AEDU 633U
MEANINGFUL MATHEMATICS  FOR THE EARLY GRADES  (K-5)
Spring 2002:  January 15 - April 23, 2002

Instructor: Bridget Coleman, M.Ed.  (Mathematics Specialist, CSRA Hub)

Office:  Office 206 / Ruth Patrick Science Education Center / USC Aiken
Email:  BridgetC@usca.edu
Telephone: Office: 803-641-2834  (Office Hours Vary)  Home: 803-641-4763
Class Meetings: Tuesdays, 3:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Location: Room 517, Barnwell Elementary School

I.  Descriptive Information:  (3 graduate hours)
This course is designed to provide opportunities for professional educators of grades K-5 to develop as leaders in mathematics education by expanding their understanding of certain mathematical concepts and teaching strategies.  The course will prepare teachers for teaching the S.C. Mathematics Curriculum Standards to all students in grades K-5 with the depth and understanding required for later success in mathematics.  The course will focus on engaging learning activities that promote conceptual development as well as the facility to think symbolically.  Through these experiences, participants will learn to develop and select thoughtful learning activities for engaging students in meaningful mathematics in the elementary grades.  Alignment of classroom instruction and routine assessment with state and national curricula will be a major thread of the course.  The S.C. Mathematics Curriculum Standards and the NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics will serve as guides for content emphases.
 

II. Course Goals and Objectives:

A. General Goals:  The goals of the course are…
1.  To improve the attitudes and confidence of teachers with regard to teaching and
     learning the S.C. mathematics curriculum standards in the elementary school grades.
2.  To provide concrete experiences which strengthen understanding of elementary
     mathematics concepts.
3.  To involve teachers in applying math process skills and critical thinking.
4.  To offer an investigative, inquiry approach that capitalizes on the student's natural
     curiosity.
5.  To assist teachers in presenting mathematics in a more engaging, real-world manner in
     the classroom.
6.  To train teachers to function as facilitators of mathematics learning who actively
     engage students in critical thinking, questioning, hypothesizing, planning, analyzing,
     synthesizing, and working cooperatively as well as independently.

B. Objectives: By the end of this course, participants will be able to…
1.  Apply a variety of problem solving strategies in non-routine as well as real-world
     situations.
2.  Use manipulatives to discover, demonstrate or verify mathematical phenomena.
3.  Use manipulatives to solve problems.
4.  Apply basic math process skills to gather and analyze data.
5.  Use data to explain, justify or illustrate mathematics concepts or events.
6.  Apply mathematics and language skills in the context of an investigation.
7.  Work cooperatively with a team to gather data and/or solve a problem.
8.   Demonstrate knowledge of each strand of the SC Curriculum Standards.
9.   Identify appropriate activities for teaching math concepts for a given grade level.
10. Develop and teach a unit addressing the S.C. Mathematics Curriculum Standards
11. Describe and demonstrate how hands-on mathematics teaching facilitates the learning
      of children with varied learning styles.
12. Express a positive disposition toward the learning of mathematics.
13. Analyze teaching practices by critiquing tapes of their presentation of math lessons.

III.Course Readings:
Texts:
Hatfield, M.M., Edwards, N.T., Bitter, G. G., and Morrow, J. (2001).  Mathematics Methods for Elementary and Middle School Teachers, Fourth Edition update.  New York: Wiley Publishing Company.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. Reston, BA: NCTM (2000).

Supplemental Reading:
South Carolina Mathematics Curriculum Standards, [On-Line] South Carolina Department of Education, 1998 and 2000.

IV. Instructional Strategies:
A variety of instructional strategies will be implored including hands-on activities, lecture, discussion, cooperative learning, projects, questioning, readings, peer teaching, self-critique, and reflection.

V. Course Requirements:
A.  Administrative Requirements:
1.  Attendance Policy:  Class attendance is mandatory and punctuality is expected.
2.  Late Assignments:  Late assignments will be penalized 10% per day.
3.  The following statement should appear on all graded assignments: “On my honor as a University of South Carolina ? Aiken student, I have neither given nor received an unauthorized aid on this assignment / examination.  To the best of my knowledge I am not in violation of academic honesty.”                         ______________
                                                        (signature)
4.  If you have a physical, psychological, and/or learning disability which might affect your performance in this class, please contact the Office of Disability Services, 126A B&E, (803) 641-3609, as soon as possible.  The Disability Services Office will determine appropriate accommodations based on medical documentation.

Grading Scale:
100% - 93% = A 92% - 90% = B+ 89% - 85% = B 84% - 82% = C+
81% - 78% = C 77% - 74% = D+ 73% - 70% = D Below 70% = F

B.  Required Activities:
Participants will be formally and informally assessed.  Participants will engage in professional discussions of mathematics education, explore standards-based lessons, reflect on their own teaching through videography, and prepare PACT-like assessments.  Participants will create a learning center focusing on a mathematics topic for their classroom.  Credit will be awarded according to the degree to which the participants fulfill the following requirements.

            Students are expected to attend a minimum of 45 hours of instruction.  Absences, tardies, and marginal participation
            result in lost points on this criterion.  Each class session is worth 1 point toward the final grade.  Students are expected
            to engage in cooperative class work with peers, to conduct mathematical investigations, solve problems assigned as class work or
            homework, to ask questions and to share experiences throughout the course.  A daily written response to class activities will
            be kept in a journal (3-ring notebook) along with class notes, class/homework problems, article summaries, supplementary
            classroom materials, correlations and resource lists.             Each individual student will videotape 20 minutes of a math lesson as he/she teaches it to his/her students (or peers).
            A brief overview of the lesson, a written lesson plan, and assessments will be presented in class.  There will be reflections and a
            class discussion following each lesson.  Each teacher-participant will submit a written reflection on their own lesson following
            the class presentation and examination of the video.  The self-reflections should discuss the strengths of the lesson as a vehicle
            for teaching the intended curriculum standards, a discussion of possible extensions, a description of an appropriate formal
            assessment of student learning, and specific suggestions for improving the effectiveness of the lesson.             Students will create two assessment tasks to measure student achievement of the SC Standards.
            The assessments will be used with students and the results analyzed during class.             Students will create a learning center to generate interest on a topic.  It should be a display of an activity, a small number of
            books, and other related material focusing on a particular topic or theme.  Students will do a 10-minute presentation of the
            learning center to the class on March 19.  An annotated bibliography of the materials used in the center should be prepared
            and a  copy reproduced for each member of the class.                Students will read and reflect on the text material and additional articles.  In addition to class discussions, students will
               participate in on-line forum discussions.
               January 22: Chapters 1 and 2; Forum Discussion Topic 1;
               January 29: Chapter 3; Submit a Forum Discussion Topic;
               February 5: Chapter 4; February 12: Chapter 5; April 16: Chapter 8

Materials And Supplies (collected by each participant)
Pencil with eraser, Three-ring binder, Loose-leaf paper, Notebook dividers with tabs,
Videotape