2006 Summer
Mathematics Courses Draw Crowds and Excellent Reviews
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The Greater Birmingham
Mathematics Partnership (GBMP) exceeded expectations for its mathematics
courses in the summer of 2006. Instructors from the Mathematics
Education Collaborative (MEC) led multiple offerings of the courses
entitled Patterns, Functions and Algebraic Reasoning,
Probability and Data Analysis, and Numerical
Reasoning. These nine-day courses focused on mathematics
content taught in a way that modeled best practices for developing
mathematically powerful students. The GBMP team invited teachers from
partnership schools, parents of school children, IHE (institution of
higher education) faculty and pre-service teachers to participate.
Teacher demand required that we add an additional section of the
Numerical Reasoning Course bringing the number of courses provided to 9
for the summer, 1 more than we had planned at the outset. In total,
we had 284 teachers in this year's summer courses including: 55 from
grades K-4, 199 from grades 5-8, 20 from grades 9-12, and 10 pre-service
teachers. Also taking courses this summer were 3 school administrators, a
parent, and 15 IHE faculty members.
And here
are the results. After tabulating all the responses on post session surveys for
each of the courses this summer, we found: |
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Between 98.6 and 100% of the participants
in each course agreed or strongly agreed that the course they took
improved their mathematical skills and understanding. |
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Between 98.6 and 100% agreed or strongly
agreed that the mathematical ideas presented in the course they took
will be useful in their teaching during the upcoming year. |
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Between 97.9 and 100% agreed or strongly
agreed that the teaching model in the course they took will be useful
during the upcoming school year. |
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Between 96.8 and 100% agreed or strongly
agreed that the course improved their understanding of pedagogy/teaching
practices. |
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Between 97.9 and 100% agreed or strongly
agreed that the course was interesting and engaging. |
Here are a few samples of the participants'
reactions after completing their courses...
"I feel very empowered and can't wait to engage
my students with all that I have learned."
"The experiences in this class deepened my
mathematical understandings, allowed me to meet and work with knowledgeable
people who helped me build persistence in mathematical problem solving, and
allowed me to experience the joy of learning mathematics. Teaching mathematics
for understanding is the only way to prepare our students for the future!
Excellent course. This is my 4th course in 5 years. They've helped me
immensely."
"The most important thing that I am taking with me
from this course is how to effectively teach mathematics. I have always known
that this would be a better way to guide students’ understanding but wasn't sure
how and didn't have the resources. I feel like I'm now equipped with both!
Also, I now understand algebra! if I had learned it this way to begin with,
life would have been a lot simpler! This course has been a true asset to me
personally and professionally!"
"I
cannot believe how much stretching I was forced to do in this course...My growth
in understanding math has been enormous!"
"I would summarize my experience these past two
weeks with two words: enlightening and altering....my previous opinion of
mathematics clouded my vision. I was under the impression that there was one
set of steps to get the correct answer. Wow, was I wrong! Instead, what I saw
with my own two eyes was the opposite."
"This course really inspired me. I felt as many of
my students do when approached with a mathematical thinking problem. I felt
unsure and scared. I didn't really feel like I had a strong grasp of
mathematical thinking when it came to Algebra. I now notice patterns and make
connections to other things. I feel I can understand. I no longer have to just
accept an answer or strategy because the instructor tells me that's how it is
done. I can take ownership of my own learning and come to an understanding for
myself."