VOLUME XI, NUMBER 15

#88 INNOVATION ABSTRACTS

PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL Mirtis Ogee t i Valet 1M SROusier trac il ren lt Nave oie te THE UNIVERSITY OF, TEXAS AT AUSTIN

 

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE W. K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION AND THE SID W. RICHARDSON FOUNDATION:

An Experiment with Freshman
Education Majors in a College
Mathematics Course

Teaching mathematics in the elementary classroom is
a skill/art to be developed during all four years of a
student's undergraduate education. Too often, educa-
tion majors are not well-equipped with good mathemat-
ics teaching techniques. Many times these future
teachers admit that, “Math is not my favorite subject,”
or worse, “I never was very good at math.” These
comments—together with my own personal observa-
tions of algebra, statistics, and calculus students who
were able to solve an equation, calculate a descriptive
measure, or differentiate a function only to get bogged
down when a fractional root required checking—led me
to speculate about their basic skills in arithmetic.

Educators and psychologists, whose theories on
maturation and development stress “readiness” for
toilet training, reading, and a myriad of other skills,
lead mathematicians to speculate on the optimum age
for learning various mathematics skills. For example,
one might wonder if the age and grade level for the
understanding of the concept of fractions is appropri-
ately placed in the curriculum.

As a mathematics instructor at Burlington County
College, I (with the support of a faculty fellowship)
developed and introduced a new module into our
mathematics course for education and liberal arts
majors. This pilot program was designed to place
future teachers in the classroom of a master elementary
teacher who was conducting a lesson on any facet of
rational numbers (a topic which we cover in our text).
These college freshmen were to observe the teacher and
class; answer a checklist; and design a visual, work-
sheet, or handout appropniate to the lesson observed.
(Provision was made for students who were not educa-
tion majors. These students and | agreed upon a
mutually-acceptable alternate assignment relating their
major to the topic of rational numbers.)

This classroom observation assignment was in
addition to activities in our full syllabus and completely
on the student's own time. Anyone familiar with the

profile of a community college student knows that he/
she typically works a part-time job while juggling
classload and family responsibilities. Also, many
commute to class by bus. Needless to say, | thought
that this additional assignment would create problems
for my students, but I felt strongly that their effort
would be rewarded by an exciting exposure to a
talented teacher role model. [Because this was an
experiment and I fully anticipated that some students
would be unable to fit this assignment into their busy
schedules, | decided to assign only ten points of our
400-point grading system to this requirement.]

Each student requested the school he/she wished to
visit, and I was to contact the principals. | had no idea
that each student would choose a different school! My
task proved to be very time-consuming. The principals,
superintendents, and curriculum coordinators with
whom | spoke were, to a person, very coopcrative and
professional. Some of our local elementary schools, |
later discovered, are fairly inundated by similar re-
quests from surrounding four-ycar institutions.

Midway through the semester one student decided
to do her “classroom observation.” At the subsequent
class meeting she presented me with a big smile and a
thick portfolio which she referred to as her “report.”
That evening I was overwhelmed with the length,
detail, and enthusiasm of this ten-point assignment.
She included a very interesting three-page narrative of
her observation (this was not required) and had devel-
oped not one, but two, innovative games which could
have been used for the lesson she observed. Sharing
this report af our next class meeting served as a catalyst
to the other students. Exciting things began to happen.
Some students would seck me out, even on days when
we had no class, to tell me about their “observation.”
They apparently took my admonition to “dress appro-
pnately” to heart, and many very well-dressed students
came directly from the elementary school to share their
experiences with me.

It soon became a habit for many of us to arrive a few
minutes early to class so that we could discuss and
share someone's “observation.” We still had a very full
syllabus of goals and objectives to cover, so these bits of
sharing had to be brief.

I continue to be delighted with the keen insights and
comments from freshmen college students. [Note: A

 

 

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THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD)
Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at Austin