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Are you a good math teacher?
Do you want to be a great one? |
Mathematics Education Concentration |
Every year about fifteen very special teachers
in grades 3 - 8 (the intermediate and middle grades) –
who love teaching mathematics to their students,
who are thrilled
by the power and beauty of mathematics,
who enjoy playing with math problems,
who want to spend one night a week
for a couple of years
talking with other teachers who are similarly inclined –
enroll in a NLU Math Ed Cluster.
They are becoming great math teachers
and are enjoying the journey.
They are a support group for one another
and work closely with five NLU faculty members. The Mathematics Education concentration may also be completed through individual course offerings rather than through the cluster format. |
Framework | | Program Goals |
The Mathematics Education program concentration is ...
based on the philosophy of mathematics teaching and learning expressed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics; based on a constructivist approach to learning; rooted in cognitive psychology.
The core experiences of the concentration help teachers begin a career-long process of reflecting on the teaching and learning of mathematics. For many teachers this means confronting the traditional practices of schools they experienced as learners, which may be ineffective for many children. The courses provoke teachers to rethink their conceptions of ... The concentration is intended for certified, practicing teachers in grades 3 through 8, who may obtain, if desired, the State of Illinois middle level mathematics endorsement through the courses. Mathematics Education is a concentration within the Curriculum and Instruction program and leads to a Master of Education Degree (M.Ed.), a Certificate of Advanced Study (C.A.S) for those who already have a master’s degree, or a Master of Science in Education (M.S.Ed.) for those who wish to write a thesis. Please see the Curriculum & Instruction homepage for a description of these options and their corresponding requirements. | |
The courses in the concentration are designed to help teachers:
Experience the beauty and power of mathematics through a dynamic, problem-solving approach; Learn how to pose worthwhile, authentic, and creative mathematical tasks for their students; Create learning environments that encourage mathematical reasoning and excitement toward learning mathematics; Engage with others in doing and talking about mathematics; Enhance their students’ thinking about mathematics in their classrooms and doing mathematics with a wide variety of mathematical “tools”; Take intellectual risks in doing mathematics and teaching mathematics.
The concentration helps teachers in these processes by the simultaneous study of mathematics content and mathematics pedagogy so that they can experience as learners models of the good mathematics teaching proposed by NCTM. By integrating the examination of both mathematical content and pedagogy, the concentration promotes active, substantive professional development. |
Powerful, Problem-Solving Approach |
These courses have been known for the powerful, problem-solving approach used to help teachers build their knowledge of mathematics and how to build such knowledge in their pupils. In every course, mathematical concepts are addressed via problem solving; there is a minimum of instructor lecturing. The classroom teachers who are enrolled in these courses build their knowledge of mathematics by DOING it, just as their own students must do it. And then they discuss various teaching methods that may be adapted for their own classrooms.
Sometimes the problem or activity that the instructor selects for the teachers to work on will be at the same approximate level they are teaching as in activities taken from the newest and best middle grades curricula. Classroom teachers then think through how conceptually based, problem-solving oriented curricula are going to work with their own pupils. Sometimes the problem or activity that the instructor selects for the teachers in the course will challenge them to think considerably above the level of mathematics they are teaching. Teachers need to be able to teach with sophisticated knowledge (i.e., the five content standards of NCTM) and with pedagogical understandings (the five NCTM process standards, which are essential cognitive processes).
For each problem or activity at either of these two levels of mathematical content, the teachers work to find solutions (or partial solutions). This work is done either individually or in small groups. Immediately afterwards, instructors debrief with the teachers on three layers :
The concepts in the problem and the processes the teachers used to solve it; The methods that the instructor used (questions, grouping, pacing, what happened in the first debriefing); The various ways that the activity could be modified to differentiate the material and processes for a diverse population of pupils. What prior knowledge should they have? How do you know? How can the activities by adapted for your classroom? How can the activities be adapted for younger pupils?
Finally, teachers are asked to adapt activities experienced in the courses and implement them in their own classrooms. They analyze and assess work of their own students and others. They have many opportunities to experience, practice, and implement the methods of teaching espoused in the NCTM standards. |
Why choose this program?
What is different about it? | | Program
Development |
The program is set up for teachers who are definitely focused on intermediate and middle level teaching of mathematics. Teachers tell us that most math education programs, although listed as appropriate for elementary and middle school teachers, are in reality dominated by discussion of high school mathematics and its teaching. Conversely, teachers of intermediate grades are less interested in primary PK-2 mathematics.
