Mathematics Education (Primary/Junior) (EDUC 4274) has been
designed to provide the teacher candidate with opportunities to explore
what it means to teach and learn mathematics with understanding. Participants
will re-visit and explore the "Big Ideas" in the elementary school curriculum
in order to experience mathematics in new ways. Through exploring elementary
school mathematics content, both as teachers and learners, candidates will
have the opportunity to re-develop and re-form their math content knowledge
while experiencing teaching methodologies that may be unfamiliar to them.
Throughout the year they will be involved in explorations using various
mathematical manipulatives and tools as they discuss, analyze, explain,
defend and evaluate their developing knowledge. Videos of classroom vignettes
will also be utilized so that participants can "see" mathematics classrooms
"in action." Specifically, the course has been structured in such a way
as to help teacher candidates to:
- Acquire knowledge and strengthen understanding
of the fundamental concepts or "Big Ideas" in Elementary school mathematics
("Math Content Knowledge") and the revised Ontario Curriculum.
- Develop a foundation for teaching P/J mathematics
by using knowledge of how children learn mathematics to plan appropriate
tasks and lessons ("Pedagogical Content Knowledge").
- Reflect on personal learning through analyzing teaching
and learning strategies, and discussing how such strategies/activities
could be used in teaching placements and future practice.
- Begin to develop the ability to create classrooms which promote mathematical
understanding through:
- Creating problematic learning tasks
- Re-conceptualizing the role of the teacher
- Investigating ways of developing a 'community' in the classroom
- Exploring various 'learning tools/manipulatives' which support math learning
- Understanding the centrality of equity and accessibility for all
students
- Increase confidence sufficiently to teach elementary
mathematics positively with enthusiasm!