EDUC 349 Teaching Elementary Mathematics II
This course examines effective strategies for teaching math in the algebraic thinking, geometry, measurement, and data strand to elementary and middle school students. It emphasizes placing students in a role where they actively seek to make sense of mathematics and where they are extending their capacity to think, reason, and problem solve mathematically. Teaching mathematics effectively requires the development of a knowledge base and a variety of skill sets. This includes: (1) an understanding of how academic language in mathematics must be both fostered and scaffolded; (2) the capacity to merge understandings of student backgrounds and characteristics, knowledge of content and pedagogy, and assessment techniques to construct an age-appropriate and well-sequenced instructional plan; (3) the ability to analyze student error patterns to identify student needs and construct targeted interventions; (4) the knowledge to effectively use and sequence the use of multiple representations to make mathematical content accessible to all learners; and (5) the capacity to ‘develop’ (as opposed to merely ‘cover’) concepts and skills for a variety of learners in diverse classrooms, and (6) the ability to analyze student work in a lesson to plan instructional ‘next steps’. The Common Core State Standards and the Mathematical Standards of Practice will play an important role in this course. There are 10 hours of field experience.
Prerequisite
EDUC 347