Mentoring faculty and graduate students interested in teaching teachers
Critical Issues in Education: Teaching Teachers Mathematics
June 01, 2007 01:45 PM to 02:05 PM
Speakers:
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Abstract: |
The mathematical preparation of elementary teachers is a critically important duty of many mathematics
departments, but mathematicians often find courses for elementary teachers difficult to teach. At the
University of Georgia we have been developing a program to prepare new mathematicians---graduate students
and postdoctoral fellows---to teach courses for prospective elementary teachers. We are finding that with
suitable preparation and guidance, new mathematicians have an easier time learning to teach good courses for
prospective teachers than do some of the older, more experienced mathematicians. (In contrast with old dogs,
it seems you can teach new dogs new tricks.) A key feature of this program is that it is time-efficient. New
mathematicians need time to establish themselves in mathematics research and they need some experience
teaching standard math major courses. Another valuable feature of the program is that it allows new
mathematicians to discuss elementary mathematics with new mathematics educators and new elementary
teachers, which we hope will promote future interactions among mathematicians, mathematics educators, and
teachers. |
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