Course Description: Prerequisites MED 610 - Survey of Research in Mathematics Education and MED 700 - Cognitive Processes in Mathematics, or consent of the instructor. Focus on issues relevant to working with preservice and inservice K-12 mathematics teachers. Students will develop expertise in promoting standards-based content, curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment in the context of reform-oriented research and national reports, including the NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. Examination of current curricular materials and classroom technology, observation of K-12 teaching, collaboration with teacher enhancement initiatives may be included.

Course Objectives: The primary objective of this course is to develop a deep, articulate, understanding of the background, development, and maintenance of standards-based school mathematics teaching and learning. Students will be able to evaluate, summarize, and review ideas for school mathematics put forward in research, practice, history, and policy. Students should also demonstrate, by the end of the course, a capacity for analysis and synthesis of the nature and questions of mathematics education "reform." Moreover, students will explore the issues in preparing school teachers: their undergraduate coursework; experiences, supervision (as student teachers), and in-service development. Finally, the course will help prepare students to assess ideas from research, practice, history, and policy and the restrictions on their accuracy and applicability.

• Written assignments in the course:
  • regular Summary and Review or Annotated Bibliography assignments on the course readings,
  • short expository and comparative essays,
  • exam questions that require explanation, application of theories to new situations, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of knowledge gained from readings and observations,
• Research and policy documents (the NCTM Principles and Standards document in particular) are used to help each student think about and analyze school mathematics teaching and learning. Students are helped to master the appropriate use of research, history, and policy in bolstering arguments for any changes in practice (e.g., in the teaching and learning of mathematics in schools or in the preparation of school teachers).
• In order to better understand practice, students will complete at least two of the following: observe school mathematics teachers and learners (in person or on video), participate in school mathematics enhancement activities, review school mathematics curricula and/or assessment materials from the U.S. (historical and current) and/or from other countries.

Methods of Evaluation: Assessment of student learning is accomplished through at least two in-class examinations (with an oral component to at least one of these exams), regular (and increasingly sophisticated) writing assignments, and a final exam that includes at least a portion that is written.

Bibliography - Required materials for the course:

• Text, e-book, or CD-ROM: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000). Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (PSSM). Reston, VA: Author.
  If you have not already done so, join the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [PDF application form]. For your $39 you get e-access to one journal and the PSSM.
• Buy the paperback: Rodriguez, A. J., & Kitchen, R. S. (Eds.) (2005). Preparing mathematics and science teachers for diverse classrooms: Promising strategies for transformative pedagogy. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
  ISBN 0805846808, $27.50.
  The book is a collection of chapters written by different authors offering theoretical and practical arguments for helping prospective teachers learn to meet the needs of the diverse demographics they will encounter among students in their future teaching.
• Buy the IMAP CD: Integrating mathematics and pedagogy to illustrate children's reasoning. (2005) CD-ROM, ISBN: 0131198548. Cost: about $18.00
  This professional development CD-ROM for teachers of grades 1-5 offers video clips and other tools designed to help teachers understand student thinking about mathematics. Twenty-five video clips cover place value, subtraction, and fractions.
  See: http://www.allynbaconmerrill.com/title/0131198548.
• Available e-book free through UNC Net Library: Ma, L. (1999), Knowing and teaching elementary mathematics. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
• Available e-book about $25 through the National Research Council: How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school (Expanded edition) (2000).

Additional research, practice, and policy documents chosen each semester. Among those for Fall 2008 will be selections provided to students from:


• Supplemental text: Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. New York: Teachers College.
• Supplemental text: Stanic, G. M. A., & Kilpatrick, J. (2003). A history of school mathematics.Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
• Supplemental e-book: Tucker, A., Fey, J., Schifter, D., & Sowder, J. (2001), The mathematical education of teachers. Roanoke, VA: American Mathematical Society.