Improving Middle-Level Mathematics Teaching and Learning: A Statewide Initiative

这个为期三年的项目将开发一套协调的六门课程，专门为教师教授5-8年级的数学做准备。这些课程将构成硕士学位课程的核心，也可以单独进行认证。现有的两门课程将被修改。该项目是由大学数学家、统计学家、数学教育家、杰出数学教学总统奖获得者和其他模范中层教师共同努力的结果。目标包括：增加中级教师的概念性内容知识，提供示范材料并培养使用这些材料的技能，为教师充当导师做好准备，与国家合作进行认证，加强支持准备和专业发展的基础设施，加强中级教师和大学教师的教学实践，产生有关协作课程和项目开发的知识。为在职教师制定和实施以研究为基础和以标准为基础的计划提供研究成果，并有助于了解成人教育教学策略和远程交付系统，这些策略和系统可以在服务不足的农村地区有效（由于学校很小，而且它们之间距离很远）。该项目解决了这样一个事实，即64%的数学教师没有国家数学证书。

The three-year project will develop a coordinated set of six courses designed specially to prepare teachers to teach mathematics in the middle grades, level 5-8. The courses will form the core of a Master's Degree program or can be taken separately for certification. Two existing courses will be modified. The project is a collaborative effort involving university mathematicians, statisticians, mathematics educators, Presidential Awardees for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching and other exemplary middle-level teachers. The objectives include: increase the conceptual content knowledge of middle-level teachers, provide exposure to exemplary materials and develop skills to use them, prepare teachers to act as mentors, work with the state on certification, strengthen infrastructure that supports preparation and professional development, enhance teaching practices of middle-level teachers and college faculty, produce knowledge about collaborative course and program development, produce research results on developing and implementing a research-based and standards-based program for in-service teachers, and contribute to the understanding of adult education teaching strategies and distance delivery systems that can be effective in under-served rural areas (due to very small schools and great distances between them). This project addresses the fact that sixty-four percent of the teachers teaching mathematics do not have a state credential in mathematics.