

focus on two things: smooth logistics and sparking interest.

SED 525 Methods for Teaching Secondary Mathematics Homework due 2/2/2009

Read:

· The rest of the syllabus

· Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, NCTM (2000):

o Chapter 2, “Principles for school mathematics,” and

o EITHER “Algebra Standard for Grades 6-8” (part of Chapter 6)

o OR “Algebra Standard for Grades 9-12” (part of Chapter 7)

Find these at http://standards.nctm.org/, where you can sign up for free access to the Principles for a 120-day trial period. Ideally, you should join NCTM, for full access to resources. (If all else fails, email me for an uglier, figureless copy, or read the hardcopy in Oviatt.)

· The California Mathematics Content Standards:

o “Grades 8-12 Introduction”

o AND the “Algebra I” section

Find these at: http://www.cde.ca.gov. Click on “Standards & Frameworks,” then “Content

Standards,” then “Mathematics.” (Bookmark for future reference.)

Write, to submit next week:

1) Think back to your own experiences as a secondary math student. To what degree do the principles and algebra standards promoted by the NCTM characterize your experiences? Give at least 2 specific examples of classroom practices or situations from your own experience as a middle- or high-school student that seem to exemplify or contradict the NCTM’s vision of effective mathematics teaching.

2) There is disagreement about whether the CA content standards mesh or conflict with the NCTM Standards. Based on your reading this week, where do you stand on this question? Give a few examples from the two documents to support your stance.

Also do:

· Think about a classroom activity that will be the basis for your Activity “into” assignment.

· Start a little Author Notebook with a brief summary of each reading (not Standards; start with Orton & Frobisher and Tsurda). For each article, write:

o The author’s (or authors’) main point (1-3 sentences)

o How the author’s ideas could be applied to the math classroom (for lesson planning, assessment, task design, interactions with students…)

· Start bringing a graphing calculator to every class, if you own one.

· Always bring your course reader to class.