The focus of the program is grades 3-8. Middle level teachers need to know the important building blocks that their students should have gotten in grades 3-5 and how to help them when they don’t have these concepts understood and skills mastered. They ought not simply teach using the same ineffective approaches.
Teachers in grades 3-5 need to see where this material is going, so they can build a strong foundation. They also may have students who are mathematically gifted and need to be able to plan powerful mathematics experiences for all their students.
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Faculty members Mary Lindquist and Paul Trafton created this program of study over a decade ago. Dr. Lindquist later became president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and Dr. Trafton headed one of the writing teams for the groundbreaking document Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (1989), commonly known as the NCTM Standards.
From the late 1980s, this extremely forward-thinking National-Louis faculty in the Mathematics Education department began providing mathematics courses that blended content and teaching methods. Teachers have used these courses for middle grades endorsement in mathematics teaching in Illinois.
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The Courses |
The program includes courses in which teachers examine the teaching and learning of mathematics. These constitute the concentration in mathematics education:
| MHE501 | Topics in Mathematics for Teachers: Number Concepts and Operations in the Elementary and Middle School Mathematics Curriculum (3sh) | MHE502 | Topics in Mathematics for Teachers: Algebra (3sh) | MHE510 | Topics in Mathematics for Teachers: Geometry (3sh) | MHE511 | Topics in Mathematics for Teachers: Number Theory (3sh) | MHE512 | Topics in Mathematics for Teachers: Statistics & Probability (3sh) | MHE485 | Advanced Methods for Teaching Middle School Mathematics * (3sh) | Electives | 2 semester hours |
* This concentration coursework is appropriate for teachers interested in obtaining the State of Illinois middle school mathematics endorsement. Those not seeking the endorsement meet with an advisor to make an appropriate substitution for MHE485. In addition to the courses listed above, electives may be used to meet additional endorsement requirements: | MLE500 | Middle School: An Overview (3sh) | MLE502 | Middle School Curriculum (3sh) |
Students choosing to complete a graduate degree use their approval coursework toward the concentration requirement of the M.Ed., C.A.S., or M.S.Ed. Those completing the M.Ed. also complete five additional courses, which are carefully blended into the program to support and enrich the experience of participating teachers:
| three courses in curriculum and instruction — CIC503 Curriculum Design and Evaluation; CIC504 Instructional Decision Making; and CIC592 Seminar: Educational Inquiries one course in cognitive psychology — EPS541 Cognition and Instruction an educational research course — ESR505 Educational Inquiry and Assessment.
This 34-semester hour sequence leads to the M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Mathematics Education. Please see the Curriculum & Instruction homepage or contact an academic advisor for a description of the requirements for the C.A.S. and M.S.Ed. options.
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Schedule |
Students may take Mathematics Education courses and/or the M.Ed. and C.A.S. requirements within the cluster or traditional options:
The Mathematics Education cluster option follows the NLU cluster model in which a cohort of teachers enrolls in all (or nearly all) of the courses together. NLU is beginning a Mathematics Education cluster in the near future. Classes will typically meet on the same evening each week during the school year, once a week for eleven weeks. During the summer, classes will meet four times a week for six weeks. Students benefit from a fixed tuition rate, which is designated at the time of registration.
The traditional option allows students to complete the Mathematics Education concentration through individual course offerings rather than through the cluster format. It is designed for students who desire the flexibility of attending classes on a variety of evenings and/or at a variety of locations. Course offerings are highlighted each quarter in The National College of Education Quarterly, in the Mathematics Education section for each campus. Or, contact the Program Coordinator to discuss a sequence.
The mini-cluster option includes the Curriculum and Instruction required core courses and is for students who wish to attend class on the same evening throughout the academic year, with the same group of students, and at the same designated location. These students benefit from a fixed tuition rate, which is designated at the time of registration. This option is ideal for students who are taking their Mathematics Education concentration courses individually, and want to apply that coursework to complete a degree.
If needed for endorsement, MHE485 Advanced Methods for Teaching Mathematics in the Middle School is offered frequently.
Information about projected cluster groups throughout the Chicagoland area may be obtained from the Enrollment Office (800-443-5522 x4430/x3371/x2743/x8053).
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For more information
about the Mathematics Education
program, courses, and/or schedule,
contact Dr. Edna Bazik,
800-443-5522 ext 4350 or Edna.Bazik@nl.edu
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C&I MATH page updated 10/13/05.
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Last modified on: 2006-06-07 13:43:38 by: Debbi Hjelle
_co-aspen.nl.edu_
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